Fromtheair,it’satinygroupofislandshalfwaybetweenNorwayandtheNorthPole.Svalbard.Itsnamemeans“coldcoasts”inIcelandic.Thenamesuitsit.It’salandscapeofsnowand ice.
NearaplacecalledPlateauMountain,asliverofmetalsticksoutfromthesideofthemountain.It’sasilverwalkwayleadingtoadoor.Seemsstrangetofindadoorhere,inthesideofamountain.Whatisthis place?
Justpastthedoorisanarrow,concretehallway.Attheendofthehallwayisalockeddoor.Beyondthelockeddoor,thefloorslopesdownalongtunnel.Theairiscoolerhere.Overhead,pipespushcoldairfurtherdownintothemountain.Atthebottomofthetunnelarethreedoors.Themiddleoneiscoveredin ice.
Behindtheicydoor,therearerowsandrowsofshelves.Theyfilltheroom.Theshelvesholdboxafterboxafterbox.Insidetheboxesareseeds.WelcometotheSvalbardGlobalSeed Vault.
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251455/.Svalbard_Draft_1.mp4.960_0_1.jpg)
Hallways,tunnels,anddoorsleadtoavaultfilledwith seeds.
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251446/seeds_3.240_0_1.png)
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251447/seeds_4.240_0_1.png)
Theseseedsarestoredinglass tubes.
ProtectingDiversity
TheSvalbardseedvaultwascreatedtoprotectandstoreasmanyuniquekindsofseedsofcropplantsaspossible.Why?Thinkofitasaninsurancepolicyforfutureglobal agriculture.
Asourworldchanges,weneedtobeprepared.Cropsmayfailinanareaduringapestinfestationorasaresultofclimatechange.That’swhenweneedtoreplacethosestrainsofseedswithnewones.Onesthataretoughenoughtotoleratepests.Oronesthatcanhandleflooding.Oronesthatcantakeonextremetemperaturesorpoorsoilconditions.Thesesuper seedsmightbepresentinsomeraretypesofcropplants.Butwemaywanttobreedonekindofplantwithanothertogettheseedweneed.So,it’simportanttohavealargesupplyoftherawmaterialsavailableto us.
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251444/seeds_1.800_0_1.png)
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251445/seeds_2.800_0_1.png)
Unfortunately,thatpoolofplantsisshrinking.Wearebeginningtolosedistinctivekindsofseeds.RecordsshowthattheUnitedStateshad500 varietiesofcabbageand285 typesofcucumberforsalein1903.By1983,theNationalSeedStorageLaboratorylistedonly28 kindsofcabbage.Andjust16 typesofcucumber.Thatchangewasthesameforotherkindsofseeds,too.Americalost93 percentofitsseedtypesinonly80 years.
SeedlossisnotlimitedtotheU.S.Chinahasseenasharpdeclineintypesofrice.Only10 percentofthetypesofricethatwerebeinggrownthereinthe1950sarestillbeinggrown today.
Overtime,therehavebeenmanychangesinagriculture.Peoplenowproducecropswithmachinesonlargerscales.That’sgreat -morefoodformorepeople.But,only30 cropsprovideabout95 percentofourfoodenergyneeds.Wearerelyingonveryfewkindsoffoods.Yet,theworld’sfoodsuppliesarealwaysatriskofdiseaseordroughtorotherproblems.So,storingseedsforthelongtermisasmart idea.
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251448/sorghum_crop.800_0_1.png)
LongLife
Seedsarekeptinthevaultunderspecificconditions.Someseedscanremainthatwayfor50to75 years.Others,likethegrainsorghumusedtomakelivestockfeed,couldstillgerminate20,000 yearsfrom now!
Crop
Expectedlife(in years)
Barley
2,061
Chickpea
2,613
Lettuce
73
Maize (corn)
1,125
Onion
413
Pea
9,876
Rice
1,138
Wheat
1,693
sorghum
![](/nationalgeographic/pathfinder_april_2019/protecting_diversity_and_long_life/251449/sorghum_seed.480_0_1.png)
Map of Washington, D.C., 1860s
The White House
Peterson House
Ford's Theatre
United States Capitol
Smithsonian Institute
Washington Monument
POTOMAC RIVER