Svalbard Global Seed Vault: New website in place

Svalbard Global Seed Vault: A new internet service for Svalbard Global Seed Vault has been launched on regjeringen.no. The website provides easy access to news about the project, links to partners and resources and factual information about the establishment of the seed vault and the work of securing the diversity of the world’s food plants.

• Go to the front page of Svalbard Global Seed Vault website

Seeds from all over the world
Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which has now been established in the permafrost inside the mountains of Svalbard, has been constructed to store backup duplicates of seed from seed collections all over the world. Many of these collections are located in developing countries. If seeds should be lost, for example due to natural disasters, wars or simply lack of resources, the seed collections may be re-established with seeds from Svalbard.

International collaboration
Svalbard Global Seed Vault is financed in cooperation with three ministries:
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food

• The physical structure is being built and will be technically operated by Statsbygg 
• The Nordic Genetic Resource Centre will be responsible for regular operation and administration of the seed vault 
• The Global Crop Diversity Trust will contribute technical guidance and the dispatch of seeds to Svalbard and has also committed itself to financing a major portion of the operating costs.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault will have the capacity to store 3 million different seed types. The vault will come into operation in early 2008.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault: A new internet service for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has been launched on regjeringen.no.