A 'Forever' Seed Bank Takes Root in the Arctic

Abstract

SPECIES CONSERVATION LONGYEARBYEN, NORWAY— The prime ministers of five Nordic countries gathered here on the arctic archipelago of Svalbard last week to mark the beginning of a unique bunker: an underground vault that will hold up to 3 million seeds. Launched with $3 million from Norway, the project seeks to preserve the DNA of agricultural crops—the most complete such collection in the world by far. “It will contribute to ensuring our food security [and] protect our cultural heritage,” says Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. ![Figure][1] Deep freeze. Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg marks the launch of a mountainside seed vault. CREDIT: DAN CHARLES The seed bank is intended as a backup for existing collections, which have proven to be vulnerable. Collections of seeds in Afghanistan and Iraq, for example, were destroyed by war, and some of the oldest seed banks in the world, including one in Russia and a collection of apple varieties in Kazakhstan, are deteriorating. The Svalbard vault, carved into the side of a rocky, snow-streaked mountain near the town of Longyearbyen, will be built to withstand everything from nuclear war and bomb threats to global climate change. Its chief advantage is its location. Longyearbyen (population 1900) sits just 1120 km from the North Pole. During the winter, residents endure complete darkness for almost 4 months. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, temperatures in summer usually rise a few degrees above freezing, but under the surface, the earth remains permanently frozen, easing the task of keeping seeds refrigerated at −18°C. Even if equipment fails, it would be many weeks or even months before the vault reached −3°C, the temperature of the surrounding sandstone. The vault eventually will hold seeds representing almost the entire gene pool of the world's agricultural crops. Cary Fowler, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, calls the genetic diversity in existing seed collections “the most valuable natural resource in the world.” Most of those varieties vanished from fields over the past century as farmers adopted the products of modern breeding programs. So when plant breeders are looking for genetic resistance to emerging plant diseases, or for genes that may improve yields further, they often are forced to turn to the gene banks. But there will be a few gaping holes in the collection: China and a few African countries refused to include soybeans and peanuts in a recent international treaty that protects the free exchange of seeds among plant breeders. Those nations aren't likely to contribute copies of their important collections of those crops. The first seeds to arrive at Longyearbyen will come from international centers such as the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines or the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, located in Syria. After that, gene banks run by national governments will contribute additional samples. “We will limit this to unique seeds and try to avoid duplication,” says Grethe Evjen of Norway's ministry of agriculture and food. But that may be difficult because many collections aren't well cataloged. Fowler's group plans to raise $100,000 a year to operate the seed bank. Some scientists believe that preserving and deepening knowledge of these collections is as important as preserving the seeds themselves. “If the people who know about the collections are gone, I would say that 75% of the utility will be gone,” said Major Goodman, a specialist on maize at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Of the half-dozen top maize specialists worldwide, he said, almost all are nearing retirement: “For maize, we need at least eight young people trained in this area.” The prospects for so many positions appear bleak. But the Svalbard vault may help. “It's extremely good publicity,” says Geoffrey Hawtin, former director of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute in Rome. “It captures the public's imagination.” [1]: pending:yes