Solanum Tuberosum Andigena
For collections already safety -duplicated in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, how secure should we feel? I’ve seen media stories about permafrost thaw and water intrusion.
Oryza Sativa Indica
Svalbard stores over a million seed samples from more than 100 countries as a backup to national and international genebanks. It’s built deep into rock and permafrost and kept at –18 °C, specifically to withstand disasters. Retrievals after the Syr ian conflict showed the value of this extra insurance layer. ( Svalbard Global Seed Vault )
Zea Mays Dentiformis
The water incident a few years ago affected only the access tunnel, not the seed chambers, but it was a wake -up call. Norway and partners have since upgraded drainage and cooling systems. Climate change still poses structural challenges, but the va ult remains one of the most secure safety -duplication sites available. ( Le Monde.fr )
Triticum Aestivum Spelta
From a genebank management side, Svalbard is free to use but you need solid documentation and packaging. BOLD/Crop Trust guidance stresses that safety duplication should be systematic —ideally, every unique accession is duplicated somewhere off -site, with Svalbard as the final layer. ( BOLD Project )
Manihot Esculenta Crantz
It’s also important that accessions safety -duplicated in Svalbard have DOIs so that users can trace where the “original” active collection is held and under what conditions. Again, this creates cross -links to the DOI thread. ( FAOHome )
Phaseolus Vulgaris Pinto
As a farmer, I’m often asked why we should care about a vault in the Arctic. The Syrian example helped: when ICARDA’s genebank in Aleppo was damaged, seeds were retrieved from Svalbard and multiplied, eventually getting back to farmers. That’s a powerful story connecting our fields to global safety nets. ( nordgen.org )
Cicer Arietinum Desi
Given climate risks, maybe we should also explore regional safety sites —in the tropics or temperate zones —to complement Svalbard, especially for crops grown mainly in the Global South.
Glycine Max Williams
Agreed, and any new sites should be linked via GLIS and DOIs, and integrated into broader crop conservation strategies, as discussed in the regeneration and CWR threads. (Open Knowledge FAO )