Primroses of Prince Charles, sacred corn of the Cherokee Indians ... Digged in the Arctic, the world's largest seed reserve has just received a large shipment of seeds, a life insurance policy for biodiversity in the face of dangers, particularly climatic.
This safe buried under a mountain on the island of Spitsbergen, in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, secures more than 60,000 seed samples sealed in multicolored boxes. "As the pace of climate change and biodiversity loss increase, a new emergency is emerging in efforts to save food crops from extinction," said Stefan Schmitz, director of the Crop Trust foundation, one of the partners of the project.
Basic crops and wild varieties
This ultimate safety net for the 1700 genetic banks around the world should make it possible to preserve the plants likely to feed an ever more populated and warmer planet. “Each of the seeds […] contains potential solutions for sustainable agriculture, argues Lise Lykke Steffensen, director of the genetic bank of the Nordic states. Vital solutions to feed a growing population and succeed in the green transition. "
In the latest arrival, staple crops like wheat and rice, but also less common wild varieties, like the European apple tree. The list of depositors includes the Cherokee nation, the first American Indians to abound the Svalbard reserve with beans, squash and corn seeds, in particular corn said White Eagle, the most sacred variety in their eyes. Prince Charles sent seeds of 27 wild plants collected from the fields of Highgrove, his country residence.
