The most important room in the world
The security storage of seed at Svalbard.
Deep inside a mountain, on a remote island midway between the norwegian mainland and the north pole, lays the global seed vault.
In 2010 the number of samples passed 500,000, making it the largest collection of food seeds worldwide. The exhibition "The Most Important Room in the World" tells us about the world's largest security storage for seeds.
Many of the gene banks are situated in politically or economically unstable parts of the world, or they are exposed in terms of natural disasters. In 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened as a secure storage for the wolrd's gene banks. The temperature is -18 °C which is optimal for the preservation of seeds.
We need to take care of most biological materials, not only different species but also genetic diversity within each species. Gene banks therefore contains not only what we describe as food- and beneficial plants but also their closest relatives. Without these varieties of seeds, species we depend on are in danger of being wiped out by either climate change, natural disasters, war or disease. Several gene variants makes us more resilient in the face of the future.
The seeds in the exhibition is a selection of seeds, and not representing the contens of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
In the exhibition you can find white clover, english ryegrass, wheat, spelt, dill, pumpkin, squash, spinach.
Producers and participants:
Agder Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden, NaturExpo, Svalbard Museum, NordGen and Norwegian Genetic Resource Cente