By Luca Bracali
When seen from above it looks like an enormous panettone covered in a thick layer of icing sugar. The truth is that Plåtafjell, this mysterious snow-covered mountain, is hiding something very different. We are in Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard, a handful of islands 1,200 kilometres from the North Pole inhabited by 2,500 people and about 3,000 polar bears. Geologically speaking they are unique repositories of sedimentary resources caused by territorial migration. About 600 million years ago they were located near the Antarctic, 350 million years ago they moved over the equator and are now in the Arctic ice cap.
And it is right here, in the boundless realm of ice, that another treasure chest can be found. It is the Global Seed Vault, the world seed bank which has been here for some years. This enormous Noah’s ark is wedged inside the Plåtafjell and looks like a cement monolith which goes through a 130 metre tunnel excavated in the sandstone and leads to three caverns – the three main chambers of the bank. Two of the chambers are still empty, awaiting new seed duplicates. “Chamber 2” is the beating heart of this inaccessible structure where it is said that not even Bill Gates, Al Gore or the Prince of Norway have been allowed to enter, and at the moment 716,523 seeds are being stored there. This figure is a long way off the total storage capacity which is estimated at 5 million.
But why should the seed vault be here, right at the top of the world? Prof. Roland Van Bothmer, head of public relations of the GSV, explains:
“Svalbard is the perfect place because of its geographic position. The temperature remains below zero and reaches just a few degrees higher in summer and the permafrost, permanently frozen ground, guarantees a good margin of safety even in the event of the cooling system breaking down. In order to preserve the seeds perfectly, the temperature inside the chamber must be forced to 18°C below zero but the permafrost ensures that the temperature remains 5°C below zero under natural conditions. And then there is the further guarantee of political, social and religious stability on these islands belonging to Norway, not to mention the fact that we are 350 metres above sea level and this, in the event of ice melting, prevents other risk factors”.
The Global Seed Vault which was inaugurated on 26th February 2008 has cost the Norwegian government a years work and 50 million crowns (around 6.64 million euro) and in practice it stores the duplicates of seeds from almost 2,000 genebanks from around the world. It is a substantial investment for a structure that is practically a freezer-safe deposit which acts as back up for the purpose of preserving agriculture in view of climatic changes, as well as many vegetable species which are already in danger of extinction, without taking into account those which unfortunately have already been lost.
Inside this deserted bunker, monitored by a sophisticated security system, there are seeds of plants, vegetables and cereals – from potatoes to beans, corn to peppers.
“There are plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, therefore the majority of seeds are large staple crops but there are no flowering plants” adds Van Bothmer.
The seeds arrive at the airport of Longyearbyen from genetic vaults located all over the world in moisture-free envelopes, wrapped in aluminium foil and closed in airtight boxes. They remain the property of the country from where they come and the sole function of the GSV is to store them safely.
And where does Italy come in? What is its place in the list of 229 countries of origin? Strange as it may seem, there are about 4,000 seed crops of Italian origin. Our country has not directly donated one single seed, for the usual bureaucratic reasons which set us apart from the rest of the world, even those less developed countries. However, from December when Italy joined the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources FAO, something happened and according to the most important Italian expert, Dr. Pignone director of the Food Research Department of the CNR, we will soon become direct donors.
Dr. Pignone pointed out, “With a certain amount of pride I would like to say that in 2011 the CNR was the first Italian organisation to join the multilateral system with about 30,00 samples of wheat and barley, preserved according to international standards at the Institute of Plant Genetics, CNR, Bari. I believe that this step marks the beginning of a virtuous process which will end with the conferment of copies of the collection to the GSV”.
In the meantime, 25,000 seeds are expected to arrive at Longyearbyen next week. The future of mankind, at least on the Svalbard islands, is guaranteed.
See accompanying pics here: http://blog.panorama.it/hitechescienza/2012/02/24/isole-svalbard-nellarca-che-conserva-tutte-le-specie-vegetali-della-terra-reportage/
Text and photos by Luca Bracali
