8. Seed Vault Worldwide
Location: Norway’s Svalbard
Completed Cost: $9 Million
Year Completed: 2008
Possibly the greatest preservation choice ever made by humanity is the Global Seed Vault. As a backup gene bank, 1,214,827 seed samples from nearly every nation in the world are stored in this vault, which is located in Norway. This project offers the next generation a glimmer of hope in the fight against population increase and climate change, making it the ultimate food supply insurance policy.
Worldwide Seed Bank ©Shutterstock/Marcin Kadziolka
Every seed is kept in specially designed foil packaging with three layers and sealed in boxes, maintaining an ideal temperature of −18°C and low moisture levels to lower metabolic activity. Even in the absence of electricity, the seeds are kept safely frozen and viable by the permafrost and heavy rocks.
zi ang