Seeds on ice
Subtitle: Svalbard and the Global Seed Vault
By: Cary Fowler ; photographs by Mari Tefre, with additional photographs by Jim Richardson ; design by Doyle Partners
Contributors: Tefre, Mari, photographer; Richardson, Jim, 1947 December 5- photographer
Edition: First edition.
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 160
ISBN-13: 9781632260574
Subjects: Biodiversity; Germplasm resources; Storage; Svalbard Global Seed Vault; Risk management; Climatic changes; Plant Germplasm resources; Germplasm resources conservation; Seed supply; Seeds; Climatic factors
Description: Closer to the North Pole than to the Arctic Circle, on an island in a remote Norwegian archipelago, lies a vast global seed bank buried within a frozen mountain. At the end of a 130-meter long tunnel chiseled out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity's precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection ever assembled: more than a half billion seeds containing the world's most prized crops, a safeguard against catastrophic starvation. The Global Seed Vault, a visionary model of international collaboration, is the brainchild of Cary Fowler, renowned scientist, conservationist, and biodiversity advocate. In SEEDS ON ICE, Fowler tells for the first time the comprehensive inside story of how the "doomsday seed vault" came to be, while the breathtaking photographs offer a stunning guided tour not only of the private vault, but of the windswept beauty and majesty of Svalbard and the enchanting community of people in Longyearbyen. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change will seriously undermine food production and threaten the diversity of crops around the world, SEEDS ON ICE offers a personal and passionate reminder that we shouldn't take our reliance on the world of plants for granted--and that, in a very real sense, the future of the human race rides on this frozen and indispensable biodiversity.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Foreword / Professor Sir Peter Crane; title: Preface; title: Svalbard : journey to the top of the world; title: Seeds and food; title: Collecting and conserving; title: Losses and threats; title: Importance and use of crop diversity; title: Svalbard Global Seed Vault; title: Planning; title: Construction; title: Step inside; title: Management policies and practices; title: Administrative structures and financing; title: The first seed withdrawal; title: Looking forward; title: Appendices; title: Resources; title: For the record : institutions and people; title: Acknowledgments; title: Photo and map credits; title: About the author and the photographers.