Svalbard Seed Vault

The Svalbard Seed Vault is the ‘doomsday ark’ that will keep safe the seeds for 820,619 plants in case of nuclear war, massive natural catastrophes or asteroid impacts.

It is located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago, about 1300 kms from the North Pole.

The roof and vault entrance are filled with highly reflective stainless steel, mirrors and prisms that reflect polar light in the summer months, while in winter, a network of 200 fibre-optic cables give off a muted turquoise and white light.