Svalbard Seed Vault Wins Cooperation Prize

Why this is here: The vault now contains 25,000 seeds from 50 olive varieties originating from the World Germplasm Bank at the University of Córdoba in Spain.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway received the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation. The vault, often called the ‘Noah’s Ark of Plants,’ stores over 1.3 million seed samples from around the world. It aims to safeguard plant species against risks like intensive agriculture, disasters, and conflicts, preserving genetic diversity for future food security.

The vault functions as a secure backup for national and regional seed banks. In 2015, it facilitated the recovery of seeds for a research center in Syria after conflict disrupted its operations. Currently, the facility holds samples from over 6,000 plant species, representing 249 countries.

While the vault preserves seeds, it does not directly distribute them to researchers. The seeds remain the property of the depositing institutions. The project began with Nordic seeds in a disused mine and expanded with international collaboration, but ongoing challenges remain in preserving the full spectrum of agricultural biodiversity.