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Svalbard

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The Global Seed Vault near Longyearbyen, Svalbard, is the world’s largest secure seed storage. The Norwegian government established the vault in 2008 to protect against catastrophic loss of the world’s crop diversity, and Svalbard’s cold climate and permafrost made it an ideal location. The underground vault in Platåberget (“Plateau Mountain”) holds seeds from 123 gene banks in 85 countries, and depositors retain ownership of the seeds.
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