In fear of our loss of biodiversity, Norway has established a Global Seed Bank, nicknamed "Dooms Day Vault". National Geographic highlights it here. What do you think, is this a good idea, do we have reason to fear loss in biodiversity?
I think this is a great idea, mainly because this way we know that at least one seed will be preserved for almost every plant. Also I think every country should have there own "Vault/Bank" both nationally and by state
If you stop to consider the world now a days and all the things that happen within the international community, like natural disasters or wars between countries, I think having a “Doomsday Vault” or a vault that holds seeds from a variety of plant species is an amazing idea and should have to thought of much earlier and so that the bank of seeds would be much greater. To my understanding there are thousands of different varieties of plant seeds within the vault but I think that because of political unrest and natural disasters, have caused a lot of different important seeds to be lost and if planning were to have happened many many years ago then I think that those lost archives of species could have been saved and preserved. I think the way they designed the vault to last for many years and to put it so close to the north pole so that it will continue to stay cold even if there were a disaster like a nuclear war, then the seeds within the vault would still be save for future generations to thrive. Just that thought aside I think this idea of a vault is just a productive idea just to be prepared if something were ever going to happen. Like if crops were destroyed or if something happened to mankind then mankind could come back and be able to reproduce and help thrive once more. With the seeds in storage, persons can just automatically go to the farming stages of life instead of struggling to be able to grow food. Also to consider the idea that transnational companies, like Monsanto, have tons of crops that are genetically modified and I feel that for one it isn’t good for people to consume, also it eliminates naturally grown foods which would be better for people then modified foods. The diversity of a natural plant as opposed to chemically grown foods, I feel is also better for the environment let alone the health of humans. I strongly feel that one of the many reasons for having a vault like this one and calling it a “doomsday vault” would be caused by big companies that change the chemicals and make up of foods. Companies like Monsanto I feel is the entire reason to have seeds stored away so that naturally grown foods can be preserved before companies take over the seed industries and change them completely to the point where no food is grown without some sort of modifications. “Food varieties extinction is happening all over the world—and it’s happening fast. In the United States an estimated 90 percent of our historic fruit and vegetable varieties have vanished. Of the 7,000 apple varieties that were grown in the 1800s, fewer than a hundred remain. In the Philippines thousands of varieties of rice once thrived; now only up to a hundred are grown there. In China 90 percent of the wheat varieties cultivated just a century ago have disappeared. Experts estimate that we have lost more than half of the world’s food varieties over the past century. As for the 8,000 known livestock breeds, 1,600 are endangered or already extinct.” National Geographic Report in July. Since the vault opened in 2008, 740,000 seeds have been placed in the vault from plants and countries all over the world. Essentially this vault is a vault that will preserve the world’s food supply for generations to come and I think that can put our minds at ease just a little bit. I think that maybe it might be a good idea for countries not to have their own vaults but to contribute their seeds to the doomsday vault. As we have seen in the past, countries go through natural disasters and political unrest and species that have been on the verge of been wiped out, get wiped out because the samples get lost or destroyed. Allowing them to be stored in the vault is the best way to ensure that the samples will be preserved and will last the sand of time to ensure that future generations will have a lasting food supply if something should ever occur.
“[a]ll seeds stored in the Seed Vault remain the property of the country or institution which sent them,” describes GCDT, any seeds accepted for “storage at the Vault must be freely available under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources. In other words, there are no seeds stored at the Seed Vault which would not be easily accessible simply by directly contacting the genebank which sent them.” GDCT But in saying that, the vault has gained a lot of controversy due to the fact that it is backed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust which has ties to a lot of companies that have ideas that it is important to have genetic crops. But I feel that as long as those seeds that are modified don’t get into the vault with the other seeds then it won’t contaminate the natural samples that everyone wants to preserve for the future. All in all I think this vault should have the backing of many different countries, with the support of different countries we can ensure that the project has the resources needed to preserve the necessary samples and can be provided with samples from all other world to ensure that those plants will the preserved and never lost. This way the world’s food supply will always be there for generations to come. http://www.gmo-journal.com/2012/03/22/controversy-with-the-doomsday-vault/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pictures/2012/07/120702-svalbard-doomsday-seed-vault-food-supply/#/rio-20-seed-bank-svalbard-bag_55730_600x450.jpg If you check this link out there are tons of photos of the vault and the stuff inside.
Doomsday Vault: Is One Enough? Like anything in life, society is constantly progressing by building more factories, and services along with producing more technology than most of us though was impossible in our lifetime. On top of these points the world is also facing a fair amount of political unrest and natural disasters. With this being said, the constant advancements coupled with a particularly unusable international community now is the time that protecting our biodiversity is of the up most importance. Therefore, in my own personal opinion I am quite glad that Norway decided to take a step in the right direction and help create the Svalbard Global Seed Vault otherwise known as the “Doomsday Vault”. The “Doomsday Vault” is basically an underground refrigerated room that helps preserve all the different species of seeds that are found in the world. Ranging from sunflower seeds to chickpeas the “Doomsday Vault” helps protect seeds from being cross contaminated with genetically enhanced seeds developed by Transnational Corporations, like Monsanto. Moreover, the protection of these seeds is “considered the ultimate insurance policy for the world’s food supply” by Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) because if there was ever some catastrophic event in the future, the black board will not be wiped clean and we will be able to survive off the land because we have a mass databases of seeds that can help us. As much as I believe that the Doomsday Vault is positive idea, I also feel that there should be more than one bank. Stated by GMO Journal, the Doomsday Vault is presently holding 740,000 different seeds which is very much a large success however I feel that if some form of catastrophic event were to happen that these seeds would not be enough. What I mean by this is that we have more than 7 billion people on this planet and at the rate we are going that number is going to continue to go up. Moreover, we cannot control where an earth shattering event will take place so how do we know that when this suspected event happens we will be able to reach all four corners of the globe to be able to give people the seeds the need to survive. Therefore, I propose that due to the increasing population, the idea that a catastrophic event may take place, as well as the ability to protect our biodiversity as members of the international community we help create another “Doomsday Vault” on the opposite side of the earth with the same procedures and design as the Vault residing in Norway today to help the world have a backup plan to our back up plan. Overall, the concept of a vault that not only helps preserve out biodiversity but can be used to help us in the future if we so desire is many ways remarkable and truly demonstrates that we are not only look out for out generations but for future ones as well. http://www.gmo-journal.com/2012/03/22/controversy-with-the-doomsday-vault/
With the issue of the disappearance of plant diversity I was surprised to hear that it has taken so long for a facility like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault to be created. The existence of plant life is crucial to human existence and I am glad to see that measures are being taken to preserve such a wide range of plant species. Every day plants are at risk of becoming extinct from things such as shifting local weather patterns and disuse by farmers adopting new hybrids. With completion of the vault we can all feel a little bit better knowing that our plants are safe from harm in case the worst happens. Before reading this article I was unaware of the importance every type of plant had. It astonished me to learn that each variety of plant life has different traits that are completely unique to it and that they can be used to help other plants. However, it made me think about all the plants and all those unique traits that have been lost in the time it has taken for the vault to be created. In the future we may run into a problem regarding plant survival and realize that the trait needed to fix the problem no longer exists. Even though the vault should have been made sooner it is better late than never. We may not immediately see the importance of the vault however it is only a matter of time until we run into a problem and the vault and the seeds within save the day. -William Watson http://www.globalresearch.ca/doomsday-seed-vault-in-the-arctic/23503 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303153116.htm
If it wasn't for the fact that the major investors are Bill Gates, Rockefeller foundation, Monsanto and others who support genetic modification and ownership of the basis of the world's food system (seeds), then yes, I think it would be a great idea. But why oh why are these mega monster conglomerates busy dwindling away our seed diversity in the real world, while hoarding samples of this diversity in a mega high security seed vault in the arctic circle?
Seems to me that something is not quite right with this picture!
I think this is a great idea, mainly because this way we know that at least one seed will be preserved for almost every plant. Also I think every country should have there own "Vault/Bank" both nationally and by state
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIf you stop to consider the world now a days and all the things that happen within the international community, like natural disasters or wars between countries, I think having a “Doomsday Vault” or a vault that holds seeds from a variety of plant species is an amazing idea and should have to thought of much earlier and so that the bank of seeds would be much greater. To my understanding there are thousands of different varieties of plant seeds within the vault but I think that because of political unrest and natural disasters, have caused a lot of different important seeds to be lost and if planning were to have happened many many years ago then I think that those lost archives of species could have been saved and preserved. I think the way they designed the vault to last for many years and to put it so close to the north pole so that it will continue to stay cold even if there were a disaster like a nuclear war, then the seeds within the vault would still be save for future generations to thrive.
ReplyDeleteJust that thought aside I think this idea of a vault is just a productive idea just to be prepared if something were ever going to happen. Like if crops were destroyed or if something happened to mankind then mankind could come back and be able to reproduce and help thrive once more. With the seeds in storage, persons can just automatically go to the farming stages of life instead of struggling to be able to grow food. Also to consider the idea that transnational companies, like Monsanto, have tons of crops that are genetically modified and I feel that for one it isn’t good for people to consume, also it eliminates naturally grown foods which would be better for people then modified foods. The diversity of a natural plant as opposed to chemically grown foods, I feel is also better for the environment let alone the health of humans. I strongly feel that one of the many reasons for having a vault like this one and calling it a “doomsday vault” would be caused by big companies that change the chemicals and make up of foods. Companies like Monsanto I feel is the entire reason to have seeds stored away so that naturally grown foods can be preserved before companies take over the seed industries and change them completely to the point where no food is grown without some sort of modifications.
“Food varieties extinction is happening all over the world—and it’s happening fast. In the United States an estimated 90 percent of our historic fruit and vegetable varieties have vanished. Of the 7,000 apple varieties that were grown in the 1800s, fewer than a hundred remain. In the Philippines thousands of varieties of rice once thrived; now only up to a hundred are grown there. In China 90 percent of the wheat varieties cultivated just a century ago have disappeared. Experts estimate that we have lost more than half of the world’s food varieties over the past century. As for the 8,000 known livestock breeds, 1,600 are endangered or already extinct.” National Geographic Report in July.
Since the vault opened in 2008, 740,000 seeds have been placed in the vault from plants and countries all over the world. Essentially this vault is a vault that will preserve the world’s food supply for generations to come and I think that can put our minds at ease just a little bit. I think that maybe it might be a good idea for countries not to have their own vaults but to contribute their seeds to the doomsday vault. As we have seen in the past, countries go through natural disasters and political unrest and species that have been on the verge of been wiped out, get wiped out because the samples get lost or destroyed. Allowing them to be stored in the vault is the best way to ensure that the samples will be preserved and will last the sand of time to ensure that future generations will have a lasting food supply if something should ever occur.
“[a]ll seeds stored in the Seed Vault remain the property of the country or institution which sent them,” describes GCDT, any seeds accepted for “storage at the Vault must be freely available under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources. In other words, there are no seeds stored at the Seed Vault which would not be easily accessible simply by directly contacting the genebank which sent them.” GDCT
ReplyDeleteBut in saying that, the vault has gained a lot of controversy due to the fact that it is backed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust which has ties to a lot of companies that have ideas that it is important to have genetic crops. But I feel that as long as those seeds that are modified don’t get into the vault with the other seeds then it won’t contaminate the natural samples that everyone wants to preserve for the future.
All in all I think this vault should have the backing of many different countries, with the support of different countries we can ensure that the project has the resources needed to preserve the necessary samples and can be provided with samples from all other world to ensure that those plants will the preserved and never lost. This way the world’s food supply will always be there for generations to come.
http://www.gmo-journal.com/2012/03/22/controversy-with-the-doomsday-vault/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pictures/2012/07/120702-svalbard-doomsday-seed-vault-food-supply/#/rio-20-seed-bank-svalbard-bag_55730_600x450.jpg If you check this link out there are tons of photos of the vault and the stuff inside.
Doomsday Vault: Is One Enough?
ReplyDeleteLike anything in life, society is constantly progressing by building more factories, and services along with producing more technology than most of us though was impossible in our lifetime. On top of these points the world is also facing a fair amount of political unrest and natural disasters. With this being said, the constant advancements coupled with a particularly unusable international community now is the time that protecting our biodiversity is of the up most importance. Therefore, in my own personal opinion I am quite glad that Norway decided to take a step in the right direction and help create the Svalbard Global Seed Vault otherwise known as the “Doomsday Vault”. The “Doomsday Vault” is basically an underground refrigerated room that helps preserve all the different species of seeds that are found in the world. Ranging from sunflower seeds to chickpeas the “Doomsday Vault” helps protect seeds from being cross contaminated with genetically enhanced seeds developed by Transnational Corporations, like Monsanto. Moreover, the protection of these seeds is “considered the ultimate insurance policy for the world’s food supply” by Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) because if there was ever some catastrophic event in the future, the black board will not be wiped clean and we will be able to survive off the land because we have a mass databases of seeds that can help us. As much as I believe that the Doomsday Vault is positive idea, I also feel that there should be more than one bank. Stated by GMO Journal, the Doomsday Vault is presently holding 740,000 different seeds which is very much a large success however I feel that if some form of catastrophic event were to happen that these seeds would not be enough. What I mean by this is that we have more than 7 billion people on this planet and at the rate we are going that number is going to continue to go up. Moreover, we cannot control where an earth shattering event will take place so how do we know that when this suspected event happens we will be able to reach all four corners of the globe to be able to give people the seeds the need to survive. Therefore, I propose that due to the increasing population, the idea that a catastrophic event may take place, as well as the ability to protect our biodiversity as members of the international community we help create another “Doomsday Vault” on the opposite side of the earth with the same procedures and design as the Vault residing in Norway today to help the world have a backup plan to our back up plan. Overall, the concept of a vault that not only helps preserve out biodiversity but can be used to help us in the future if we so desire is many ways remarkable and truly demonstrates that we are not only look out for out generations but for future ones as well.
http://www.gmo-journal.com/2012/03/22/controversy-with-the-doomsday-vault/
With the issue of the disappearance of plant diversity I was surprised to hear that it has taken so long for a facility like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault to be created. The existence of plant life is crucial to human existence and I am glad to see that measures are being taken to preserve such a wide range of plant species. Every day plants are at risk of becoming extinct from things such as shifting local weather patterns and disuse by farmers adopting new hybrids. With completion of the vault we can all feel a little bit better knowing that our plants are safe from harm in case the worst happens. Before reading this article I was unaware of the importance every type of plant had. It astonished me to learn that each variety of plant life has different traits that are completely unique to it and that they can be used to help other plants. However, it made me think about all the plants and all those unique traits that have been lost in the time it has taken for the vault to be created. In the future we may run into a problem regarding plant survival and realize that the trait needed to fix the problem no longer exists. Even though the vault should have been made sooner it is better late than never. We may not immediately see the importance of the vault however it is only a matter of time until we run into a problem and the vault and the seeds within save the day.
ReplyDelete-William Watson
http://www.globalresearch.ca/doomsday-seed-vault-in-the-arctic/23503 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303153116.htm
If it wasn't for the fact that the major investors are Bill Gates, Rockefeller foundation, Monsanto and others who support genetic modification and ownership of the basis of the world's food system (seeds), then yes, I think it would be a great idea. But why oh why are these mega monster conglomerates busy dwindling away our seed diversity in the real world, while hoarding samples of this diversity in a mega high security seed vault in the arctic circle?
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that something is not quite right with this picture!