Speculative Fact #342: Global Seed Vaults and Gene Banks

Svalbard is a small archipelago off the North coast of Norway, and lies at such a high latitude that it is permanently covered in a thick layer of permafrost. It is also the site of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
         Since the early eighties, the gene bank has stored over 10,000 seeds from 300 different species. The seeds, representing a genetically diverse sampling, are kept in sealed cold rooms and can theoretically be stored for hundreds of years. The hope is that these seeds could be used to replant species that have been endangered due to various crises.
          Perhaps because of the vault's remoteness and exclusive access (typically only scientists visit the site), many conspiracy theories also surround it. Some subscribe to the idea that companies are promoting GMO versions of crops and storing the original organic ones in seed vaults like the one in Svalbard. While there is no evidence to suggest that it has such a nefarious purpose, it could make for an interesting story premise.
        This could also pique your interest in the concept of gene banks in general. What if we’re required to store the genes of a variety of species in suspended animation in order to avoid mass extinctions? As we continue to deplete natural resources and suffer from global climate change, gene banks might become a tantalizing hope that future generations can repopulate a dying planet.
        You could be writing an apocalyptic themed story. In John Christopher's “The Death of Grass" and Cormac McCarthy's “The Road"  a notable loss of plant life is a key aspect of the story. Perhaps mischievous villains are attempting to sabotage gene banks in order to hasten a doomsday scenario. Perhaps the hero is like Noah and must use a genetic ‘ark’ to restore the Earth’s diversity of life - and reverse the damage done by the blind generations of the past.

Jonathan Hernandez