Originally posted by kshaund
My cynical side (which is by far the largest side) 
Really? No, I don't believe it.
Originally posted by kshaund
says the seed vault is for "them" and not "us" and Monsanto's job is to ensure what's outside the vault is lifeless food.
Monsanto would, as long as it is profitable for them to do so, leave this planet a lifeless hulk...but the seed banks are more of a preventative
measure than anything else. In the case of the Millenium Seed Bank at Kew, some species of plants for which they have a seed record are already
believed to be extinct (though it is difficult to determine that, many plant seeds can lie dormant for decades). We, humans, have created much of the
need for these banks. Deforestation, for commercial purposes, urban sprawl, pollution, intensive agriculture war etc etc all have an impact on plant
life, hundreds of thousands of species of plants are under threat and the seed vaults are absolutely essential to ensuring that we have access in the
future to plant material and that we are able to ensure that plant diversity continues to thrive. We and everything else on this planet is completely
dependent on plant life, none of us can live without plants in some shape or form. We will all benefit, directly and indirectly, should the need
arise from these vaults. But that said, if there is a commercial angle to be exploited then yes it will be exploited.
What troubles me more is that the presence of the seed vaults offers the excuse that there is no need for us to change our ways...plants that we have
a record of can and will be allowed to go extinct, because what the hell, we can just grow some more.
I was in a meeting a few weeks ago that discussed cuttings we had sent to Madagascar for field trial, the plants had been delayed at the airport
because of a coup there. I asked a couple of my collegues, who are French, after the meeting whether there was a military dictatorship in Madagascar
(I don't watch the news anymore, that's my excuse), they thought this was very funny and then replied with all seriousness that it was in fact a
Corporate dictatorship...I replied, is there a difference? Long and the short, it then took us to the fact that North Korea has bought up large
tracts of Madagascan land, because it doesn't have the land to feed it's own population (given current farming practices). There is great concern
now that intensive farming will affect the unique biodiversity of Madagascar...and yet though we know this
will affect both plant and animal
life, North Korea will still be allowed to do whatever they want, because people are more important than plants and animals in the shortsighted world
of money. It is absolute madness.
Therefore I have less concern about who will have access to the seed bank than I do about the real motivation behind it and the excuse that it
provides for the planet to keep getting raped.
