reply to post by Neo_Serf
I get a kick out of people misrepresenting seed vaults. They have been around for ages. Every company out there producing seed for sale has its own
seed vault. They collect seed from the wild and use then in cross breeding experiments to come up with plants that can withstand a large number of
diseases. The seeds are also collected to produce new and pleasing varieties of flowers. A while back there was an interesting quest to produce a
yellow impatien. They came in all colors, but yellow. It was deemed a worthwhile goal, i.e. it could make some money.
Impatiens
So yes, seed vaults are owned by companies in the seed business. There are also many seed vaults to provide a robust genetic pool for the future. If a
disease evolves to attack and destroy important crops, then a solution has to be worked out to keep feeding people. That solution begins with the
highest genetic diversity available. Fields of crops have low diversity. The goal of seed banks is to maintain diversity.
Is the newest see bank a sign of impending doom? No. It's just big and in a place to get mention. As the articles all point out there were 1400 seed
vaults before this one and this won't be the last to be built.