Global Seed Vault Gets Millionth Donation and a $13M Update

Buried deep within a mountain in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago east of Greenland, is a repository of seeds and plants stored as a backup in case of global disaster. Since Norway opened the vault 10 years ago, hundreds of thousands of donations have poured in. Now, its getting its millionth donation—and a makeover.

As Helen Briggs of BBC News reports, the vault accepted a delivery Monday of more than 70,000 crops that will take it to its one million donation mark. Deposits include unique varieties of rice, black-eyed peas, and Bambara groundnut (a drought-tolerant crop).

The seeds will be added to the growing collection that resides in the frosty underground digs, which will soon get a pricey update. As Alister Doyle reports for Reuters, the upgrades, which will cost around $13 million, will include construction of a concrete access tunnel, a service building for emergency power and refrigerating units and other electrical equipment.