Science’s Post

In the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard lies humanity’s safeguard against agricultural calamity: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Often referred to as the “Doomsday Vault,” this facility preserves over 1.2 million seed samples from around the world, ensuring the genetic diversity of our crops is protected against threats like climate change, natural disasters, and conflicts. Recent events underscore its significance. In October 2024, the vault received a historic deposit of more than 30,000 new seed samples from 23 depositors across 21 countries—the largest number since 2020. This global effort highlights the increasing urgency to conserve crop diversity in the face of escalating climate challenges and geopolitical tensions. The vault’s strategic location, deep within a mountain on the island of Spitsbergen, offers natural protection. Its design ensures that even in the event of power failures, the surrounding permafrost will keep the seeds viable. Access is limited to a few times a year to maintain optimal conditions, emphasizing the vault’s role as a last-resort backup for global agriculture. As we confront unprecedented environmental and societal challenges, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault stands as a testament to human foresight and international collaboration. It embodies our collective commitment to preserving the biodiversity that underpins global food security for future generations. #Agriculture #Biodiversity #FoodSecurity #ClimateChange #SvalbardSeedVault #GlobalCollaboration #Sustainability #FutureOfFood #EnvironmentalStewardship #DoomsdayVault

Did you know ? 1 The "Svalbard Global Seed Vault", also known as the "Doomsday Vault," is a secure seed bank located on the Norwegian island of Svalbard ( Svalbard https://g.co/kgs/PW6b3sm), deep within the Arctic Circle. It is designed to store and preserve world's crop diversity, protecting it from extinction and ensuring food security for future generations. 2 Officially opened in 2008, the vault is managed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT), in collaboration with the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) and the Norwegian government. 3 "Svalbard Global Seed Vault" (https://lnkd.in/gAyk3Aec) is built into the permafrost of a mountain, providing natural cooling and protection. It is, 🍀 Secure : Located behind a 100 meter long tunnel, with multiple security doors and alarms. 🍀 Climate controlled : Maintains a temperature of around -18°C (-0.4°F), ideal for seed storage. 🍀 Low humidity environment : Keeps air dry, preventing seed degradation. 4 The Vault is a vital resource in food security, biodiversity conservation, climate change resilience and serves as a safeguard against any loss of genetic material. 5 This vault currently stores over 1 million seed samples, representing more than 5,000 crop species from around the world. #Conservation #Biodiversity #Agriculture #Botany #Science #Humanity #Sustainability #Seedpreservation #Youth #India #Foodsecurity

Invertebrates are ink-redible. 🐙 They may seem alien and strange, but invertebrates are an essential part of biodiversity and a functioning ecosystem, and the decline of species could spell trouble for the future of our planet. We’ve gathered some fascinating stories from the world of invertebrates, based on research published in journals. Like how marine scientists from University of South Australia have developed a practical tool for estimating the age of octopuses by using growth rings on their’ beaks and stylets (internal shells near their gills). They published their open-access guide in CSIRO Publishing's Marine and Freshwater Research journal. Find more fascinating research from the world of invertebrates: https://lnkd.in/g_37PxMN 📷 | Adobe Stock / Mike Workman

Dendroecology: planting trees for a resilient future Restoration efforts often focus on a limited number of exotic tree species, neglecting the rich diversity of indigenous trees. CIFOR-ICRAF scientist Aster Gebrekirstos highlights the impact of this approach on biodiversity and explains how dendroecology research helps create resilient ecosystems by studying and promoting native species. 🔗: https://bit.ly/4aD2SeZ #TreesPeoplePlanet

In Brazil's Cerrado savanna, wildfires burned through 97% of the Serra das Araras conservation area this past year, according to recent reporting from Mongabay. While fire is an important part of the Cerrado’s ecosystem — one of the most biodiverse places in the world — human-induced changes to fire patterns pose an existential threat to the reserve and the many species living within it. Since August 2024, CTrees' Land Use Change Alerts (LUCA) platform detected more than 1,000 hectares of disturbance in the reserve, an area nearly two and half times the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Development of LUCA is led by CTrees research scientist Adugna Mullissa, Ph.D. Based on ESA Sentinel-1 radar data, and backed by a peer-reviewed scientific methodology, LUCA provides biweekly updates and allows users to visualize and quantify disturbance alerts within any administrative area or custom boundary, like that of the Serra Das Araras. Keep an eye out for updates to LUCA in the new year, and learn more about the open data platform through the links in the comments section below ⬇️

☀ The construction of #solarparks on former farmland is leading to a significant increase in biodiversity, both in plants and animals. 🌿 Over 350 plant species as well as numerous bird, reptile and insect species have been identified in ground-mounted #photovoltaic installations. 📊 These are the initial results of the study "Biodiversity in Solar Parks - A Nationwide Field Study", which was commissioned by the German Association for the New Energy Economy (BNE). https://lnkd.in/epkNFjGj (€)

#geodiversity is one of the most important aspects, and solutions, related to #climatechange but is often overlooked. New from PolicyWISE and Elaine Hooton, the latest #WiseIn5 briefing looks at the issues and what’s happening across our governments and nations. Check out the video and briefing in the post below.

How much do you know about geodiversity? Geodiversity forms the landscapes all around us and plays a fundamental role in shaping ecosystems and supporting life. However, geodiversity has been referred to as ‘silent nature’ and its role is often taken for granted. Elaine Hooton explains more in this short video and the PolicyWISE briefing emphasizes the need for a more holistic approach to nature, one that fully recognizes and integrates the contributions of geodiversity alongside biodiversity in ecosystems. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/eaz9-aAd

𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗸𝘀, 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗿 🐘 Did you know that elephants play a vital role in shaping ecosystems, but their populations also raise complex conservation challenges? Recent research in #KrugerNationalPark has revealed groundbreaking insights into how we estimate elephant numbers and the impact they have on the park's delicate balance: https://buff.ly/4hK6Wgb

HELP FOR KELP 🤔 Everyone knows about terrestrial forests, but did you know that there are floating forests hiding beneath ocean waves? 🌊 Since the 1970s, the ethereal and species-rich kelp forests of Tasmania and Southern Australia have been in serious decline due to climate change and habitat degradation—only about 5% of historical canopy coverage remains in Tasmania. 🤖 But a new collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Google, and other partners is using AI-generated maps to reveal the current state of the giant kelp canopy, indicate where to collect samples for a biobank that will preserve the species’ genetic diversity, and direct restoration efforts. 🗺 Meanwhile, biologists are growing giant kelp in labs, and last year seeded the fastgrowing species at 16 study sites in preparation to ramp up outplanting efforts. Help for kelp is on the way! 📸 Gary Bell/Oceanwide/Minden Pictures