斯瓦尔巴全球种子库于 2008 年建立，它守护着地球上的作物种子，用以抵御毁灭性全球自然灾害。这里收集了全球各地 2.5 亿种作物的种子，它们采用一种特制的四层热密封包装避免水分的渗入，在发生事故、设备故障、资金短缺和自然灾害情况下，这些种子样本也能完好无缺。
Opened in February 2008, the vault guards Earth’s crops against global catastrophe. With 250 million crop seeds from around the world packaged in special four-ply packets and heat-sealed to guard against moisture, it provides samples of seeds that may be lost due to accident, equipment failures, funding cuts and natural disasters.