-20°C
Human development and climate change are some of the most serious factors that play a crucial role in the number of endangered species. We cannot sit back and watch plant species slowly disappear. Plants are the basis of all life on earth, providing clean air and water. They are also the base of the food chain. All forms of life such as the animal and us, human are undeniably dependent on them.
The list of Earths Endangered keeps track of 9322 endangered plant species, but a significant growth is predicted for the next few years. Even though nature is a part of our heritage and it is also something, that we should leave behind for the generations-to-come in the most intact state possible, we seem to fail again and again in protecting it.
The aim of a seed bank is to preserve the diversity of the known, unique species for ranges from tens to hundreds of years. The double security system operating at 0 and -20 degrees Celsius ensures that the seed samples get protected from the possible threats and remain completely viable. In such a delicate place, perfect order is absolutely necessary.
One day, these samples might be used for restoring environments or bringing back long gone species. Moreover, the stored seeds can keep some unique features which could be found very useful in the years to come.
Establishing a new, extraterrestrial habitat is also something that one day we might be capable of, all with the use of a piece of genetic information obtained from a wonder as tiny as a seed.