MESOP : Syrian War Destruction Prompts Seed Withdrawal from “Doomsday” Vault
The destruction of drought-resistant wheat, barley and grass seeds in Syria’s civil war has prompted the first ever withdrawal of seeds from an arctic “doomsday” seed vault. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was established in the arctic in 2008 to protect biodiversity in the event of catastrophe and contains samples of more than 860,000 plants. The seeds have been requested by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, which moved its headquarters from Aleppo to Beirut in 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-war-spurs-first-withdrawal-doomsday-arctic-seed-143300148.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=%2AMideast%20Brief