Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**

Archiving Eden: The Vaults (2008 - Present)

Spurred by the impending completion of the Svarlbard Global Seed Vault, I initiated Archiving Eden: the Vaults in 2008 to explore the role of seed banks and their preservation efforts in the face of climate change, the extinction of natural species, and decreased agricultural diversity. Serving as a global botanical backup system, these privately and publicly funded institutions assure the opportunity for reintroduction of species should a catastrophic event or civil strife affect a key ecosystem somewhere in the world.

Taken at twenty of the world’s largest and most comprehensive collections across five continents including the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado; the Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst Place in Sussex, England; the N.I. Vavilov Institute for Plant Industry in Russia; the Australian PlantBank; the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, these photographs trace in precise detail the spaces and technology of involved in this important effort.

Special thanks go to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for their support and all of the dedicated scientists I’ve had the honor to work with.

Vault Interior, Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **Vault Interior, Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**

California Botanic Garden Seed Bank Freezers

California Botanic Garden Seed Bank Seed Cleaning Station

California Botanic Garden Seed Bank Heteromeles arbutifolia seeds

Door, Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **Door, Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**

Empty Chamber, Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **Empty Chamber, Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**

Entry Tunnel, Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **Entry Tunnel, Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**

Seed Collecting Supplies, Western Australia Seed Technology Centre, Kings Park and Botanic GardenWest Perth, Western Australia — **Seed Collecting Supplies, Western Australia Seed Technology Centre, Kings Park and Botanic Garden**
**West Perth, Western Australia**

Seeds and Desiccant, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterAustin, Texas, USA — **Seeds and Desiccant, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center**
**Austin, Texas, USA**

Drying Screens, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterAustin,Texas, USA — **Drying Screens, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center**
**Austin,Texas, USA**

Smallest Seeds in the World, Western Australia Seed Technology Centre, Kings Park and Botanic GardenWest Perth, Western Australia — **Smallest Seeds in the World, Western Australia Seed Technology Centre, Kings Park and Botanic Garden**
**West Perth, Western Australia**

Seed Vault, Kuban Experimental Station of the VIRKrasnodar Territory, Russia — **Seed Vault, Kuban Experimental Station of the VIR**
**Krasnodar Territory, Russia**

Barley Collection, N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant IndustrySt. Petersburg, Russia — **Barley Collection, N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry**
**St. Petersburg, Russia**

Cryogenic Racks, USADA ARS National Center for Genetic Resources PreservationFort Collins, Colorado, USA — **Cryogenic Racks, USADA ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation**
**Fort Collins, Colorado, USA**

Herbarium Voucher Specimen, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterAustin, Texas, USA — **Herbarium Voucher Specimen, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center**
**Austin, Texas, USA**

Voucher Specimens, N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant IndustrySt. Petersburg, Russia — **Voucher Specimens, N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry**
**St. Petersburg, Russia**

EMBRAPA Laboratory, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **EMBRAPA Laboratory, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Biogenics Lab, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **Biogenics Lab, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Acai Research, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **Acai Research, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Incubator,EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **Incubator,EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Peppers, Centre for Plant Genetic ResourcesWageningen, the Netherlands — **Peppers, Centre for Plant Genetic Resources**
**Wageningen, the Netherlands**

Seed Accessions, Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **Seed Accessions, Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**

Collection Drying, USADA ARS Plant Genetic Resources UnitGeneva, New York, USA — **Collection Drying, USADA ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit**
**Geneva, New York, USA**

Drying Seeds, Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, KewWest Sussex, England — **Drying Seeds, Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew**
**West Sussex, England**

Seed Cleaning, Centre for Plant Genetic ResourcesWageningen, the Netherlands — **Seed Cleaning, Centre for Plant Genetic Resources**
**Wageningen, the Netherlands**

Dry Land Seed Shipment, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterAustin, Texas, USA — **Dry Land Seed Shipment, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center**
**Austin, Texas, USA**

Millennium Seed Bank Vault Interior, Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, KewWest Sussex, England — **Millennium Seed Bank Vault Interior, Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew**
**West Sussex, England**

**Antique Seed Collection, Western Australia Threatened Flora Seed Centre Kensington, Western Australia**

Vault Interior, USADA ARS National Center for Genetic Resources PreservationFort Collins, Colorado, USA — **Vault Interior, USADA ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation**
**Fort Collins, Colorado, USA**

Cryogenic Storage, USADA ARS National Center For Genetic Resources PreservationFort Collins, Colorado, USA — **Cryogenic Storage, USADA ARS National Center For Genetic Resources Preservation**
**Fort Collins, Colorado, USA**

Herbarium, N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant IndustrySt. Petersburg, Russia — **Herbarium, N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry**
**St. Petersburg, Russia**

Map Room, Desert Legume Program Research StationTucson, Arizona, USA — **Map Room, Desert Legume Program Research Station**
**Tucson, Arizona, USA**

Corn Research, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **Corn Research, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Research Lab, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **Research Lab, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Incubator, USADA ARS National Center for Genetic Resources PreservationFort Collins, Colorado, USA — **Incubator, USADA ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation**
**Fort Collins, Colorado, USA**

Experiment, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and BiotechnologyBrasilia, Brazil — **Experiment, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology**
**Brasilia, Brazil**

Trees and Timber Institute Laboratory, National Research Council of Italy, Trees and Timber InstituteFlorence, Italy — **Trees and Timber Institute Laboratory, National Research Council of Italy, Trees and Timber Institute**
**Florence, Italy**

Kuban Experimental Station of the VIRKrasnodar Territory, Russia — **Kuban Experimental Station of the VIR**
**Krasnodar Territory, Russia**

Ancient Citrus CollectionFlorence, Italy — **Ancient Citrus Collection**
**Florence, Italy**

Apple Collection, USDA ARS Plant Genetic Resources UnitGeneva, New York, USA — **Apple Collection, USDA ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit**
**Geneva, New York, USA**

Hyper-Arid Research, Desert Legume ProgramYuma, Arizona, USA — **Hyper-Arid Research, Desert Legume Program**
**Yuma, Arizona, USA**

Greenhouse, Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, KewWest Sussex, England — **Greenhouse, Millennium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew**
**West Sussex, England**

Papaya Collection, EMBRAPA Mandioca e FruticulturaCruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil — **Papaya Collection, EMBRAPA Mandioca e Fruticultura**
**Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil**

Isolation Chamber, USDA ARS Plant Genetic Resources UnitGeneva, New York, USA — **Isolation Chamber, USDA ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit**
**Geneva, New York, USA**

Carnivorous Plants, Western Australia Seed Technology Centre, Kings Park and Botanic GardenWest Perth, Western Australia — **Carnivorous Plants, Western Australia Seed Technology Centre, Kings Park and Botanic Garden**
**West Perth, Western Australia**

View of the Bay and Airport from Svalbard Global Seed VaultSpitsbergen Island, Norway — **View of the Bay and Airport from Svalbard Global Seed Vault**
**Spitsbergen Island, Norway**