A construction team works inside the main tunnel of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in August 2007. The tunnel leads to storage rooms where seeds will be stored wrapped in foil and sealed in boxes for preservation.

Seeds placed in the vaults are meant as backups only and should exist in two previously existing banks, according to project organizers. Deposits will be made in "black boxes," meaning that they will not be opened upon arrival.

The boxes sent to Norway for storage will only be opened in the event that all other sources of a particular seed variety have been destroyed or used up.

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