They call it the "doomsday vault," but it is intended to save humankind, not menace it. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which opened Feb. 26 in Norway, will serve as a repository for billions of seeds. It is designed to protect biodiversity and the people and cultures that depend on it. It is one of the smartest measures we can take to safeguard future generations and one that all governments should be prepared to support.

There are millions of plant species around the world — more than 100,000 varieties of rice alone — but only about 150 are cultivated for agricultural purposes on a practical scale. As a result, less-used species are not as hardy as others and do not develop resistance to disease and pests. Yet those species might possess other traits that would make them valuable in the event of a change in the external environment. That is why diversity matters: It provides "adaptability" in an evolving world.

Seven years of negotiations yielded the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It came into force in June 2004 and has been ratified by 116 countries. It aims to conserve and promote the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use. The treaty created a legal framework for preserving crop diversity and spurred creation of the seed vault.