What is biodiversity and why does it matter to us? | Åsmund Asdal | TEDxVerona

With a still growing population, climate change and new plant diseases, we need crop plant varieties that can secure future food supplies - we need to hold on to what we already have, before it’s gone. Åsmund Asdal (born 1957) is a Norwegian biologist and agronomist employed at Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) as Svalbard Global Seed Vault(SGSV) Coordinator. He facilitates seed deposits in the SGSV from the international community of gene banks and research institutes holding seed collections of plant genetic resources, and is responsible for information and media visits to the Seed Vault. From 2001 to 2015 he managed the Norwegian national program for plant genetic resources at the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre. He has also conducted research for the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk), the Norwegian Genetic Resources Centre and the Norwegian Crop Research Institute. Publications include Fra forsøksgården på Landvik til Norsk institutt for Planteforskning:Planteforsk Landvik 50 år (2000) and Kompostkvalitet - dokumentasjon og anbefalinger: rapport fra prosjektet Utvikling av kompostprodukter (2002). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@AhmadYeager619]

Thank you Asmund for such an insightful talk about conserving our food seeds for the future resilience against any challenges

[@lenaprus4087]

Your talk is amazing! I thought studying biodiversity was a boring part of biology, however you made it a very interesting.

[@actorade]

The original the better , the patent nature need to be preserved. Thank you all involve in this noble course. I just wonder why this type of videos have less views but entertainment only. I guess I won’t be here if not having personal interest in environment.

[@leahb6758]

What a hero!!!

[@garlic7330]

Awesome

[@thomastanner8719]

Is there a gluten free section in the seed vault?

[@Richard_is_cool]

A comment to increase biodiversity.

[@joosephpinottsteinert5192]

I wonder how much of this does space come in to this?

[@patrickthevlogger4111]

SCIENCE 11 Tinggzzz