Russian Seed Bank, Saved During WWII, Fights to Save Land From Developers
Pavlosk Station Plants Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry During the siege of Leningrad, 12 scientists starved to death rather than eat the grains stored at Pavlosk Agricultural Station, the world's first seed bank. According to an AP story, their efforts to save the seeds for future generations may now be in vain after a Russian court approved plans to raze the station's fields of plants so a developer can build luxury homes. Though Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an investigation, the first plot of land goes up for auction Sept. 23, leading scientists to wonder if Medvedev's intervention may come too late. The seed bank is home to one of the world's largest collections of fruits and berries, including almost 1,000 types of strawberries from 40 countries, 300 varieties of cherries and almost 900 kinds of black currants, as the AP reported Sunday. Many of the crop varieties at Pavlosk...