10.07.2008 Nordic gene collaboration gets a face lift
The Nordic genetic resource collaboration was reformed in January 2008 and now the time has come for a face lift of the graphic profile. This being so, The Nordic Genetic Resource Center, NordGen, now launches its new logotype.
We wanted a logotype that shows our Nordic identity and reflects our work for safeguarding genetic diversity for forestry, farm animals and plants, says Jessica Kathle, managing director of NordGen.
The graphic profile shows the colors of the Nordic flags, and has combined them with a stylized cross-section of a seed or a cell. Read the whole pressrelease here.
04.07.2008 Royal visit to Svalbard
The heirs to the royal thrones of Sweden and Norway received a presentation on the role and mission of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on their latest visit to the arctic island. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, HRH Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway visited the Svalbard Science Center and UNIS in Longyearbyen on the 27th June.
The royals had especially requested the lecture topics on CO2-free Svalbard presented by UNIS director Gunnar Sand and on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault by NordGen's project coordinator Ola T. Westengen. They showed great interest in the topics and raised many in-depth questions.
Foto: Frank Eggenfellner, UNIS
Diversity (M@ngfold) June 2008
In this isssue you can learn Dr Udda Lundqvist receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award, forest seed orchard and news from the three different sectors, cultural plants, farm animals and forest. You can also download directly or order our new issue of Nordic GENEresources 2008
OTHER NEWS
Diversity (M@ngfold) April/May 2008
In this isssue you can learn about growing nuts in the norht, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Cultural landscape on Unesco's world heritage list and what is new from the different sectors plants, farm animals and forests. You can also read the program for the Side-event the Nordic countries holds in Bonn at the COP9-meeting 22. of May.
Diversity (M@ngfold) February 2008
Read what is new from the different sectores in our latest newsletter.
26.02.2008 "Doomsday" seed vault to open in Norway, from CNN.com/europe videoclip From the press about the opening of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Diversity M@ngfold) December 2007
Read what is new from the different sectores in our latest newsletter.
09-12-2007 The German "EW GROUP GmbH" the holding company of the world's leading poultry genetic companies (Lohmann layers in Scandinavia) has conluded an agreement to take majority ownership of the shares in Aqua Gen AS, the Norwegian -based salmon breeding company. Read the whole article here
29-10-2007 Patent awarded to Lohmann Tierzucht, German breeding company for egg laying hens. Read more here.
Seminar 10. - 11. december, 2007, outside Malmö Sweden
"After Interlaken"
What is the next step after the International Technical Conference on animal Genetic Resources for food and agriculture, in Interlaken, Switzerland? Read more here! There you can also download the presenations from the seminar.
New Managing Director of NordGen is Dr Jessica Kathle
Diversity M@ngfold) July 2007
Read what is new from the different sectores.
Diversity M@ngfold) February 2007
Read what is new from the different sectores.
The NGB base collection moved
The base collection consists of material that is to be stored long-term. It has now been moved to Faculty of Agriculture in Aarslev, Denmark. The procudure proceeded as planned and only minor technical installations remain to be done. Together with the Faculty, the Ministry of Food and the NCM secretariat it has been decided that the opening ceremony of the new facility will be on the 1st of March 2007 at 15.30 - 16.30. Minister of Food Hans Christian Schmidt and the General Secretary of NCM Halldór Ásgrimsson will both be present, together with NGB board chariman Ole Callesen and staff from the Faculty and the Nordic Genebank.
Global arctic seed vault
The Directorate of Public Construction and Property – Statsbygg - now presents the drawings for the global arctic seed vault which is to be built on Svalbard (go to bottom of page). The facility will be unique on a worldwide level. The objective is to protect seed resources against plant disease, climate change, war destruction and disasters of nature.
Read more about the Global artic seed vault (Statsbygg)
Diversity M@ngfold) December 2006
Read what is new from the different sectores.
Nordic
food project
A
new Nordic Council of Ministers' project is to raise the profile of Nordic food,
cuisine raw materials and products in an increasingly globalised food and travel
market. The Nordic Council
of Ministers' "New Nordic Cuisine" project is designed to spread knowledge
of Nordic raw materials and food culture.
Read
more about the "New Nordic Cuisine"
Diversity M@ngfold)
October 2006
Read
what is new from the different sectores.
Nordic workshop
28-29 November 20006
Does the development of GM-technology affect the work with Nordic genetic resources?
The workshop will be held at S:t Gertrud Konferens, Östergatan 7B in Malmö,
Sweden.
The aim of the workshop is to investigate how the development of GM-technology
affects the work with Nordic genetic resources, identify problems and propose
solutions for differences in treatment between genetically modified (GM) and
conventional organisms, which are preserved as the genetic resource, as well
as avoiding GM contamination in non GM samples. The proposed workshop would
include aspects of legal and practical handling of genetically modified organisms
(GMO) within the institutions sustaining genetic resources of Nordic countries
and would concern both plant (agricultural and forestry species and their wild
relatives) and animal material (farm animals and fish). The workshop programme
and contact information
can be found on the webpagesite of the Nordic Gene Bank (www.nordgen.org/ngb)
‘Michelin
stars’ to A Taste of Norden
More than 2500 visited the Nordic Council
and Nordic Council of Ministers’ event, ‘A Taste of Norden’
in Store Strandstræde in Copenhagen on the Night of Culture 13 October.
This Nordic event was so popular that a queue had formed outside before the
gates were opened. This ‘Night
of Culture’ event, called ‘A Taste of Norden’ and hosted by
the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers, offered music, literature
and food. The culinary experience was worthy of several ‘Michelin stars’ according to those who dropped by.
Read more
about A taste of Norden (NCM)
Protecting
medicinal plants from climate change
The Nordic Gene Bank has an expedition in Greenland at the moment collecting
grass and medicinal plants threatened by climate change, pollution, etc. The
expedition represents the first phase of a project funded by the the Nordic
Council of Ministers' Arctic Programme.
For
more information (NCM/NGB)
Diversity (M@ngfold)
August 2006
Read
what is new from the different sectores.
New
Nordic Cuisine to show the way
The
"New Nordic Cuisine" project is an attempt by the Nordic governments
to preserve Nordic values and exploit the benefits of them. Nordic food culture
is expected to act as one of the catalysts for innovation and competitiveness.
For
more information about "New Nordic Cuisine" (NCM)
Divesity
(M@ngfold)
June 2006
Read
what is new from the different sectores.
Nordic
seeds have been kept on Svalbard for more than 25 years
On
June 19, 2006, the first Nordic seeds will be deposited in the Svalbard International
Seed Vault by the prime ministers of the five Nordic countries. To symbolize
this event, the Nordic Gene Bank presents the Nordic prime ministers with a
few seeds of a typical plant species from their respective countries. All of
the presented seeds are part of the existing
Nordic Gene Bank accessions on Svalbard.
Press
Release by the Nordic Gene Bank
Nordic GENEresources 2006
- Genetic Resources: an Important Part of the New Nordic Region
We hope all of our readers will enjoy this year’s
edition. Among the diversity of topics, you can read about “Swedes in
Iceland”, the taste of heirloom plums and wild European apples and the
story of how a native cattle breed is being revived to provide state-of-the-art
designer products and tasty foods.
Please take a lock
Seeds of the world to be conserved on Svalbard
The
Norwegian Government is going to build a global vault for seeds on Svalbard.
Seeds from the entire world will be put into frozen storage in the Svalbard
Global Seed Vault so that crop diversity can be conserved for the future.“Norway
will by this contribute to the global system for ensuring the diversity of food
plants. A Noah’s Arc on Svalbard if you will,” says Minister of
Agriculture and Food Terje Riis-Johansen.
For
more information about global vault for seeds (LMD)
Diversity (M@ngfold)
April 2006
Read
what is new from the different sectores.
Major
interest in Nordic policy on genetics
Delegates from the Nordic countries are attending the eighth Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, COP 8, in Brazil from
20-31 March 2006. The Nordic Council of Ministers is manning an information
stand and organising two fringe events.
For
more information about COP 8
Honorary
diploma for Nordic cuisine
Agricultural adviser Lise Lykke Steffensen, who works for the Nordic Council
of Ministers, was awarded the Danish Gastronomic Academy honorary diploma last
week for her work promoting Danish gastronomy and Nordic cuisine.
For
more information about the Honorary diploma
Diversity
(M@ngfold)
(a email-newsletter) February
2006
Read
what is new from the different sectores
The
new Nordic region: Innovation and cooperation in northern Europe
Norway's
programme for the chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers
in 2006.
Nordic co-operation faces demands for continued innovation
and increased effectiveness in order to meet internal and external
challenges. Rapid changes in our society make demands not least
on sustainable development, social welfare schemes and care of
the environment. Globalisation creates the need for new knowledge-based
innovation and creativity, and challenges the safeguarding of
Nordic languages and cultural fellowship. In many ways it will
be a new Nordic region that will face these challenges. Below,
excerpts from the programme on genetic resources are presented.
Read
the entire programme here
