High populations of prawns in the North Sea
Recent investigations have revealed high populations of prawns (Crangon crangon) in the southern North Sea. Every year in January, scientists of the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries in Hamburg monitor the distribution and frequency of North Sea prawns on two cruises with the Fisheries Research Vessel SOLEA. The results indicate that the populations in the coastal areas of Germany and the German Bight are on a high level.
Thünen Institute exhibits at Green Week in Berlin
The International Green Week in Berlin took place from January 20 to 29, 2012. The Thünen Institute was one of the exhibitors in the special exhibition of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Hall 23a with the topics “Sustainable Fishery / Fisheries Research” and “Agricultural Soils”. Additionally it participated in the events “Zukunftsforum Ländliche Entwicklung“ and “Global Forum for Food and Agriculture“.
Catching Cod with Nets and Cameras
The television special report “The Fish Chasers (Die Fischfahnder)” was rebroadcasted on January 29, 2012 at 9:45 and 19:30 on "EinsFestival", the ARD Digital Station. A camera team accompanied scientists from the Thünen Institute for Sea Fisheries on a research cruise on the North Sea on the Fisheries Research Vessel “Walther Herwig III.” Filmmaker Antje Boehmert and scientists Gerd Wegner and Matthias Kloppmann provide information on life and work on board as well as scientific background.
Interview with Antje Boehmert (in German)
Interview with Gerd Wegner and Matthias Kloppmann (in German)
Peatland protection mitigates climate change
Drained peatlands are „hotspots“ for greenhouse gas emissions: The Thünen Institute calculated that they emit about 40 % of Germany´s greenhouse gases from agriculture and land use. Peatlands, however, only make up 8 % of the area used for agriculture. What role do peatlands play in climate change? How can peatland use be made more climate-friendly? These questions are addressed in an article in the latest issue of the science magazine „ForschungsReport“ and will be discussed during a conference hosted by the Thünen Institute in February 2012.
International Year of Forests 2011
Diverse biotope, recreation area, source of the renewable material timber, climate regulator: forests have many functions. To this end, the United Nations had declared the year 2011 as the "International Year of Forests". A welcome opportunity for the Thünen Institute to give some information on interesting forest and timber facts and on its research activities.
Thünen Climate Researcher Addresses EU Parliament
Dr. Annette Freibauer, climate researcher at the German Thünen Institute, was invited to address the EU Parliament at a joint EU Commission/Parliament conference on “CAP reform through analytical lenses” on reform recommendations after 2014. The conference, with members of parliament, commission members and scientists, was held on December 19, 2011 in the EU Parliament in Brussels. The Thünen Insitute has already provided an extensive assessment of the recommendations.
to the working report of the vTI with an assessment of the Commission recommendations
Forest soils serve as sinks for organic carbon
Forest ecosystems store large amounts of carbon in soils and biomass, hence they are an essential part in the cycle of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. In the evaluation of the second national soil inventory in forests (BZE II) the Thünen Institute describes the contribution of forest ecosystems to the soil carbon sequestration. Particularly forests with sandy soils seem to act as an efficient sink for organic carbon.
30 years of Greenland surveys
The current “Walther Herwig III” cruise in the waters of Greenland marked the 30th fishery biology Greenland Survey. This programme with spatial defined investigation sites was launched in the summer of 1981. However, starting in 1963, German fisheries research in this area of the northwest Atlantic is even older.
Forestry Day
On November 18, 2011 the vTI Institute of Wood Technology and Wood Biology in Hamburg held its Forestry Day. This traditional event included a scientific symposium to honour the acting institute director Dr. Jürgen Puls, the celebratory awarding of degrees to University of Hamburg graduates in forest science, and achievement awards for the best final theses.
Do non-agricultural investors gain importance on farmland markets?
The heavily rising prices of farmland in the past few years are often – especially in East Germany – associated with non-agricultural investors. A study of the Thünen-Institute (vTI) shows that the group of non-agricultural investors is very heterogeneous and comprises big investors with supra-regionally organized farming as well as small investors buying land in order to lease it. The effects of all these investors on land prices have therefore to be evaluated in a differentiated way.
Steps to save the tropical forests
The vast destruction of tropical forests considerably contributes to global climate change. How can locally adapted incentives be developed, aiming at the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation? One possible way is the REDD-mechanism. The vTI accomplished a pilot study on this aforementioned question in Madagascar from 2007 to 2009. An article in the present issue of the magazine “ForschungsReport” informs about the results of the pilot study and the entire idea behind REDD, as well as the perspectives and problems within the implementation of this mechanism.
Naming ceremony for the new research vessel CLUPEA
On September 15th 2011, Federal Minister Ilse Aigner has launched the new fisheries research vessel CLUPEA. The ceremony took place at the Fassmer wharft in Berne near Bremen. The vessel with a length of nearly 29 meters replaces the previous, 60 years old CLUPEA. The new vessel will work in the areas of coastal fishing in the southwestern Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
Max Eyth Medal for vTI scientist
The German Agriculture Society (DLG) has awarded Dr. Heinrich Becker, senior scientist at the vTI Institute of Rural Studies, the Max Eyth Medal. With this great honour the DLG recognizes both his efforts to mobilize potentials in rural areas and his engagement within the DLG.
Logo – Science made in Braunschweig
"Climate change threatens our food supply: Will we need a green revolution?" Experts of the vTI and the JKI (Julius Kühn Institute) discussed this topic on September 14th, in the "Haus der Wissenschaft" in Braunschweig. The discussion is broadcasted by the radio station NDR Info (Norddeutscher Rundfunk) in the science magazine "Logo" on September 16th, at 9:05 p.m, and on Sunday 18th, at 3:05 p.m..
Federal Minister Ilse Aigner visits the vTI in Hamburg
Federal minister Ilse Aigner has visited the vTI in Hamburg on August 30th to get informed on the state of scientific research regarding determination of tropical wood species and localization of traded timber. Other topics were imported wood-destroying insects and technical aspects concerning the use of tropical wood.
Healthy cows in organic dairy farming: management is crucial
Do high yielding breeds fit into organic dairy farming? A study coordinated by the vTI-Institute of Organic Farming revealed that breeds with a higher genetic merit for milk yield are not more prone to illness per se. The management is crucial for the animals’ health. More on that in the magazine "Wissenschaft erleben".