INRA Researcher Antoine Kremer awarded Wallenberg Prize

On 15 March 2006, Antoine Kremer, a Research Director at INRA, Bordeaux was officially awarded the 2006 Marcus Wallenberg prize at the international symposium held in Paris on "Climate change and forest genetic diversity". He is the first French scientist to have received this distinction.

Antoine Kremer has distinguished himself with original scientific research on the genetic diversity of pan-European oaks, thus paving the way for integrated, sustainable management of oak forests. He currently directs the "Biodiversity, Genes and Ecosystems" research unit jointly run by INRA and Université Bordeaux I. His major achievements include the reconstruction of the colonisation routes of European oaks since the last glaciation, the identification of the colonisation dynamics that have shaped the genetic diversity in today’s oak forests and the building of a reference database of European oak genetic fingerprints. Together with several European partners, Antoine Kremer has undertaken a study of unprecedented scope of oak genetic diversity, covering more than 2,600 stands. His pioneering and integrative work in oak genetics are now considered a new paradigm for the study of other forest tree species.

The applications of this research are numerous, including the selection of the best seed sources for reforestation, management of biodiversity, conservation of genetic resources for future generations and traceability through the entire tree production chain, from seed to wood, especially that used for cooperage.

Antoine Kremer also heads several national and international projects on tree genetics. This year, he has begun coordinating a new European network of excellence on forest biodiversity, Evoltree.

Antoine Kremer was officially awarded the Marcus Wallenberg Prize at the international symposium on "Climate change and forest genetic diversity" held by IPGRI and IUFRO on 15-16 March in Paris in the ENGREF Building. During the symposium, Mr Kremer gave a presentation on the factors likely to help forests withstand climate change today.

The prize of over €200,000 will be presented by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, at a ceremony in Stockholm on 28 September 2006.

Contact : Antoine Kremer
UMR1202 Joint Research Unit for Biodiversity, Genes and Ecosystems, INRA-Université Bordeaux I
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]
INRA Research Centre, Bordeaux

INRA press service, phone: [phone]

Keywords

forestry

Countries

France