Center for Conservation (CCB) Biology

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Report from the workshop at Helgeland
This week (23-27 April) the Center for Conservation Biology arranges a workshop in "*Stochastic demography in fluctuating environments: theory and empirical patterns. The occasion for the workshop is Professor Russell Lande's award of the Balzan Prize 2011 for Theoretical Biology or Bioinformatics. In the stimulating programme Russell Lande, together with Steinar Engen and Bernt-Erik Sæther and coworkers share their advanced insight into stochastic processes in time and space. The 35 international participants are introduced to theory and various modeling techniques through lectures and discussions. The various techniques are also applied through practical exercises during the workshop.

The workshop is arranged at the beautiful remote island Lovund off the coast of Helgeland in northern Norway. The puffins have arrived, the house sparrows are preparing the breeding season and the white tailed sea eagles are circling over the island - and the weather is beautiful, which makes a perfect frame for the workshop.
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Research at CCB on Norwegian television
Thursday 29. March, NRK will feature the sparrow project run by CCB. This will be presented at Schrødingers Katt at NRK1 Thursday 29. March at 19:45, and at NRK2 the following Saturday at 15:30. The feature can be seen online after Thursday here >>.
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Prof. Sigurd Einum reaches second stage of ERC grant evaluation
We are happy to announce that ‘The Starting Grant'- project "Growth efficiency: a key to understanding temperature effects in ectotherms", lead by professor Sigurd Einum has been to elected by the European Research Council to proceed to the stage 2 of the evaluation.
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Kick-off meeting of CCB-project on Svalbard reindeer 2. - 3. February
The project "Predicting effects of climate change on Svalbard reindeer population dynamics - a mechanistic approach" starts this week with a joint meeting including all particitpants. The project involves many institutions both from Norway and abroad. Currently, researchers from The James Hutton Institute and University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Northern Research Institute, Norwegian Meteorological Insititute, The Norwegian Polar Institute, the University Centre in Svalbard, as well as Centre for Conservation Biology, are meeting at CCB to discuss and outline the scientific approach of the project. Dr. Brage Bremset Hansen at CCB is the leader of the project.
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CCB organises workshop in stochastic demography in fluctuating environments
On the occasion of Professor Russell Lande's award of the Balzan Prize 2011 for Theoretical Biology or Bioinformatics, the Centre for Conservation Biology (CCB) will organize a workshop in Stochastic demography in fluctuating environments: theory and empirical patterns April 23-27, 2012. The venue will be the island of Lovund at Helgeland in northern Norway. More information can be found in this pdf-file >>.

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Researchers at CCB receive funding from the Research Council of Norway
Three projects with project leaders or core members at CCB have successfully received funding from the Research Council of Norway recently.
Dr. Arild Husby's grant application for a postdoc position at Centre for Conservation Biology was one of only four postdoc applications that recieved funding as a free project within biology and medicine this year. The title of the project is "Genomics of adaptation to environmental change in two wild bird populations", and Arild Husby will start his work at CCB early in 2012.
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The project "Predicting effects of climate change on Svalbard reindeer population dynamics - a mechanistic approach" has received funding from the NORKLIMA programme. Dr Brage Bremset Hansen at CCB is the leader of the project. The goal is to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to predict climate change effects on arctic ungulates, using high-arctic reindeer populations at Svalbard as a model system. Project partners include the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, James Hutton Institute, University of Aberdeen, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Norwegian Polar Institute, Northern Research Institute, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, and the University Centre in Svalbard.
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The project "Intensified harvesting of forests - implications for enterprises related to wild and domestic ungulates" received funding within the NFR-programme Nature-based industry. The project leader is Hilde K. Wam at the University of Life Sciences, and CCB is involved through Ivar Herfindal as a core member of the project. The project will assess how changes in forestry affect other enterprises that depends on ungulates that utilise forest ecosystems, through its impact on behaviour, resource and habitat utilisation, and life history traits of the ungulates.
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• More news from CCB here >>.