Science Bridge e.V.

Extended Deadline!!! 15th of August !!! Extended Deadline!!!

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is providing financial support to organise the
international DAAD-Alumni Seminar “Recording, Monitoring and Managing Biodiversity”. It will
take place at Kassel University from 28th September (day of arrival) to 05th October 2009 (day of
departure to Hamburg) in Witzenhausen, Germany. Afterwards, a visit to the Tropentag 2009
(International Conference on Research for Development in Agriculture and Forestry, Food and
Natural Resource Management) in Hamburg is part of the programme. Additional information you
can find under http://www.tropentag.de. The day of departure to home countries will be 09 th October
2009 via Hamburg.

The seminar is being organised by the Department of Organic Plant Production and
Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics at the Faculty of Organic Agricultural
Sciences, with a special focus on agroforestry and homegarden agro-ecosystems under arid
climatic conditions.

The Topics

The main topic of the international DAAD-Alumni-Summer School is the demonstration and
discussion of classical morphological-systematic field methods and of molecular methods for
recording and characterisation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA).
The role of ex situ and in situ agrobiodiversity conservation concepts will be discussed as well as
conservation measures in governmental and non-governmental organisations and institutions.
The seminar will address the question how recording and documentation of biodiversity in the
home countries can contribute to the international concepts. Presentations of the alumni at the
Tropentag in Hamburg will be an indispensable part of the seminar.

The seminar will promote exchange between the participants in the field of biodiversity
conservation, facilitate international scientific cooperation and qualify the participants in the field
of ex situ and in situ biodiversity conservation concepts. Experiences will be exchanged,
networks set up between the participants, the discourse about scientific questions with regard to
biodiversity conservation facilitated, the international academic cooperation in this field promoted
and ideas for joint research projects on monitoring and documenting agrobiodiversity developed.

The Programme in Witzenhausen

The programme will include:
· Papers and case studies presented by the participants (alumni) and invited experts
· Group work and group discussions
· Excursions to the German gene bank in Gatersleben, to a NGO-seedsavers-initiative, and
to a botanic garden in Witzenhausen
· Work on molecular methods in the laboratory of genetics in Kassel
· Work on classical morphological methods of documentation

Cost Coverage

Following costs will be covered by the organisers in Witzenhausen:
· For international flight to Frankfurt and from Hamburg return we are going to subsidies the
costs with a maximum of
o EUR 800 from Africa
o EUR 950 from Latin America
o EUR 580 from Arabic Area
o EUR 950 from Asia
o EUR 400 from Eastern Europe
· transport from airport to Witzenhausen (by train)
· transport from Witzenhausen to Tropentag Hamburg (by bus)
· transport from the Hotel in Hamburg to Hamburg Airport
· entrance fees and transport to the visited projects during the excursions
· accommodation, living costs during stay in Witzenhausen
· health insurance and visa costs during stay in Witzenhausen
All other costs, such as transport costs from participants’ home town to their home airport are
participants’ responsibility.

Participants

The participants of the international seminar should be
· Alumni of a German university from a developing country
· Working in the field of biodiversity monitoring, management or conservation especially in
agriculture or horticulture, (agro)forestry, biology or similar disciplines
· Multipliers, e.g. people who are in a position to spread the acquired knowledge and
experience.

Application

Are you interested? Then send your application by Friday, 7 th August 2009 via email to:
. The e-mail attachment has to include (in English):
· A letter of application, clarifying your motivation for participation and your special interest
in the topic
· A short CV with personal data (please add list: Surname: First Name:Organisation (in
English): Department (in English): City: Country: Phone: E-Mail (one address only): PhDcandidate
(yes or no): ATSAF member (yes or no), student (yes or no), information on
studies at home and in Germany and professional development
· A portrait photo in digital or printed form
· A short description of your present duties/position and your personal professional goals,
indicating your envisaged field of activities and duty level
· An overview on seminars, workshops or conferences visited in Germany after finishing
your studies in Germany
· A short abstract of a presentation you would like to give during the international seminar
(the main topics are listed above; abstracts should not exceed one page; please use font
type “Arial”, font size 11, 1.5 line spacing)

For further information visit http://www.tropentag.de or write to .