Breakthrough research on genetic diversity wins the Marcus Wallenberg Prize 2006 at a ceremony at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm on 28 September, the Swedish King, His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, awarded the MWP 2006 to Dr. Antoine Kremer.
He was chosen for his path-breaking discovery of the evolution, organization and distribution of the genetic diversity of Pan-European oaks. Dr. Kremer has integrated the knowledge into a resource that will facilitate the conservation, sustainable management and wise use of forests globally. "Dr. Kremer's work is of the highest class and has made important contributions to current thinking and research on tree evolution and genetics. It will form the basis for developing conservation strategies and management systems for the production of the economic, social and environmental services and benefits that forests yield. It also can offer baseline for predicting the effects of climate change based on retrospective studies and also for monitoring their actual effects" said Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation.
The Marcus Wallenberg Prize was instituted to encourage scientific achievements within the forestry and forestry-related sectors. This year it was awarded for the 23rd time. The prize winner receives 2 million Swedish Crowns.