Advancing climate change is putting our fruit varieties, whether commercial or old regional varieties, under increasing pressure. New diseases and parasites, extreme weather conditions such as long periods of drought, and the absence or late arrival of cold weather require us to rethink and explore new ways of preserving biodiversity for future generations.
Knowledge about old varieties and their characteristics, which we will need in the future, is also becoming increasingly fragile and must be preserved and reworked.
Zeitlupe in Ahrensburg runs one of the largest projects for fruit variety conservation in Germany. A living gene bank covering over a hundred areas has been created. Supported by scientific work and continuously expanded as part of the Fruit Variety Preservation Network in Germany, the findings are made freely available to the public.
Michael Heißenberg, founder and managing director of the non-profit Zeitlupe gGmbH, will explain the aspects that are important to him in a lecture.
An event as part of the funding project ‘Community fruits – The Europe Challenge’
The Europe Challenge is a programme launched by the European Cultural Foundation. It brings libraries and communities together to address the most important changes in Europe – social, digital and environmental – by implementing creative solutions in their local areas. Advancing climate change is putting our fruit varieties, whether commercial or old regional varieties, under increasing pressure. New diseases and parasites, extreme weather conditions such as long periods of drought, and the absence or late arrival of cold weather require us to rethink and explore new ways of preserving biodiversity for future generations.
Knowledge about old varieties, their characteristics, The 2025/26 funding period is kindly supported by public funds from Arts Council England, Fondazione Cariplo and the Scottish Library and Information Council.
Registration at obstbaum@stadt.lueneburg.de is not required, but helpful.
