Environmental Specimen Banking in the Faroe Islands

Environmental Specimen Banking was systematised in the Faroe Islands in 1998. Three institutions comprise the banking system, they are the

• Museum of Natural History (Føroya Náttúrugripasavn)
• Environment Agency (Umhvørvisstovan)
• University of the Faroe Islands, Faculty of Science and Technology (Fróðskaparsetur Føroya, Náttúruvísindadeildin)

The deposition in the bank is primarily done on a voluntary and opportunistic basis, though so that any matrix sampled by the Food and Environmental Agency as a part of the environmental monitoring, are being stored for future use. This is also the case with samples collected as the Faroese contribution to the circumpolar Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, which is primarily handled by the Food and Environmental Agency.

There are though a few exceptions where the sampling of a selection of matrices are done regularly. Examples of such are the sampling of lamb, vegetation (mixed grass) and soil, which are sampled annually by the University of the Faroe Islands.

Systematic sampling to the bank is under consideration, and is supposedly going to be initiated as a response to the development of a Nordic monitoring program for environmental pollutants in the coastal zone.

For further information please contact:
Maria Dam (head of department)
Environment Agency
Traðagøta 38
P.O.Box 2048
FO-165 Argir
Faroe Islands
Phone: + 298 342 400
Phone (directly): + 298 342 470
Mob: + 298 232 470
E-mail: mariad@us.fo
web:www.us.fo