projects
Grassworks: What works and why in grassland restoration in germany? A multi-region social-ecological assessment and pilot implementation of successful approaches.
(funded by the FEdA Initiative on Research in Conservation of Biodiversity/ Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF, 2021-2024, co-I)
Improving grassland restoration requires both detailed ecological studies as well as a deep understanding of the social and governance context in which restoration takes place. Grassworks will address these requirements by focusing on species-rich, multifunctional grasslands within socially diverse cultural landscapes, as well as on the ecological and social contexts they are embedded in. Building on an in-depth social-ecological understanding, including possible trade-offs and synergies, the project will derive concrete scenarios and recommendations for the future.
Just Conservation: linking theories and practices of justice in biodiversity conservation
(funded by the French Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FRB) 2019-2021, member)
This research project will analyse how justice concerns find support and integration in biodiversity conservation; a research need which is currently under-addressed. It asks (a) how different conceptualizations of justice and equity influence the governance of protected areas and other effective conservation measures, and (b) to what extent and through what mechanisms the integration of social objectives in conservation governance influence conservation effectiveness.
Wildlife, Values, Justice: Reconciling Sustainability in African Protected Areas
(funded by the Robert-Bosch foundation 2018-2023, PI)
For humans and wildlife, land is a scarce resource that gradually degrades through increasing demands for natural goods. As a consequence, loss of biodiversity and ecological functions threatens to affect human well-being. The International Convention on Biological Diversity stipulates protected areas as cornerstones to counteract this trend. However, due to inadequate governance, low effectiveness in terms of ecological and social outcomes challenges the sustainability of many protected areas. Thus, solutions are needed to improve conservation and increase human well-being in protected areas. This project will investigate these global problems through a holistic view on protected areas as social-ecological systems in two developing countries of the global South that are important for biodiversity conservation: Zambia and Tanzania. Overall, the project will advance our understanding of protected areas as arenas to navigate social-ecological dynamics towards resilience and sustainability.
A biodiversity hotspot faces intensification of viticulture: The role of Renosterveld remnants for the conservation of butterflies
(DFG funded 2017-2020, PI)
Biodiversity hotspots are global priority areas for nature conservation, as they contain numerous endemic species and have lost much natural habitat in the past. One example is the Fynbos biome within the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, which is under pressure due to land-use change. Here, viticulture increasingly expands into remnants of Renosterveld vegetation, with unpredictable consequences for the associated fauna. Whether an integrative conservation approach may offer solutions both for biodiversity and human well-being in these landscapes is yet unexplored and would need profound understanding of the complex social-ecological interactions.
Conservation of the Danube Clouded Yellow Colias myrmidone in Romania
(funded through an Advisory Support Programm by the German Environmental Protection Agency (UBA) and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) 2017-2020, PI)
Romania is one of the last strongholds of the Danube Clouded Yellow (Colias myrmidone), which is a critically endangered European butterfly species. Knowledge gaps of the ecology and the underlying drivers for its decline hinder the development and implementation of suitable management plans. Through investigations on the ecology of this once widespread species and simultaneous investigations on land use practices and aspirations of local farmers, we seek to derive management recommendations for Natura 2000 areas that meet the requirements of the butterfly and the needs of the local people.
Benefits, Costs and Risks of Diversified Farming Systems (2016-2020, co-supervisor)
Rapid world-wide population growth and associated agricultural intensification leads to social, economic and ecological problems. These problems exacerbate the existing challenges of agricultural management to maintain ecosystem functions and their associated ecosystem services. To mitigate these problems, scientists propose a new model called “Diversified Farming System” (DFS). The DFS model aims to promote critical ecosystem services with a range of agricultural management practices, such as reduced tillage, intercropping, crop rotation, maintenance of hedges or flower strips, across multiple spatial and temporal scales. These management practices may have economic costs as they reduce the amount of land under cultivation or otherwise reduce crop yield. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ecological and economic potential of different DFS management practices and to highlight how they can enhance ecosystem services while being economically viable. To test the economic costs and ecological benefits of DFS management practices we will use a systematic review to rank practices according to ecological benefits and economic costs and we will investigate the risks using a questionnaire designed for German farmers. Additionally, to demonstrate the potential of implementation of DFS management practices we will create a business simulation game.
Right Seeds: Commons-based seeds, varieties and mixtures in agro-ecological crop production (co-supervisor 2017-2020)
Food production in modern agriculture uses only few crop varieties, which are often optimized through breeding. These highly specialized plants are often grown in monocultures in which fertilizers and herbicides are applied to achieve optimal growing conditions. The combination of these techniques cause the reduction of biodiversity within agriculturally used areas, lower resilience of the field crops and limit the amount of genetic material usable for future generations (For further information: MEA 2005). The project investigates whether commons-based seed varieties offer agroecological improvements through the preservation and reintroduction of locally adapted and robust varieties within small-scale farming systems.