Research Area Landscape, Ecosystems and Biodiversity

This research area deals with the natural environment from the perspective of landscapes, ecosystems and biodiversity, whereby the primary interest is socio-ecological aspects of open space in regions, cities and urban districts. The focus is on the analysis and evaluation of transformation processes and the development of strategies, concepts, (legal) instruments and incentives for their control. With our research, we aim to develop liveable landscapes as well as to maintain and improve the performance of ecosystems and biodiversity. Key concepts for us are, for example, nature-based solutions or green and blue infrastructure.

In the Research Group Urban Human-Nature Resonance, an interdisciplinary Leibniz-junior research group, we are developing and testing the innovative concept of human-nature resonance in an urban context that focuses on the (re)connection between human and nonhuman nature in cities as potential lever for sustainability transformation.

The central research questions of the research area are:

• How can the concept of sustainable landscape transformation be theoretically grounded and practically operationalised?
• How can ecosystems with their services as well as relational and intrinsic values be permanently protected and developed?
• Which strategies and instruments help to protect, restore and qualitatively develop biodiversity?