The Anthropocene

Humans are a planetary force. Since the Agricultural Revolution, 12’000 years ago, we have reduced the number of trees by half and increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere by 44%. Dumping all the concrete ever produced would cover the entire globe with a layer two millimetres thick [1].  
It is clear that we cannot continue on this destructive path, but how can we turn the tide?

The answer lies buried deep in the paradigms and structures of our societies, especially in the Global North. They shape our environments, the choices we can make, right down to our most intimate desires and even our fantasies of what the world could be like. As the saying goes “it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”. If we want to enable the good life for everybody on this planet within the ecological limits, we must first of all break these chains of conventional thinking.

Igniting action

But where do we start? Just like a chemical reaction needs energy, we also need a catalyst that ignites something within us. We all know that being bombarded with facts, figures and how-to guides does not feel motivating and it can even make us feel worse. It is time to harness the force of emotions and specifically the power of awe.

Defining awe is a lost cause, for it reigns where words fall short. When you are in a state of awe, you are immersed in your surroundings, your inner monologue quietens, your ego falls by the wayside. You feel small on the one hand, but all the more deeply connected on the other. Your mind is filled with curiosity and wonder.

You might argue that you can also feel this when you lose yourself in surfing, playing table tennis or whatever it is that gives you the feeling of flow. And you are absolutely right. But there is one dimension of awe that we have not yet talked about. That is, how it makes us think and feel about nature.

Reconnect to nature

Written texts from the past 500 years show us that awe has always been an important element of experiencing nature. Ever since, it has also been described as a challenging experience marked by tension, overwhelming and captivating feelings at once. Awe differs from beauty in its power and limitlessness. Through awe, nature escapes control and domestication. It is not belittled like a well-tended garden, but admired and respected. Consistent with this, psychological research has found that awe enhances people’s connection to nature [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. It actively works against the belief that humans dominate nature. Instead, it favours an ecological worldview that sees humans as one creature among many, co-existing in the biosphere.

The solution to our problems will not be to leave one half of the earth to its own devices and continue to ruthlessly extract what we think we need from the other half. The problem is not the human species, but our current relationship with the natural world. We need to move beyond the black and white thinking of either destruction or protection. It is about a new engagement with nature, and I am convinced that awe can be a stepping stone to that.

Awe and sustainable lifestyles

Awe can catalyse the transformation to sustainable lifestyles in various ways. First, it diverts attention from ourselves, which evokes feelings of humility and connection. Applied to sustainability, it can strengthen the motivation to protect people and the environment, even if this involves personal sacrifice. The effectiveness for promoting altruistic behaviour is also supported by the possible evolutionary origin of awe. This implies that awe is adaptive for individuals precisely by taming the dominance of self-interest for the benefit of the social collective. It enables individuals to gain perspective and find their place in the group. In light of this, awe has lost none of its importance over the past millennia. We should harness the moral capacity of awe at a time when the primacy of individualism is bringing us to the brink of an ecological disaster.

Above all, experiencing awe as a positive emotion is a valuable experience in and of itself, leading to increases in mood and well-being. It may also change the perception of time and reduce impatience, which is a significant effect in a chronically stressed society.

Finally, awe seems to encourage people to find meaning in their lives, engage in experiential activities and favour communal over commercial relationships. Overall, the experience of awe is a prime example of the idea of a symbiotic relationship between human well-being and environmental conservation.

Conclusion

Whenever you feel like it’s impossible to change the system, awe can be the shift in perspective that helps you look at the world with a sense of possibility. When you feel stressed, awe can give you the space to breathe. When you feel like you never have enough, awe can give you a sense of gratitude. And finally, when you feel lonely and isolated, awe can be the connector that provides you with a sense of belonging.

We can use awe in art, in architecture, in spatial planning and in communication. But the easiest way is to walk through the world with your eyes wide open, ready to be touched and awed.

References

[1] Lewis, S. L. & Maslin, M. A. (2018). The Human Planet. How We Created the Anthropocene. London: Penguin Books.

[2] Bai, Y., Maruskin, L. A., Chen, S., Gordon, A. M., Stellar, J. E., McNeil, G. D., … Keltner, D. J. (2017). Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement: Universals and cultural variations in the small self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(2), 185–209. Link here

[3] Bethelmy, L. C. & Corraliza, J. A. (2019). Transcendence and the Sublime Experience in Nature: Awe and Inspiring Energy. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 509. Link here

[4] Yang, Y., Hu, J., Jing, F. & Nguyen, B. (2018). From Awe to Ecological Behavior: The Mediating Role of Connectedness to Nature. Sustainability, 10(7), 2477. Link here
[5] Wang, L., Zhang, G., Shi, P., Lu, X. & Song, F. (2019). Influence of Awe on Green Consumption: The Mediating Effect of Psychological Ownership. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2484. Link here

[6] Zhao, H., Zhang, H., Xu, Y., Lu, J. & He, W. (2018). Relation Between Awe and Environmentalism: The Role of Social Dominance Orientation. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2367. Link here

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Similar to how the IPCC represents key scientific consensus on climate change, IPBES produces important findings for decision making and stakeholders in the field of biodiversity. In 2019, the plenary yielded a global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services that sounded the alarm on a global crisis of biodiversity loss. According to the report, one million plant and animal species across the world are at risk of extinction. Although these numbers are sobering, this knowledge is essential for conservation policy and science. This year, the platform planned to approve two new reports highlighting the diverse uses and values of wildlife to humans and non-humans.

IPBES 9 took place both virtually and in Bonn, Germany from July 3-9, 2022. Students from the master program Global Change Ecology (GCE) could attend either as observers of the conference or as volunteers with the IPBES secretariat. In both cases, they were able to attend sessions, meet science and policy experts, and see firsthand the process of international negotiations. GCE sent more than 20 student volunteers to help run the event. This included tasks such as registration, running the help desk, managing the IPBES social media channels, working in the back office, and managing representatives in the session.

Personal Reflections from a Back Office Volunteer

When I first signed up to volunteer at IPBES 9, I was not sure what to expect. In all honesty, I had never actually heard of IPBES before. Nevertheless, I was interested in learning more about the organization and gaining experience through volunteering.

I chose to volunteer in the back office because I have technical skills that could come in handy. I had volunteered at some conferences in the past, so I figured that the experience would be somewhat similar. However, upon arriving at the venue, I realized that this experience would be different in some key ways.

For one, the stakes were much higher. As a matter of international diplomacy, attendees were not representing themselves, but their governments. Additionally, while IPBES is not a UN body, the United Nations Environment Program provides the secretariat for the plenary. As a result, student volunteers got to volunteer and interact with UN employees. The international and intergovernmental nature of this event made it feel very “serious” and, as student volunteers, we appreciated the importance of our work. 

When it came to my work specifically, I was very satisfied with my experience volunteering in the back office. I assisted the technical team with essential tasks such as:

• Sending push notifications to attendees through the conference app
• Updating the session schedule as times changed
• Posting media releases to the website
• Managing and monitoring online participants
• Troubleshooting technical issues

As an outside observer of IPBES 9, it would be easy to overlook the people working “behind the scenes”. As a volunteer, however, it is clear that there is a lot more that goes into these negotiations than meets the eye. While the experts, policy makers, diplomats and stakeholders are the focus of the negotiations, it is the IPBES secretariat and conference technicians that ensure the meeting goes smoothly.

Working on the technical side of the conference meant doing a lot of “little things” such as hitting “record” on zoom sessions, checking equipment, responding to emails, editing powerpoints, etc. Many of these tasks needed to be completed simultaneously or in a limited time period. While the work was fast-paced, I definitely feel like I learned a lot about managing my time, prioritizing tasks, and problem solving. Additionally, I always worked on a team and with a supervisor who could assist if need be.

Due to the nature of the work, I listened closely to the discussions and followed along for the duration of the (lengthy) sessions. As a result, I was able to pay attention to the details and nuances of the diplomatic process. It was surprising to see how finely the member states dissected the language and terminology of the reports. Of course, the point of the plenary is precisely this, to involve various governments in the communication of science and policy. This meant that every member state had to agree on every single word of the documents approved.

The tedious reviewing process took place every day, all day. When the reports were finally approved, it was hard not to get swept up in the emotion of it all. It was particularly exciting for the experts who had been working on these documents for four years to finally see their work come to fruition. Even as a volunteer who had just recently learned about the mission of IPBES, I was ecstatic that I could see this process happen. In a way, it felt as if I were along for the ride, especially after seeing all of the hard work that the volunteers, secretariat and technicians had put into facilitating it. The final days were marked by overwhelming excitement (and exhaustion) after a very busy and intense week. Now we waited for the outside world to get the reports.

Results of IPBES 9

The result of IPBES 9 was the publishing of two landmark reports, the “Assessment report on the sustainable use of wild species” and the “Methodological assessment regarding the diverse conceptualization of multiple values of nature and its benefits”. With thousands of references and dozens of contributing authors, these reports present important scientific and policy consensus.

According to the sustainable use assessment, 1 in 5 people around the world rely on some 50,000 wild species for purposes such as food, fuel, medicine etc. For the world’s poor, this dependence is even greater. The findings from this assessment highlight the importance of wild species for humans.

The values assessment points out that the predominant short-sighted view of nature is the main driver of biodiversity loss. Instead of viewing nature as merely a commodity to exploit, the assessment highlights more than 50 alternative methods and approaches to value nature. This includes indigenous perspectives and women’s involvement in stewardship decisions.

When considered together, the findings highlight the importance of changing our relationship to nature and protecting biodiversity. Especially in order to protect vulnerable people all over the world in the face of climate change, conflict, the pandemic, and inflation. As a student who studies in the field of ecology, biodiversity, and global change, it was a truly educational experience to learn about these two reports. Not to mention the skills, experiences, and networking I did along the way.

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On Monday, the 2^nd of August, 2021, my alarm clock rang early in the morning. It took me around 9 hours to travel by train from Hesse to Ruegen, Germany’s largest island in the North-East. After arriving, I was happy to find myself on the second to last ferry boat of the day from the Island of Ruegen to the Isle of Vilm. After another 20 minutes running time, the other passengers and I took our first steps on the isle. The passengers were young academics who participated in the “interdisciplinary science meeting on biodiversity research under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),” which was organised by the “International Academy for Nature Conservation Isle of Vilm” (INA). The INA is part of a branch office of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), which is one of the government’s departmental research agencies and works in the area of responsibility of the German federal environment ministry. The interdisciplinary science meeting takes place every summer and mainly addresses bachelor´s, master´s and Ph.D. students. Mrs. Stadler, the meeting host, warmly welcomed the students and showed the way to the reception desk. Along the way, a big information board close to the harbour provides every arriving guest with information on the fascinating history of the isle:

• The Isle of Vilm was already settled in Stone Age 7,500 years ago.
• In Middle Ages, the isle became a Christian place of pilgrimage.
• During the 19^th and 20^th century, many artists came to the isle to be inspired by the nature, which resulted in some paintings of scenes around the isle.
• In 1936, Vilm became a nature protection site.
• From 1962 to 1990, the isle was used by the government of the German Democratic Republic to host guests.
• In 1990, the biosphere reserve Southeast-Ruegen was designated. Most parts of Vilm are covered by the core area of the biosphere reserve. In the same year, the INA was founded.
• Today, the INA organises up to 70 events and welcomes around 1,700 participants from all over the world per year.

I was happy and grateful to be one of those participants this year.
After the registration, everyone looked for their assigned house. Every house consists of several guestrooms. I was the only one at my floor because of the corona situation. After dinner, the meeting started. The programme began with an introduction, followed by a presentation about the involvement of youth and young adults in international conventions.
On Tuesday, Prof. Dr. Volker Mosbrugger gave the first presentation of the day. He mentioned some surveys and reports like the IPBES Global Assessment Report (GCE students directly reported from IPBES 7 where the report was adopted) which document the ongoing biodiversity crisis. The professor stressed that there is still much unknown in biodiversity and presented the “Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity” of the German federal ministry of education, which aims to close some of those knowledge gaps.
Afterwards, each participant of the meeting presented his or her current scientific project for 20 minutes, followed by ten minutes of discussion. The topics were wide-ranging and interdisciplinary but always with a reference to the CBD. I presented some of the results of my master´s thesis, “The accountability of biodiversity strategies at the level of the Convention on Biological Diversity, European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany,” which I had done at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Some topics that other participants dealt with included the wild harvesting of medicinal plants, agri-environmental policy in Bavaria, effectiveness of UNESCO biosphere reserves, environmental ethics, wild mammals in urban areas, sea use planning, and knowledge of species.

After lunch, Mrs. Stadler offered an isle tour. Because most parts of Vilm are covered by the core area of the biosphere reserve, there is only one path which leads around the northern part of the isle and guests must not leave it. Mrs. Stadler explained that animals like deer could migrate from the Island of Rugen to the Isle of Vilm (that is even smaller than one square kilometre) when the water is frozen in winter. However, the distance would be too long for smaller animals like squirrels. Our meeting host emphasised the enormous diversity of ecological conditions on that isle by giving the following example: Grapevine snails can be found on one side of the isle, but not on the other side. The reason is that one side of the isle has some lime that offers a favourable environment for the snails, whereas the other side is too acidic. I was impressed by all of the deadwood and old trees, which can rarely be found in German forests. However, the forest of Vilm cannot be considered a virgin forest in the strict sense because it was used by humans in the past. Mrs. Stadler showed us the oldest tree on the isle at roughly 600 years old. However, the tree is not alive anymore.

On Wednesday, the presentations continued.
On Thursday, the 5^th of August, 2021, the meeting came to an end. After breakfast, the ferry boat brought us back to the Island of Ruegen.
After the meeting, every participant was invited to submit a short text on his or her scientific project. Those contributions have been collected by the BfN and will be published in a BfN script soon.
I liked the meeting very much. The programme was dense and demonstrated the highly interdisciplinary subject of biodiversity with all its input. Besides the presentations, it was refreshing to talk to so many young and motivated people after a time of corona lockdowns. And, finally, it is worthwhile to visit the Isle of Vilm, with its fascinating history and nature. The Isle of Vilm is not just a place to talk about the conservation of nature – it is a place to show how nature develops if nature is allowed to be nature.

If you are interested to participate in one of the next meetings, regularly have a look on the homepage of the INA.

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When the excursion started at 8am on Friday morning, we drove off into the fog. By the time we reached our first stop – a volcano named “Rauher Kulm” in Neustadt am Kulm – the fog still hadn’t cleared. Nevertheless, we walked up the volcano and climbed the look-out tower. Apparently, the view from up there is usually great, but we had to use our imagination to see the surrounding Fichtelgebirge behind the wall of white fog. In spite of that, it was an interesting stop, as we learned about the geology of the basalt mountain, which has never erupted, and the surrounding vegetation.

The next stop was an information center at a former extra-deep drilling borehole. Here the continental deep drilling program of Germany (KTB) was conducted. The aim of this research program was to analyze the continental earth crust at this location. The researchers wanted to drill down to a depth of 10 km, but in the end they were only able to reach a depth of 9.1 km. The main drilling was conducted from 1990 to 1994. Nowadays the location serves as an information center about the drilling, general geology, and earth system processes. We watched a short movie and visited the exhibition on the earth system at the information center.

Following in the footsteps of Goethe and Alexander von Humboldt, we visited the “Felsenlabyrinth Luisenburg” in the Fichtelgebirge. The boulder field of granite stones has developed over long time spans through weathering and erosion processes. In German the particular form of weathering, through which the well-rounded giant boulders developed, is called Wollsackverwitterung (English: spherical weathering/onion skin weathering).

We climbed up steep steps and hiked through narrow gaps in the rocks. By now the fog had cleared and the sun was shining, so we had a great view from the top. On our hike through the rock labyrinth, we found a fascinating species: the luminescent moss (Schistostega pennata), which grows in cracks and between rocks.

Before heading back to Bayreuth, we had the opportunity to visit an old farmhouse (currently a museum), where we could see how people used to life in this region. Although it was unfortunate that the museum was already closed by the time we arrived, we could still have a look at the traditional herbs and the vegetable garden present there.

The excursion gave a nice teaser of what Bayreuth’s surroundings have to offer and provided a good chance to catch up with friends and meet new students. All in all, it was a great start to the new semester!

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Think nature and sports at the same time

In a well-attended lecture hall, Prof. Dr. Manuel Steinbauer gave the audience several examples of how the dynamics of ecological systems and the influence of human activities have changed over time. In the future, the former GCE student will research the effects of outdoor sports on nature and how the potential of sports can be used to raise people’s awareness of environmental issues. When asked about the relevance of the interdisciplinary topic “Sport Ecology”, Prof. Steinbauer emphasized two reasons: On the one hand, our society would tend to “think” about nature and sports at the same time, i.e. if we are planning a nature trip, this is often planned as a sporting event. For example, we travel to the Alps because we want to hike or ski there. On the other hand, sports offer a great potential to bring people closer to nature conservation issues.

From GCE to systems paleobiology to sports ecology

Sport ecology was not always the research focus of the interdisciplinary scientist who grew up in Middle Franconia.In 2004, he began his bachelor’s degree in geoecology at the University of Bayreuth and continued his studies from 2006 to 2009 with the then new master’s program Global Change Ecology. This was followed by his doctorate in 2013 and a three-year postdoctoral stay at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. From 2017 to 2019, Prof. Steinbauer was a professor for “System Paleobiology” at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. In August 2019, he accepted the call from the University of Bayreuth and returned as a professor for “Sport Ecology”.
Looking back on his time as a GCE student, the 36-year-old particularly emphasized the unique experiences gained through participation in international environmental and scientific conferences as well as the good methodological training provided in the program.
From the coming winter semester, Prof. Steinbauer will teach the new GCE students as a professor.

This text was written for the Elite Network Bavaria.
English editing kindly done by Taylor Blair

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As mentioned above, we will go to the Wuparo conservancy. For eight days, we will span out tents there and during the day a lot of fieldwork has to be done. The aim of our study trip to the Caprivi region is to collect information and data about the impact of the conservancy on the life of the locals and on biodiversity. We teamed up in three working groups – as we are only six students and one professor – and we will look at different aspects of the conservancy. One team is going to interpret satellite data and compare it with the data collected in the field: The aim is to see how biodiversity is developing in the conservancy and if there are disturbances and threats to biodiversity (which can also be caused by animals for example by browsing of cattle on trees). The second team will investigate how humans and wildlife live together: Are there conflicts between the two groups? If yes, which ones? Is this causing an increase or a decrease of biodiversity? The third group will have a closer look at the impacts of the conservancy on the people living and working there: We want to check if the people benefit from the conservancy, if the management plan is successful. In total, we have around 8-10 days for research.

As we have two members of the blog travelling to Namibia for doing research, we want to try something new: We want to write a little scientific and also personal journal here. Probably, the articles will just be uploaded after the trip as we are not sure how the situation is concerning internet (or phone) access in the remote area we stay at. Before we leave in the beginning of September, we both would like to share our expectations for this trip with you.

Leonie:

This is my second time visiting an African country. Last time, I was in Tanzania – East Africa. Now, it is the other side of this large continent. Namibia has always been in my dreams: Wide deserts, endless skies, wildlife and in general a colourful spectacle – and indigenous people, a very dear and special interest of mine in general. The research part of this trip is going to be hard, I expect. As it is only short time we have for our investigations, we have to get the most out of it. And that’s a challenge I am really looking forward to. I hope to get insight into the culture of the people we are visiting, talk to them, get to know them. This way, our two cultures can connect and understand each other better – for me an absolutely necessary aspect if our generation wants to enter the frey against challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss or global inequality. We have to understand and respect each other. Therefore, I am really looking forward to meeting the people living in the Caprivi region. If there is the chance to meet people belonging to indigenous tribes in Namibia, like Himba, San, Nama, Semba or Twa people, I would be delighted. Indigenous communities have an understanding of the world and the environment which has always interested and fascinated me – in many ways they know much more than we do in our industrialized, western cultures. I will keep you updated about the experiences we make in Namibia.

Katharina:

As I’m writing these lines, it will be less than 32 hours till we will be leaving Germany. After a 10 hours flight we will arrive in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. My last visit in Africa, more precisely Madagascar, last year got me thinking a lot. And I am sure, this excursion will teach me a lot as well – about the attitude towards life, about a very different nature and about how other cultures perceive and use their land. I am looking forward to return to this fascinating continent and to see a completely different facet this time. Visiting the wide steppes of Namibia, encountering wildlife, meeting people from different cultures, sleeping under the African night sky – I cannot even imagine how this journey will change myself. I have a great interest in the relationship between man and nature and how both can coexist. Thus, I will investigate the attitudes of the local people towards wildlife and try to identify indicators that enhance or reduce human-wildlife conflicts. I’m looking forward to get to know another country, other cultures, other ecosystems. And I hope, one day, I can use this knowledge to help fighting climate change, the global inequality or help protecting nature.

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Mysterious castles, beautiful hiking trails and fabulous wine festivals: For an internship, I moved to the beautiful Palatinate region in the very West of Germany for three months. The office of the small company UDATA – Environment and Education is located in the idyllic town Neustadt an der Weinstraße, which is situated 30 km from Mannheim. UDATA has around 15 employees – depending how many projects they are working on – and quite a lot focal points. Climate, water or soil research, environmental education, data management or app development: UDATA has many projects.

When I was about to start my internship, I was very nervous. Having had only an interview on the phone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I met a wonderful team with friendly and helpful people and I soon felt very comfortable about going to work. The team was also very supportive and tried to find work that matched my interest. I got the chance to work in different projects and to gain insights in various topics.

One of my tasks was to set up a website for a “Massive Open Online Course” (MOOC) about energy and business, but I was also involved in filming the lectures and setting up an additional course about climate change. Under www.energie-bwl.de (German version) and soon under www.energy-business.net (English version), you can learn everything a manager needs to know about energy. Controlling, facility management, logistics and green IT are closely related to energy consumption. In a changing world, the smart use of energy is a crucial ability for every business. Through filmed lectures and short animated videos you can learn all about energy and business. Are you also wondering why climate change is important? Have a look at the climate change course and find out!

In another project, an app called uRnature (we wrote about it in a previous article here) has been developed to bring young people in touch with nature again. With minigames and outdoor missions the app teaches youth about climate change andthe importance of forests. During my internship, I was not only writing texts for the app and helped debugging new versions, I was also involved in the marketing: I was allowed to plan and carry out two major marketing activities, including advertisement and a prize competition on-site the outdoor missions.

UDATA offers guided tours for kindergardeners and school kids through a waste-to-energy plant in Ludwigshafen (find out about the waste cemetery here) in order to teach children how to separate waste and raise awareness for trash avoidance. Luckily I also got the chance to to participate in these tours as well. And it was my task to take care of the ghost insects in the office. (Those were shown to the children in the waste-to-energy plant, to make them understand how animals deal with their waste). There were also some smaller projects such as designing an info panel for the newest outdoor mission of uRnature and a flyer about sustainable consumption. Additionally, UDATA is creating some maps in QGIS for a project aiming to provide a detailed map of bicycle paths all over Germany.

Due to the diverse and instructive tasks as well as due to the good work environment, I enjoyed my time at UDATA very much. The Palatinate region is also guaranteeing a high quality of life: The closeness to France, the beautiful landscapes, the friendly people. Thus, I am sure I have not been there for the last time and can only recommend it to others to do their internship there.

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Having found your way to our blog, you probably know the answers. But how can we start a dialogue with others, who might be less interested? With a generation, that has grown up with smartphones and is increasingly disconnected with nature? With young people who might not have access to environmental education? One answer might be: By using our smartphone affinity and creating an app that answers questions and informs about climate change in a playful way.

The App uRnature was developed by Udata – Environment and Education GmbH , where I did an internship for three months. (A report about my internship there is coming soon!) During the internship, I was able to gain many insights into app development, but also how knowledge can be transferred without being “boring”. As conventional nature education offers are often used by people already interested in the environment,a new approach is necessary. And uRnature is one of the first approaches in Germany to use an app to bring young people back in contact with nature.

Chat with U and find out how the world could look like in 2050. Or play minigames. (Screenshot: uRnature)

Guess correctly and avoid sea level rise or discover how the world could look like in 2050. Can you prevent a climate disaster?

uRnature offers two possible play modes: First of all there are minigames, that can be played everywhere. Guess the climate change terms correctly in Climate Change Hangman, and help the tourist escape from sea level rise. If you guess wrong, the temperature is increasing and the sea is rising… Or save our woods by catching all harmful bork beetles. But be careful not to kill the useful checkered-beetle. The games aim to entertain, while simultaneously providing information and (fun) facts about the most important concepts around climate change and forest. To learn more, you can chat with U from 2050. Living in a world destroyed by climate change and degradation, U needs your help. By choosing your answers you can decide how the story ends…

Climate Change Hangman. Guess the term correctely or the sea level will rise. (Screenshot: uRnature)

Are you brave enough to go outside and fulfill your mission?

uRnature provides also so-called virtual, GPS based missions that need be played on-site. Almost like Pokemon Go, the player has to go outside and fulfill certain tasks in nature at the virtual stations. Following usually already established educational trails, the mission asks the player to find certain trees, guess their age, answer questions or play a minigame. Currently there are missions in Berlin, Brandenburg and in Rheinland-Pfalz. (And, unfortunately, the app is only available in German.) But more missions are to come!

uRnature is a unique approach to bringing young people back to nature. To inform about some of the most crucial topics in our time. And even though you might say we should enjoy our environment without technology, maybe we have to combine both to find our way back to nature.

Find out more:

Website: https://urnature.de/
Like the app on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urnatureapp/
Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.urnature

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The Pamir mountains are a mountain range at the junction of the Himalayas and therefore a part of the area is also known as the “roof of the world”.  Even though the biggest part is located in Tajikistan, they also cover parts of other Central Asian countries such as Kyrgystan, the Hindukush mountains in North Eastern Afghanistan, and parts of China.

Kassam, teaching at the Cornell University, takes the audience to a journey, a scientific journey. He talks about the genesis of a research program: first the idea, then the obstacles before and during the research and in the end  the results. Coming from a cultural-social background, he wanted to have a closer look on the impacts of climate change on the life of indigenous people. To be more exact, his research in the Pamir region focussed on so called “ecological calendars”. Therefore, the name of the project happened to be “Ecological Calendars and Climate Change Adaptation in Central Asia”.  

These calendars have been developed by the time of the year, the seasons, the weather and climatic conditions, mostly over the course of hundreds and thousands of years. In our “western” system, calendars depend on months, weeks, days, minutes – whereas in the Pamir region, nature is the main component of the calendars. The people of the Pamir, farmers and herders, don’t seed their plants on a certain day as people in our society  use to. Professor Kassam and his research team spoke with the people of the Pamir, who gave similar answers in different regions : certain natural phenomena such as hearing the voice of a particular bird for the first time in the year, discovering water streams resulting from the snow melting in spring, or the seeing the blossom of a certain plant are used as an indicator for the correct time for seeding. Because of these phenomena, calendars arise that are valid for the whole course of a year just as the “western” calendars – with the difference that they don’t refer to dates or days but only to natural events.

But what happens, if these phenomena don’t appear due to changing seasons? What, if climate change is changing the timing of the blossom in spring or the migration cycle of birds is changing due to altering weather or extreme events? This is one of the questions, Kassam wants to examine  with his research. There is a big difference in the understanding of agriculture between European farmers for example and the farmers from the Pamir: While a farmer from France or Germany might sow his seeds in March even though the weather has been different than in the years before, a Pamir farmer might wait for the voice of the bird, the water streams or the blossom of trees, even though this might occur later or earlier in the year than normally. During a research project in the Pamirs about a decade ago, villagers from the region reported their observations of changing rainfall patterns and temperatures, higher melting rates of snow and glaciers and higher flooding events. These observations cause anxiety as these unprecedented changes are a threat to their survival which is based on subsistence farming.

Kassam and his team compared the answers of the different indigenous groups they talked to in the Pamir with the results of climatic field measurements done in the region, partly by Professor Cyrus Samimi from the University of Bayreuth. These measurements include, amongst others, the data collection of temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, soil moisture and radiation as well as vegetation mapping to create a time-series analysis of life cycles.

Combining the findings of the measurements with the knowledge of the indigenous communities in the Pamirs, new systems and new partnerships could help the people of the Pamirs to understand and adapt to climate variability. This way they can secure the food production they rely on so heavily in this harsh and remote area of the planet. “We must succeed in this. We have to be in the A-Team, not in the B-Team. Failure is not an option”, says Karim-Aly Kassam.

“We wanted to have a transdisciplinary approach in this research topic”, he says with his calm voice, folding his hands in front of his chest. This is important in order to have results that are highlighting the impacts of climate change on the people of the Pamir, he emphasizes. He tells how impressing the work with the people of the Pamir was, how hospitable they are, how proud. He talks about trust as well: “For this research, in this very disturbed area, trust between the different involved groups was indispensable.” The professor of Environmental and Indigenous Studies in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University states also that research is all about trust. “Trust is the beginning of transdisciplinarity”, he says, closing his talk with a little smile.

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The Landesnaturschutzverband Baden-Württemberg e.V. (LNV)

In Baden-Württemberg, one of the 16 German states, there are 3 large nature conservation organizations: the BUND, the NABU and the LNV. LNV is an umbrella organization with 33 member organizations including nature conservation organizations, fishing, hunting and hiking organizations.

“Sometimes there are conflicts between freetime activities like mountain biking, climbing, diving and nature conservation”, explains Gerhard Brönner, director of the LNV in Baden-Württemberg.  “The LNV tries to find solutions together with all stakeholders. Nature conservation is successful only when it follows the principle “use it or lose it”. For this reason, it has to provide benefits to everybody, otherwise it is not effective in the long run.”.

Since those associations have different opinions and ideas, the LNV mediated the creation of agreements consisting of position papers followed by the 33 organizations. These position papers are important for county working groups as they serve as a directing line for working volunteers. Brönner deplored the recent difficulty to find new volunteers:

“Most of the work is done by volunteers. That is why it is essential for us to find dedicated people. Sometimes we have the chance to be in contact with relevant persons and try to get them to volunteer at the LNV, retired public servant for instance”, he says. According to Brönner, the LNV  is recently facing difficulties to engage young people in nature conservation.

“I guess it’s due to new technology distractions, a lack of commitment or a change in generation mindset and interests”, he says.

With so many different stakeholders it takes a long time and effort to develop a common position paper — the last one took about 1 year to be written. LNV was facing difficulties with a hunting regulation, but it finally found an agreement pleasing everybody. Some of these positions are very sensible and if one of the member organization has a different opinion it cannot speak about it in the name of the LNV. It has to stay in a “grey zone” with its own opinion. However, most of the time the 33 organizations cooperate and stay united to defend their view in front of the politicians.

Budget, funding and subvention

The LNV is mainly financed by the local state subventions and organization membership fees. “The state budget varies and has to be approved annually, it is rarely sufficient”,  complains Brönner.

Each of the 33 organizations belonging to the LNV pays a membership fee based on their size, which means based on the  number of individuals in the organization. Usually only NGOs can be members, nonetheless individuals can support the LNV by paying an annual membership fee of 300€. “Those supporting individual members don’t have any voting rights. In addition, they have to be approved by the LNV’s executive board to avoid any conflict of interest. For the same reason, the LNV refuses money from companies and corporate. Unlike famous international foundations such as WWF and Greenpeace sponsored by rich donors and organizations, we prefer to be as independent as possible. Even if we received two third of our budget from state subventions, we would still criticize it openly and freely”, the director of the LNV says.

For specific projects requiring extra expenses, the LNV raises fundings through donation campaigns. “Although donations vary, most of the fundings are constant over time as public subvention and membership fees are fixed”, says Brönner. All this money is used by the LNV to act politically as a lobbyist,  so that they can pay their office staff and defray their volunteer expenses.

LNV’s role at the state level

The LNV is a consulting organization, it doesn’t deal with practical environmental protection but gives detailed opinions about projects impacting nature and organizes lobbying legal actions. Currently, there is one court case against a windmill built in an area of the red kite (Milvus milvus).

Although the planning process was done by the company together with the public and the local authorities, the planning documents were never made public. Since the windmill was composed of less than 20 turbines, the LNV had access to the planning documents only at the court. The windmill project documents contained weaknesses and the LNV asked the court to review its decision about the construction project.

The LNV aims to  mediate conflicts between renewable energy and nature conservation. The organization ensures that wind turbines don’t harm migrating birds, bioenergy land doesn’t compete with food production and hydroenergy doesn’t disturb aquatic wildlife…

“On the one hand, we don’t have enough space in Baden-Württemberg to produce all the energy we need. On the other hand, in the north-western states of Germany there is more electricity produced than needed. To solve our energy problem, there is a project to bring electricity from Morocco with windmill on the coastline and solar panels in the Sahara. Only 5–10 % of the electricity would be lost during the transport and it could provide energy to all Europe” says Bronner.

The LNV helps county administrations create landscape conservation unions and mediate nature conservation actions between towns, farmers and conservationists. It also tries to convince the state government to provide funding for every county to have his union. Since there is an increasing demand of space for infrastructures and settlements, the LNV ensures the efficient use of the scarce urban land and abundant cheap rural land. “In the countryside, we try to integrate agriculture with nature conservation. We try to make farmers have a more biodiversity friendly and still economically viable management. We need to change the policy and get away from the current agri-environment scheme which subsidizes farmers on a hectare based evaluation”, Brönner says.

To control the implementation of impact compensation in the state of Baden-Württemberg, the LNV is also creating a system where all compensation measures are documented.

Once per year, in autumn, the LNV holds the “Zukunftsforum” or translated “Forum of the Future”. The aim is to bring different stakeholders together to discuss about pressing issues: last year’s conference, for example, they discussed about the declining insect diversity. Two years ago, the forum was about environmental education and the LNV tried to convince the local government to put back the basic identification of plants and insect families into the school curriculum.

“In the forum we promoted so called Naturpark schools which are primary schools in the south of the Black Forest where children go outside and learn practical subjects about nature. Pupils also meet rangers, foresters and carpenters to widen their view on the world”, says Brönner. “Nonetheless it is difficult to create these schools because teachers lack training about nature. Thus, they are afraid to go out of the school because of security and responsibility issues. Not to mention the difficulty to get parent permission and logistic funding. Another problem is the lack of experts in various conservation fields, people who know the insect or plant species. This is mainly due of the low wages in this sector.”

LNV’s role at the national and European level

As mentioned before, the LNV is a state run organization. Nonetheless, at the federal level, the LNV is part of the “Deutscher Naturschutzring” (translated German nature conservation ring) organization which assesses and shares the most efficient policies and practices among states.

“The Deutscher Naturschutzring regularly publishes reports and organizes meetings, so there is a communication between Federal states. A good example is a recent study searching for the best conservation regulations among states. We submitted the best ones to the Ministry of Baden-Württemberg and some were added in the state law.”, Brönner says.

The organization reminds the state government about their commitment to European environmental laws such as the Habitat, Birds directives and Natura 2000, in extreme cases it can complain to the European court of justice in Brussels.

To conclude, I would like to remind all of us that “alone we go faster, but together we go further “.

If we want our Earth and people to go far, we will need to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize partnerships. Organizations like the LNV are already doing this, enhancing cooperation between different stakeholders and acting for sustainable development and use of Central European landscapes.

Written by Thuan SARZYNSKI

The post Inside a German Organization of Nature Conservation appeared first on Global Change Ecology.