Faktencheck Artenvielfalt

About the German Biodiversity Assessment

What is the German Biodiversity Assessment “Faktencheck Artenvielfalt”? Faktencheck Artenvielfalt is a joint project that aims to create a national assessment of biodiversity in Germany. It involves about 140 authors from various institutions and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA).

Why now? Ambitious political goals to conserve biodiversity (e.g. United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, EU Green Deal, German Biodiversity Strategy) require rapid action as well as a general social change. Although there has been an enormous increase in knowledge and experience over the last 10-15 years, this is hardly reflected in recommendations for action. Therefore, it is essential to comprehensively synthesize old and new knowledge about biodiversity in Germany.

Agrar- & Offenland
Wald
Binnengewässer & Auen
Küsten & Küstengewässer
Urbane Räume
Projektleitung
Trends & Direkte Treiber
Konsequenzen
Maßnahmen
Indirekte Treiber
Bodenbiodiversität
Transformation
FEdA Faktencheck Artenvielfalt Struktur Hintergrund.svg

 

What is the structure of the assessment? For the most important habitats in Germany (agricultural and open land, forests, inland waters and floodplains, coasts and coastal waters, and urban areas), the following questions will be answered: What are the current trends and direct drivers of biodiversity change? What are the consequences of species loss for our society? Which measures for biodiversity protection and increase do really work? What role do indirect drivers play? What is the special role of soil biodiversity? How do we need to transform our lifestyles, economies, and land use to maintain biodiversity or bring it back to our landscapes? This results in a matrix structure of chapter groups for the 5 habitats listed above and cross-cutting topic areas.

How is the assessment realized? The work of the chapter groups (conceptualization, research, analyses, writing) is supported by workshops and project scientists. A project management team coordinates the overall process. The writing process is supported by external experts and institutions (authorities, NGOs) in a transparent review process. Read more here.

What is special about the assessment? The report is compiled by representatives from natural and social sciences as well as from the public sector. This inter- and transdisciplinary mixture can be found among the reviewers as well. Both peer-reviewed scientific publications and “grey” literature (e.g. theses, official reports or expert opinions) are comprehensively taken into account. In addition to the report, a database of the knowledge pool will be developed. An interactive document will allow statements to be traced back directly to their sources and associated data.