Faktencheck Artenvielfalt

Trends & direct drivers of biodiversity change


In the topic area “Trends & direct drivers of biodiversity change”, the focus is on long-term and recent biodiversity trends and on their causes, i.e. the direct drivers that trigger these trends.

Trends include, for example, changes in species diversity as well as changes in the population sizes of different species and changes in the composition of species communities. These trends are identified using scientific publications on long-term observations, reports and expert opinions, and assessments based on the Red List of Threatened Species. This approach can be used, for example, to identify the winners and losers of climate and land use change, as well as the evolution of functional groups and alien species. However, it is important to note that species are recorded at different frequencies and that the frequency of their recording does not necessarily correlate with their population trends. Therefore, this topic area will also focus on species that are underrepresented in scientific literature.

Direct drivers behind the trends of biodiversity change are scientifically studied using experiments, observations or computer models. However, there are some drivers that are studied more frequently and in more depth than others. Faktencheck Artenvielfalt will therefore not only summarize the influences of direct drivers, such as land use, pollution, climate change, invasive species, and pesticide use, but also highlight knowledge gaps in what causes biodiversity changes in our ecosystems.

Team

Prof. Dr. Helge Bruelheide
Co-Chair

Prof. Helge Bruelheide is a vegetation ecologist and biodiversity researcher. He is responsible for the topic area “Trends & Direct Drivers” for the quantification of biodiversity trends across all species groups of plants and animals as well as the analysis of the direct drivers of these trends. In particular, he supports the chapter groups “Agricultural and Open Land”, “Inland Waters and Floodplains”, and “Indirect Drivers”.

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Institut für Biologie
Am Kirchtor 1
06108 Halle (Saale)

Prof. Dr. Josef Settele
Co-Chair

Prof. Josef Settele is an agricultural biologist and entomologist. Together with the project management team, he coordinates Faktencheck Artenvielfalt as co-chair. Over the past decades, he worked mainly in the field of Science-Policy-Society and took central roles in the IPCC and IPBES consortia. He is responsible for the topic area “Trends & Direct Drivers”. In particular, he supports the chapter groups “Agricultural and Open Land”, “Soil Biodiversity”, and “Transformation Potentials”.

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ
Department Naturschutzforschung
Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4
06120 Halle

Dr. Anja Schmidt
Project Scientist

Dr. Anja Schmidt is an ecologist and works together with Prof. Josef Settele on the topic area “Trends & Direct Drivers” and supports in particular the chapter groups “Agricultural and Open Land”, “Soil Biodiversity”, and “Transformation Potentials”.

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ
Department Naturschutzforschung
Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4
06120 Halle

Dr. Maria Sporbert
Project Scientist

Dr. Maria Sporbert is a vegetation ecologist. Together with Prof. Helge Bruelheide, she is working on the topic area “Trends & Direct Drivers” and supports in particular the chapter groups “Agricultural and Open Land”, “Inland Waters and Floodplains”, and “Indirect Drivers”.

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Institut für Biologie
Am Kirchtor 1
06108 Halle (Saale)