BiodivGesundheit Projects

Species-rich ecosystems provide clean drinking water and oxygen, as well as assuring a healthy diet and intact natural areas. They are the basis for human existence. Eight research projects are investigating the influence of biodiversity on human health as part of the BMBF’s Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA).

The drastic extinction of species is putting the delicate balance of ecosystems at risk, and with it ecosystem services. These are the services provided by nature, such as habitats, animals and plants, which humans use as a basis for existence: clean water, oxygen, food.

So a threat to biodiversity has both a direct and indirect impact on human health. The details of the many links between biodiversity and human health are still poorly understood. For this reason, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding eight projects in the measure “BiodivGesundheit” that focus on the connections between biodiversity and human health.

The research projects have entered the three-year main phase. Their work is part of the FEdA flagship initiative.

The funded scientific projects are:

CitySoundscapes | Relationships between biodiversity, soundscapes and human health in urban green infrastructures

DCropS4OneHealth | Diversifying crop production systems for the shared health of soils, plants and people

DIVATOX | Diversity of aquatic plants and associated cyanobacteria influence the risk of neurotoxins to recreational and drinking water use of water bodies

ENDEMIC | Effects of environmental biodiversity on health and microbiome development in early childhood

HABBAL | Assessment of the effect of the spread of harmful algal blooms of the species Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax on biodiversity and human health

HEBEDI | Healthy and biodiverse Edible Cities: Cluster-randomised study on the effects of biodiverse community gardens on biodiversity and adult health

MOMOBIO | Molecular monitoring of bacterial biodiversity in the water cycle

SharpGreens | Biodiversity in Brassica oleracea to improve the health value in human nutrition

An overview of the funding measure can be found on the website of the framework program “Research for Sustainable Development – FONA” (in German), the text of the official funding guideline (in German) on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).