Achtung Artenvielfalt!
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Grafik: FEdA (Logo), Can Stock Photo / macrovector (Hintergrund)

Throwback: Action Week 2021

The first, nationwide action week “Achtung Artenvielfalt!” took place from 4th till 11th of Octobre 2021, initiated by the BMBF Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA) and the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research.

Immediately before the start of the 15th UN-biodiversity conference (CBD-COP 15) in Kunming, FEdA and Senckenberg drew attention to the meaning of biological diversity and the negative effects of the extinction of species with the action week. Twenty institutions, unions and projects organised digitally and on site different presentations, discussion rounds, conferences, a film evening and a podcast. Tours and excursions took place, not just in the Natural History Museums in Frankfurt/Main and Berlin, but also in botanical gardens in Bonn, Potsdam, Osnabrück and Frankfurt/Main. The whole (German) program of the action week “Achtung Artenvielfalt!” 2021 can be found here for rereads.

The FEdA organised a free online viewing of the nominated documentary film “Racing Extinction” in the evening of the 4th Octobre. Afterwards, Prof. Aletta Bonn of the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Prof. Klement Tockner, director general of the Senckenberg Society, about the state of the biological diversity and the question: “How do we win the race against extinction?” You can read a shortened version of their German conversation here.

Greetings from Anja Karliczek, former Federal Minister of Education and Research (BMBF)

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Laurence Chaperon / BMBF

„Der Erhalt der Artenvielfalt ist eine der größten Herausforderungen unserer Zeit. Dabei spielt das Engagement der breiten Öffentlichkeit eine wesentliche Rolle. Für einen wirksamen Schutz der Artenvielfalt benötigen wir den aktiven Dialog zwischen Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft – nur so können wir einen nachhaltigen Wandel hin zu einem wirkungsvollen Schutz der biologischen Vielfalt erreichen.“

Translation:

“The preservation of biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of our time. For this, the engagement of the wider public plays a significant role. For an effective protection of biodiversity, we need an active dialogue between science and society – only that way can we accomplish a sustainable change towards an effective protection of biological diversity.”

You can read the full German statement of the former Federal Minister to the first action week “Achtung Artenvielfalt!”

 

 

Impressions of the action week 2021

Vor dem Standort der Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung in Frankfurt fand der Aktionsvormittag „Urbane Lebensräume – Stadtgrün insektenfreundlich pflegen“ statt.
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Stefanie Gaiser / BMBF-Forschungsinitiative zum Erhalt der Artenvielfalt (FEdA)
The morning event “Urban habitats – maintaining urban green spaces in an insect-friendly way” took place in front of the Senckenberg Nature Research Society in Frankfurt/Main. Interested parties were able to learn how to preserve and promote meadows as valuable and species-rich habitats for insects. Photo: Stefanie Gaiser / BMFTR Research Initiative for the Preservation of Biodiversity (FEdA)
Das Frankfurter Streuobstzentrum „MainÄppelHaus“ demonstrierte zudem das umweltfreundliche Mähen von Wiesen mit einer Sense.
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Marilena Hoff / Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
During the morning event, the Frankfurt orchard centre “MainÄppelHaus” also demonstrated environmentally friendly mowing of meadows with a scythe. Visitors were also able to try their hand at it themselves. Photo: Marilena Hoff / Senckenberg Society for Nature Research
Was sind die Ursachen für den ungebremsten Verlust biologischer Vielfalt? Und welche Rolle spielen dafür (Land-)Wirtschaft, Industrie, aber auch das Naturbewusstsein der Bevölkerung?
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Created with GIMP
What are the causes of the unchecked loss of biodiversity? And what role do agriculture, industry and the population’s awareness of nature play in this? Aletta Bonn and Klement Tockner discussed these issues at the digital cinema evening “Film + Discussion: How can we save biodiversity?” You can read a transcript of the conversation here (German version only). Photo: Stefan Bernhardt, iDiv (Aletta Bonn) / Luiza Puiu (Klement Tockner)
Auf der Eröffnung des virtuellen Lehrpfades „Wissensweg Stadtnatur Dresden“ ruft ein Teilnehmer mit dem Smartphone Informationen über Dresdner Stadtgrün und seine Ökosystemleistungen ab.
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Eröffnung des virtuellen Lehrpfades "Wissensweg Stadtnatur Dresden" am 07.10.2021 im Rahmen der bundesweiten Aktionswoche "Achtung Artenvielfalt!". Entwickelt im EU-Projekt "Die Werte von Ökosystemdienstleistungen, Biodiversität und grün-blauer Infrastruktur in Städten am Beispiel von Dresden, Liberec und Dín (BIDELIN)"
At the opening of the virtual nature trail “Wissensweg Stadtnatur Dresden” (Dresden Urban Nature Knowledge Trail), a participant uses a smartphone to access information about Dresden’s urban green spaces and their ecosystem services. The urban nature trail was developed as part of the EU project “The values of ecosystem services, biodiversity and green-blue infrastructure in cities using the example of Dresden, Liberec and Děčín (BIDELIN)”. Photo: H. Hensel / IÖR-Media
Das Museum für Naturkunde Berlin beteiligte sich mit mehreren Veranstaltungen und Exkursionen an der Aktionswoche, unter anderem mit der Führung „Artenvielfalt und Artensterben“ via Instagram.
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Screenshot: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin / Instagram TV
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin participated in the action week with several events and excursions, including a guided tour entitled “Biodiversity and Species Extinction” via Instagram. Museum guides and biologists Korbinian and Fred explained why the diversity of life on Earth is under threat – and what we can all do to help protect species. Screenshot: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin / Instagram TV
Informationstafeln weisen in der Ausstellung „Faszination Vielfalt“ des Senckenberg Naturmuseums in Frankfurt auf die Aktionswoche hin, erklären den Hintergrund der UN-Biodiversitätskonferenz und ihre Bedeutung für den Umweltschutz.
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Foto: BMBF-Forschungsinitiative zum Erhalt der Artenvielfalt (FEdA)
Information boards in the Senckenberg Natural History Museum’s “Fascination Diversity” exhibition draw attention to the action week, explain the background to the UN Biodiversity Conference and its significance for environmental protection. Photo: BMFTR Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA)
Gemeinsam mit engagierten Personen aus der Bevölkerung pflanzen Mitarbeitende des Botanischen Gartens der Universität Potsdam, des Projekts Wildpflanzenschutz Deutschland (WIPs-De) und der Stiftung NaturSchutzFond Brandenburg gefährdete Wildpflanzen in einem Brandenburger Naturschutzgebiet an.
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Foto: Felicitas Wöhrmann
Together with committed members of the public, employees of the Botanical Garden of the University of Potsdam, the Wild Plant Protection Germany (WIPs-De) project and the Brandenburg Nature Conservation Fund Foundation are planting endangered wild plants in a Brandenburg nature reserve. During the planting on 9 October 2021, around 600 grape hyacinth plants (Anthericum liliago) were planted in the Löptener Fenne-Wustrickwiesen nature reserve in Groß Köris. The young plants were grown over the summer in the Potsdam Botanical Garden. Photo: Felicitas Wöhrmann
Ebenfalls in die Aktionswoche fiel der Festakt zur Verleihung des Deutschen Umweltpreises 2021 an die Ökologin Katrin Böhning-Gaese und den Moorforscher Hans Joosten.
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Foto: Peter Himsel / DBU
The week of action also included the ceremony for the presentation of the 2021 German Environmental Award to ecologist Katrin Böhning-Gaese and moorland researcher Hans Joosten. In conversation with presenter Judith Rakers, the award winner said: “We need to make agriculture more ecological. This is a task for society as a whole. Politicians and consumers are just as much in demand as farmers. I am very confident.” Joosten made it clear that the drainage of moors leads to huge emissions and climate problems. Photo: Peter Himsel / DBU

Video Statements on the action week (German version only)

On the second day of the #AchtungArtenvielfalt action week, we focused on the topic of “biodiversity and #climate change”. Water bodies and their biological diversity could be among the losers of the Paris Climate Agreement, warns Senckenberg Director General Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner in his video message.
On day 3 of the #AchtungArtenvielfalt action week, we focused on the topic of “ecosystem services”. Biologist and author Dr Frauke Fischer (“Was hat die Mücke je für uns getan?”) from the University of Würzburg explains what this is and why we should simply let nature take its course in her video message.
The theme on the fourth day of the #AchtungArtenvielfalt action week was biodiversity, agriculture and nutrition. The video message on this topic comes from Sarah Wiener, who is a Member of the European Parliament for the Greens/European Free Alliance and is committed to issues such as animal welfare and soil fertility.
Why is biodiversity often greater in cities than on agricultural land? And what can we do to promote nature on our doorsteps? Dr Indra Starke-Ottich from Senckenberg explains this in her video message on the fifth day of #AchtungArtenvielfalt.
With the sixth mass extinction, the Earth is losing its memory, says Eckart von Hirschhausen in his video message on the sixth day of #AchtungArtenvielfalt. And species extinction will also have a major impact on our own human health – sooner or later.
Invasive species are an often overlooked, powerful driver of species extinction. This is because they can cause a wide range of ecological problems in their new habitats. Dr Hanno Seebens points this out in his video statement on the 7th day of the #AchtungArtenvielfalt action week.
We must tackle the biodiversity crisis as part of the “triple crisis” alongside the health and climate crises, and we must also use citizen science to do so, says Prof. Dr. Aletta Bonn in her video message on the final day of the #AchtungArtenvielfalt action week.

Twitter-Threads about our theme days

Click on the date of a tweet to look at the complete thread in your browser or the Twitter app.

Day 1: The sixth great mass extinction

Day 2: Biodiversity and climate change

Day 3: Ecosystem service – the value of nature

Day 4: Biodiversity, agriculture and diet

Day 5: Diversity at the front door – urban biodiversity

Day 6: An intact nature keeps us healthy

Day 7: Invasive species

Day 8: What can we do?

 

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If you are interested in offering your own event during the next edition of the action week with your institute, your project or your union, write us an e-mail!