Combatting Species Extinction  [19.12.19]

Besides ongoing climate change, the extinction of species poses a second existential threat to mankind. But we can only protect what we are aware of. In order to strengthen and further develop specialist knowledge on species diversity in the state and to promote it in society, the state of Baden-Württemberg plans to invest a total of around €5 million over the next two years. A competence center for "integrative taxonomy" is planned, which is supported jointly by the University of Hohenheim and the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, as well as two new professorships and a research training group.

 

Due to the rapid scientific progress in molecular biology in recent decades, research and teaching contents at universities have been rebalanced, so that hardly any scientists are currently being trained in the basic biological sub-areas of taxonomy, morphology, ecology, and evolution.

In order to develop strategies against species extinction, however, experts believe it is essential to combine classical - descriptive - approaches with newer ecological, genetic, and bioinformatic methods. It is precisely this approach that the state of Baden-Württemberg will be pursuing next year with its "Integrative Taxonomy" initiative.

A competence center unique in Germany will bring together the existing specialist knowledge of universities and natural history museums and make it available for cutting-edge research, teaching, and further education. The state intends to make a total of around €5 million available for this over the next two years.

The initiative also includes the establishment of two new professorships in the areas of "Integrative Taxonomy of Insects" (University of Hohenheim) and "Biodiversity Monitoring" (joint appointment: University of Hohenheim and State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart).

In order to train urgently needed young scientists, the University of Hohenheim and the Museum of Natural History are also establishing a joint research training group. The scientific goal is to analyze the current state of species diversity, investigate key factors responsible for the temporal and spatial change in biodiversity, and make forecasts for future development.