“Recognizing the vital role local people play in protecting the Amazon rainforest and supporting local communities are essential for long-term conservation and a crucial matter of social justice.” @anthropocenemag.bsky.social. www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2025/09/how-...

Beautifully illustrated story of how foraged wild edibles & other locally sourced ingredients reduce costs of school meals, ensure fresher produce & better nutrition of school kids in Meghalaya / India. @theguardian.com. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

How can we better deal with wildfires like those currently devastating many Mediterranean landscapes? 3 messages from the @easac.bsky.social report: 1️⃣Prioritise climate & landuse action 2️⃣Consider fire risk in treeplanting projects 3️⃣‘Live with fire’: public health & education easac.eu/publications...

#Hutewälder: Naturschutz durch #Waldweide ist im Kommen. Unsere Interviews mit Tierhalter*innen zeigen, was benötigt wird zur Stärkung der Hutewaldwirtschaft: 🌳Bessere Wirtschaftlichkeit 🌳Modellprojekte & Praxisleitfäden 🌳Vernetzung 🌳Einbindung der Tierhalter*innen ➡️ doi.org/10.1399/NuL....

With extreme rainfalls pouring down in N Germany today, an interesting read about Copenhagen's transformation to a "sponge city" through a combination of nature-based & engineering solutions. Good to see flood adaptation framed as both technical & social infrastructure. e360.yale.edu/features/cop...

#IntegratedLandscapeApproaches are powerful in dealing with complex social-ecological challenges, but often lack attention to #LandscapeJustice. In this synthesis, we identify dimension of landscape injustices, provide a methods overview & reflect on our own experiences. doi.org/10.5751/ES-1...

Ziquejie rice terraces in Hunnan province (China) - a globally important agricultural heritage system, recognized by FAO. Forest-covered mountains provide the water for this centuries-old irrigation system based on natural gravity - Chinese version of Japan's #Satoyama landscapes.

Co-production of rich agrobiodiversity by people & nature in the Shexian dry stone terrace landscape (Hebei, China). Key components of this agricultural heritage system are: Farmers, Chinese red pepper, donkeys/mules, traditional crops & a lot of stones. Paper: doi.org/10.1080/2639...

🚜 New study: Why do farmers join collaborative agri-environmental schemes? 🧑‍🌾 Farmer interviews show: 🌼 Nature values & admin ease matter most 💶 Financial incentives help—but support, flexibility & peer exchange are key Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jr... Project: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/628701.html

China is a leader in conserving agricultural heritage systems. My visit with T. Guo led us to tea gardens in Yunnan province. What looks like an untended plantation is actually a smallholder-managed & incredibly diverse agroecosystem of tea intercropped with buckwheat, flax, maize, sweet potato etc.

A warm welcome to our most recent social-ecological interactions group member, Pia Jensen! In this Medium blog post, Pia highlights the potential of traditional forest management (coppice forests) to meet current biodiversity and climate challenges in the forest sector. medium.com/people-natur...

🌿 New study: What kind of #peatland future do we want—and how do we get there? We co-created mental models with 42 land users to explore how land use affects ecosystem services & well-being. Best future? A mosaic: peatland conservation, extensive grazing & eco-tourism. 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

#HighNatureValue farming covers ~30% of EU farmland—but it is under threat from abandonment & intensification. Our Pan-European review of 178 studies reveals key patterns in biodiversity, ecosystem services, policy drivers & innovations. Read in "People and Nature": 🔗 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

Interested in #Agroforestry, #EcosystemServices & rural-urban dynamics? Apply for a 4-years (65%) PhD position on “Effects of tree-based agriculture on ecosystem services supply, distribution & access in a rurban environment”. Fieldwork takes place in Morocco. euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/358166.

We're super-happy that our research unit "Sustainable Rurbanity" is funded by @dfg.de. Combining social-ecological systems with assemblage thinking, we explore the complex relations between rural & urban spaces, focusing on Ghana, India & Morocco. @unikassel.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de.

Can livestock be part of the solution in Europe’s agricultural landscapes? 🐄🌍 We present a #BioculturalDiversity framework that reframes low-input animal farming as key to biodiversity, climate resilience & heritage. Case studies: 🇩🇪 peatlands, 🇪🇺 Med wildfires, 🇦🇹 hay milk. 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

How are values, knowledge & context shaping environmental stewardship & visions for meaningful human-nature relationships in protected areas? Led by Miguel Angel Cebrián. A result of the @biodiversa.eu-funded ENVISION project, now out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1002/pan3....

🌿 Call for Proposals: Special Feature in People and Nature 🌿 "Halfway through the UN Decade: Taking stock of social-ecological restoration" We're looking for bold, critical, and constructive contributions that forge new pathways and guide the next years of the UN Decade. 🔗 Details: t1p.de/6woms

#Agroforstwirtschaft – die Kombination von Land- und #Forstwirtschaft auf einer Fläche – soll durch das Agrarrecht eigentlich gefördert werden. Warum das scheitert, zeigen M. Klimke und C. Zengerling von der #UniFreiburg in ihrer Studie (mit T. Plieninger) doi.org/10.1007/s116...

„Hedges are one of the best bits of wildlife on a farm. And hedges rely on farmers: without the blood, sweat and tears that goes into rejuvenating a hedge, they would slowly turn into a line of trees.“ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A leaked document reveals a PR campaign fuelled attacks on the 2019 EAT-Lancet report, which called for cutting red meat by 50% for health and climate. Scientists faced intense backlash. “I’ve never been attacked in so many ways,” said our Director Line Gordon. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#Agroforestry is often discussed in terms of its benefits for biodiversity & diversified production. However, it can also support sustainable diets. @khant-htet.bsky.social showcases her study on the nexus of agroforestry & dietary diversity in #PeopleNatureLandscapesBlog. medium.com/people-natur...

How to motivate farmers to participate in cooperative agrienvironmental schemes? - Offer adequate financial compensation - Communicate environmental advances - Invest in building social relationships - Create cooperative governance structures J. Huber et al. #bpbv. doi.org/10.1002/eas2...

#Agroforstwirtschaft erfreut sich wachsender Beliebtheit, aber ihre Umsetzung in der Landwirtschaft stößt auf rechtliche & andere Hürden. Eine sozial-ökologische Perspektive zum Zusammenspiel einer komplexen Gesetzgebung mit anderen Barrieren. Mit M. Klimke & C. Zengerling. doi.org/10.1007/s116...

Biological & cultural diversity are closely linked in landscapes with a long land-use history. Emmeline Topp reports on our oral history approach that explores biocultural diversity in the German Biodiversity Exploratories. @bexplo.bsky.social. #PeopleNatureLandscapesBlog. medium.com/people-natur...

Very happy about our new study together with @plieningerlab.bsky.social! 🤩 👉 Drivers of private #forest owners' management behavior and attitudes are identified 👉 Gender-specific outreach should be complemented by targeting specific forest owner groups www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The Sundarbans (Bangladesh) are rich in biodiversity, but massively degrading. In this study, led by Abul Polas, we use participatory mapping (#PPGIS) to identify drivers, pressures & impacts of mangrove degradation as well as restoration opportunities. doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...

"It truly felt like a rollercoaster ride: highs and lows in quick succession, with moments of accomplishments followed by doubts about whether I was truly ready for the finish line." A PhD report by Sukanya Basu, leading her to India's urban wetlands & beyond. medium.com/people-natur...

Terrace landscapes are exemplars of biocultural landscapes, rich in natural & cultural heritage and jointly created by people & nature. We're super-happy that our project "A social-ecological analysis of co-production of Mediterranean terrace landscapes" is funded by @dfg.de! @unikassel.bsky.social.

Farm trees have ecological benefits, but also cultural importance. Here, we identify olive trees as cultural keystone species in Morocco's High Atlas. Considering cultural values is key for developing sensitive restoration. @mobarakchaima.bsky.social @mrdjournal.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

#Agroforestry is en vogue, but its adoption is facing legal & other hurdles. Here, we use a social-ecological traps perspective to explain how complex legislation interacting with local processes disincentivizes farmers' agroforestry uptake. With M. Klimke & C. Zengerling. doi.org/10.1007/s116...

Olive, walnut, and almond are cultural keystone species for the Amazigh communities in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains. Knowing this can enhance biocultural conservation. Read the article by @mobarakchaima.bsky.social, @laurakmoch.bsky.social, @plieningerlab.bsky.social and coauthors: t.ly/3Hc4J

#TreesOutsideForests (a common landscape feature across South Asia) provide crucial contributions to human wellbeing (but different trees affect wellbeing dimensions differently). A systematic review, led by Pooja Choksi, in Environmental Research Letters. doi.org/10.1088/1748...

Wie kann Transformativer Wandel gelingen, der den weltweiten Biodiversitätsverlust aufhält? Ein Interview des Projektträger mit drei deutschen Beteiligten (Kristina Raab, Yves Zinngrebe, Tobias Plieninger) am @ipbes.net PBES #TransformativeChange-Assessment. www.fona.de/de/aktuelles...

Rehabilitated quarries exhibit richer cultural ecosystem services than abandoned or operational ones, and accessibility significantly influences public engagement. Our findings from a study of sociocultural restoration of quarries. With K. Svobodova, P. Chang & A.S. Olafsson. doi.org/10.1111/rec....

Traditional resource use is remarkably persistent on the Faroe Islands, despite rapid ecological & social modernization. In this new study, we investigate the values, rules & knowledge around hare, pilot whale & fulmar hunting. doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

Quarrying is a wide-spread extractive activity in Central Europe, but its social dimensions are rarely investigated or regulated. In this paper, we explore how relations between mining companies & local communities can be improved, identifying 4 key factors. Svobodova et al. doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

Falls sich jemand näher für das Thema #Agroforst interessiert, da gibt es heute um 19:30 Uhr einen Vortrag von @plieningerlab.bsky.social "Agroforstsysteme - Renaissance einer Kulturlandschaft?" am Senckenberg in Frankfurt: museumfrankfurt.senckenberg.de/de/bildungsa... Zoomlink oben auf der Seite

📣New study: Social levers for agri-environmental collaboration: Bridging structures, regional facilitators & addressing expectations of actors support #collaborative initiatives in #agriculture besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... @agrarunigoe.bsky.social #ProjectKOOPERATIV #bpbv

Bridging structures, regional facilitators & management of actor expectations are key to motivating & empowering farmers for collaborative agri-environmental governance at landscape scale. S. Schüler et al., @agrarunigoe.bsky.social. #kooperativ #biologischevielfalt #bpbv. doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

"The fact is [...] terraces are the product of generations of human dedication, right up to the present day. [...] With their management of soil and water, they remain a potent symbol of sustainability, environmental care, and good sense." www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/...

China is rich in agricultural heritage systems, but these face pressures, e.g. from urbanization. Here, we investigate the values, rules & knowledge of/for dike-pond landscapes in the Pearl River Delta. Adaptive governance requires more attention to relational values & local knowledge. rdcu.be/d69M0

"The people shepherding livestock across the continent's great open grasslands have been widely seen as the enemies of its charismatic wild mammals — to be fenced out of protected areas and policed by armed rangers. But that image is outdated..." @yalee360.bsky.social. e360.yale.edu/features/afr...

Drystone terraces maintain soil fertility, prevent erosion & conserve water. The Konso people (Ethiopia) have shaped a particularly complex system of terracing, agroforestry, water harvesting & manure composting, now listed as World Heritage. @mongabay.bsky.social. news.mongabay.com/2025/01/the-...

Forstpraxis.de: „Waldkulturerbe: Hutewälder zu erhalten ist kein Selbstläufer“ www.forstpraxis.de/waldkulturer...

"It is [...] plausible that livestock grazing, by reducing wildfire risk while promoting biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem benefits, is a promising adaptation measure amid climate change." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Blue infrastructure (lakes, channels, wetlands, etc.) provides nature-based solutions to urban sustainability challenges. But what benefits do local people see in it? A comparative survey spanning across 4 Indian megacities. @koushikvu.bsky.social, S. Basu, M. Pramanik. doi.org/10.1016/j.nb...

Was verbindet diese beeindruckende Vielzahl deutscher Hochschulen und Universitäten? Sie haben heute gemeinsam bekannt gegeben, dass sie sich von Elon Musks Plattform X (ehemals Twitter) zurückziehen. Möge der Rest dem guten Beispiel folgen. Es ist an der Zeit.

"To halt socioenvironmental crises, scientists must step outside of our comfort zone. We learned to frame our research results in a wider context that included values and interests beyond science [...]." M. Mastrangelo & M. Camino, Science. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Debt-financed & hi-tech solutions sometimes failed to mitigate sustainability challenges in Global South cities. Our latest study looked at how people in four Indian megacities perceived the role of existing blue infrastructure as NbS to mitigate sus challenges. With @plieningerlab.bsky.social