German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)

Mainmenu


Welcome

Welcome to the English webpages of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)

The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) is the central scientific authority of the German federal government for both national and international nature conservation.

 

About us

Expert workshop: quality standards for protected areas

Participants of the CBD workshop

Putbus/Isle of Vilm, 6 February 2020: At the invitation of IUCN and INA, 42 experts discussed how guidelines on the quality and effectiveness of protected areas can be incorporated into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The outcome paper of the workshop with concrete targets, minimum requirements, indicators and measurement methods will be fed into the international CBD negotiations.

more

Protection of the vast Eastern Mongolian Steppes

Eastern Mongolian Steppe | Photo: Dr. Hans D. Knapp

Putbus/Isle of Vilm, 30 January 2020: Nature conservation experts from Germany and Mongolia discussed the prospects for nominating the Mongolian steppe as a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 26 to 27 January at the INA. As part of a project with the aim of securing the ecologically important steppes of Eastern Mongolia in the long term, the Michael Succow Foundation (MSF) invited to this expert workshop.
more

More maize, less fallow land: study on the decline of farmland birds in Germany

photo: Pixabay Les Whalley

Farmland birds such as skylark or lapwing are under high pressure. A study by DDA and BfN, recently published in the journal "Bird Conservation International", shows how large-scale changes in the agricultural landscape and shifts in the crops grown have affected farmland bird populations: In particular, the increasing area under maize cultivation was negatively correlated with the population trends of many species. High proportions of grassland and fallow land showed positive effects. 
More

Author Daniela Danz draws her inspiration from the Isle of Vilm

Daniela Danz | Photo: Nils-Christian Engel

Putbus/ Isle of Vilm, 15 January 2020: In January the writer Daniela Danz spends almost two weeks on the Isle of Vilm near Rügen Island and will experience the untouched and rough nature of the Baltic Sea island in winter. The writing residency at the International Academy for Nature Conservation is donated by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) as part of the German Prize for Nature Writing.
more

Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change – open-access book published

On the occasion of the Global Summit on Climate and Health taking place at the 7th of December, BfN highlights a new publication. How can nature support health and well-being in light of rising temperatures and other effects of climate change? This topic is the focus of a book which was published by BfN and UFZ/idiv at Springer publications. It covers physical, mental and social aspects of health. But also the spread of allergenic plants and vector-borne diseases is discussed.