SDG 15: Life On Land
SDG 15 seeks to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. This includes managing forests sustainably, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation, and halting biodiversity loss.
Sponsorship team
Prof. Dr. Jörg Ganzhorn
Faculty: Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
Department(s): Biology
Profile: Prof. Dr. Jörg Ganzhorn
What are your research areas? What research projects are you currently working on? How do these relate to “your” SDG?
In our research projects, we are searching for ways to combine species protection and nature conservation in the forest ecosystems of Madagascar with economic development in such a way that the ecosystems suffer no further damage and nature conservation can be improved in the medium term. Our first step is to determine the conditions that animals (primarily mammals) need in order to maintain stable populations and important ecosystem processes (such as seed dispersal) in the long term. We then attempt to maintain these conditions in protected areas. The local population is vitally dependent on forest resources (wood, medicinal plants, wild fruits and bulbs) in many areas, hence we are developing ways to integrate these resources into the cultural landscape (agriculture, selective logging, renaturation of mined areas) to the benefit of both humans and animals. These kinds of projects can connect isolated protected areas and consolidate small, disparate populations to improve their chances of survival.
These research and nature conservation activities must bring about a direct improvement in the living situation of the human population surrounding the protected areas and the local people must truly feel that the forest is “theirs” and wish to protect it. In order to achieve this, we are taking part in educational programs for everyone from local helpers to university graduates.
How and why did you become interested in this topic?
The diversity of life forms, their origins, and the processes of interaction between and within species are fascinating. Preserving this diversity should be matter of course. The growing human population is increasingly leading to conflicts of interest over limited resources. On islands, the finite nature of resources and the absurdity of the belief in continuous growth in all areas are directly and much more dramatically evident than in countries with alternatives and the ability to compensate across borders. In order to achieve sustainability, all stakeholders must be involved. We are therefore meanwhile doing more work in the educational sector than in basic research.
What activities are you planning as part of the SDG sponsorship? What possibilities do you see in (interdisciplinary) networking with other members of your sponsorship team?
Based on concrete examples of the renaturation of different habitats, we will develop ways to strengthen cooperation between disciplines. Focal points may include sifting through the unique features of the case studies to arrive at overarching principles that could serve as a framework concept for myriad projects.
Is your topic related to any of the 16 other SDGs?
SDG 15 (Life On Land) is linked to the following SDGs:
- SDG 1 (No Poverty)
- SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)
- SDG 3 (Health and Well-Being)
- SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
- SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
- SDG 13 (Climate Action)
Current information on the research projects is available on the website of the Animal Ecology and Conservation working group.
Prof. Dr. Kai Jensen
Faculty: Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
Department(s): Biology
Profile: Prof. Kai Jensen
What are your research areas? What research projects are you currently working on? How do these relate to “your” SDG?
We concentrate on 2 research areas in particular: in the area of ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions,’ we study the patterns and mechanisms of plant biodiversity in wetlands and urban habitats, and analyze the roles plants play in certain ecosystem functions. In of ‘Ecophysiology and Stress,’ we investigate the short- and long-term adaptation of plants to stressful local conditions.
In ongoing research projects funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), and Stifterverband (a German association of corporations and foundations), we are—among others—using an ecosystem warming experiment to study the impact of climate change on the salt marshes of the North Sea coastline, examining stress reactions and the future viability of trees along streets in the city of Hamburg, and studying biodiversity and ecosystem functions of hardwood floodplain forests in the Middle Elbe region.
How and why did you become interested in this topic?
I have had an intrinsic interest in this topic for a long time now.
What activities are you planning as part of the SDG sponsorship? What possibilities do you see in (interdisciplinary) networking with other members of your sponsorship team?
I would first like to help compile an overview of the groups at Universität Hamburg whose work is connected to SDG 15. Furthermore, I hope we will be able to hold a workshop with all of the relevant stakeholders in fall 2019 in order to develop a plan for future activities.
Is your topic related to any of the 16 other SDGs?
Yes, it is especially closely related to SDG 14 (Life Below Water), but also to numerous other SDGs—some of which actually conflict with SDG 15.
For more information, see the Applied Plant Ecology website.
Prof. Dr. Michael Köhl
Faculty: Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
Department: Biology
Profile: Prof. Dr. Michael Köhl
What are your research areas? What research projects are you currently working on? How do these relate to “your” SDG?
My research primarily concentrates on the fields of sustainable forestry and land usage as well as forests and the climate. We are working on research projects that study sustainable forest usage in the Caribbean (Belize, Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname) and in Indonesia, conflicts between humans and wild animals in Nepal, and carbon sequestration by forests and wood products. In Fiji, we are developing the national Forest Reference Level, which enables the quantification of emission reductions and carbon sequestration as a result of forestry. It forms the basis for the generation of financial incentives within the scope of the United Nations collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD+). In addition, I am working in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Landuse (AFOLU) sector in Fiji to identify nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and a Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS).
Forests are an important livelihood for the local population, play an important role in the global carbon cycle and in preservation of biodiversity, and help ensure the supply of regenerative raw materials and renewable energies. Conflicts can arise from the various claims to usage. Accordingly, there are many connections to SDG 15 (Life On Land), which focuses on protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, managing forests sustainably, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation, and halting biodiversity loss.
How and why did you become interested in this topic?
Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to visit a natural tropical forest will understand why it is necessary to protect these impressive forests. Between 2010 and 2015, the area covered by tropical forests decreased by 5.5 million hectares every year. That is equivalent to half of all of the forested area in Germany. The main cause of forest loss is conversion to agricultural land. Timber harvesting accounts for only some 5 percent of global deforestation but destroys the natural structure, species composition, and carbon stocks of large areas of forest. Because timber use in forests cannot be stopped, we are searching for solutions to make timber harvesting less harmful so that the forests’ existence is not jeopardized.
What activities are you planning as part of the SDG sponsorship? What possibilities do you see in (interdisciplinary) networking with other members of your sponsorship team?
SDG 15 (Life On Land) focuses on the protection and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Various land usage claims unavoidably result in usage conflicts with ecological, economical, and social aspects. An analysis of these conflicts and development of solution approaches requires a holistic approach that cannot be achieved by one discipline alone.
Activities within the scope of the SDG sponsorship can naturally only be planned together. One initial approach might be for various disciplines to contribute their methodological approaches to an analysis of case studies in order to achieve a joint synthesis.
Is your topic related to any of the 16 other SDGs?
SDG 15 (Life On Land) is linked to the following SDGs:
- SDG 1 (No Poverty)
- SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)
- SDG 3 (Health and Well-Being)
- SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
- SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
- SDG 13 (Climate Action)