The diversification of the world: what biodiversity brings and how we can preserve it

Prof Dr Christoph Scherber (LIB Museum Koenig, Bonn)

Advancing warming and declining biodiversity make it clear that we are reaching the limits of our current production and economic systems. The results of experimental biodiversity research show that species-rich systems function in a fundamentally different way to species-poor systems. Species-rich plant communities are more productive and more resistant to disturbance. New research shows that the diversification of land use not only increases biodiversity, but also contributes to better yields and human well-being. Based on classical biodiversity experiments, the lecture will present corresponding research approaches and results that lead to a vision of a diversified world and thus contribute to solving some of the most pressing problems of our time.

Photo: Land use © C. Scherber