Tobias Plieninger

Congrats to Abul Polas for defending his PhD on "A people-centered approach to counter ecosystem degradation & support restoration" at @unikassel.bsky.social:
📍Sense of place: doi.org/10.1080/2639...
🌱Degradation/restoration: doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...
🌿Human-nature-connections: doi.org/10.1111/rec....

EASAC infographic on nature restoration

Degraded nature is increasing Europe's exposure to risks. The EU #NatureRestorationRegulation is thus not an environmental luxury, but provides basic risk management, says this interesting position paper from @easac.bsky.social. easac.eu/publications...

Interested in learning about #TransformativeChange of agriculture toward sustainability? At @unikassel.bsky.social we have an exciting interdisciplinary Master programme "Agriculture, Ecology & Societies". Application deadline for international candidates: 01.03.26

Readiness to transform: Pioneer farmers’ motivations and barriers for adopting paludiculture in Germany Author summary The destruction of peatlands releases large amounts of greenhouse gases, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives to conventional farming on drained wetlands. Paludiculture, a...

Paludiculture (wet agriculture) can align peatland restoration with farming, yet remains in a niche in Germany. Our new PLOS Sustainability & Transformation study examines pioneer farmers’ motivations & barriers. With M. Merkelbach, @laurakmoch.bsky.social & C. Heindorf. doi.org/10.1371/jour...

International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

3 days to go to the International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists! Some work from our group:
🌱🐄Biocultural diversity & livestock: doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
🌿🌍High nature value farming: doi.org/10.1002/pan3...
🏷️🐑Geographic Indication: doi.org/10.1080/1747...
🏜️🤝Pastoral values: doi.org/10.1016/j.la...

Beyond the Apocalypse • EQUATOR How visions of catastrophe shape the ‘climate solutions’ imposed by aid agencies

A powerful call by Amitav Ghosh for locally led climate solutions. In the Sundarbans of Bangladesh & India this means moving away from embankment construction, shrimp farming & assisted migration, toward community-based agroecology approaches. www.equator.org/articles/bey...

Dimensions of Tamazirt thinking

Many Indigenous philosophies acknowledge respect & reciprocity between people & nature. Affective ties to land & home are also at the heart of Tamazirt thinking of Amazigh communities in Morocco. Tamazirt could serve as an Indigenous anchor point for rural revitalisation.
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s132...

Conceptual representation of how residents’ mobility and land abandonment decisions are shaped by proximate and underlying causes

How do multiple & interconnected social-ecological crises (water scarcity, economic crisis, sociocultural value crisis) affect traditional rural lifeways & drive land abandonment and migration decisions in Morocco's High Atlas? Our new paper, led by @laurakmoch.bsky.social.
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s132...

After Ruining a Treasured Water Resource, Iran Is Drying Up Iran is looking to relocate the nation’s capital because of severe water shortages that make Tehran unsustainable. Experts say the crisis was caused by years of ill-conceived dam projects and overpump...

"Iran’s greatest current existential crisis is what hydrologists are calling its rapidly approaching water bankruptcy." Great essay on Iran's existential water crisis & how restoration of ancient qanat water collection technologies could provide a sustainable solution. e360.yale.edu/features/ira...

Die Etablierung von Bäumen und Sträuchern auf Agrarflächen wie hier auf dem Hof Werragut in Eschwege bietet die Möglichkeit, verarmte Agrarlandschaften zu renaturieren und gleichzeitig die landwirtschaftliche Produktion fortzuführen und zu diversifizieren – Foto: Tobias Plieninger

Wie lassen sich Europas #Agrarlandschaften so wiederherstellen, dass die #Ökosysteme und auch die #Gesellschaft profitieren? Forschende haben Empfehlungen für eine sozial inklusive Umsetzung der neuen EU-Verordnung veröffentlicht.
Mehr: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/3240.html...

Multifunctional agricultural landscape in Lower Saxony / Germany

The EU #NatureRestorationRegulation may sound dry, but it can inspire ideas for reconnecting people with nature. Our policy article outlines how to foster active learning, cultural values, caring attitudes, land-use synergies & collaboration.
doi.org/10.1111/rec....
www.uni-kassel.de/uni/aktuelle...

A woman selling freshly foraged greens on a Bengaluru street, connecting urban consumers with wild local foods.

@ipbes.net flags conserving & regenerating places of value to nature & people as key for #TransformativeChange. Our India study shows urban lakes, ponds & canals act as such places, supporting livelihoods while shaping #BioculturalDiversity & urban #FoodSystemSustainability. doi.org/10.1038/s442...

The photograph shows three women in colourful clothes wading in greyish green water on a sunny day. They are bent over to collect food from the floor of some drying wetlands in Kolkata (a megacity in India). The rocks and mud on the banks are grey-brown. It isn’t visible from the photo but the women are collecting small fish, snails and other aquatic foods. This image provides a glimpse into the everyday lives of urban household workers from a wetland in Kolkata on their way home. Image thanks to researcher Sukanya Basu.

Urban Blue Spaces: the overlooked rivers, lakes and wetlands in cities.

Researchers surveyed 1,200 people in 4 cities in India and found foraging to be widespread, providing valuable food, income, culture, connections: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/3240.html...

#NatureCities: doi.org/10.1038/s442...

Restoration through multifunctional agroforestry

The #NatureRestorationRegulation is a landmark for EU policy. How can National Restoration Plans boost human–nature relations? Some ideas in our article:
✨Positive restoration stories
🎨Cultural values
🏺Heritage sites/products
🌾Multifunctional landscapes
💡Shared ideas platform
doi.org/10.1111/rec....

🌍 New study: Foraging in India’s urban blue spaces is widespread yet overlooked.
Surveying 1,200 people in 4 cities, we found that lakes & wetlands provide food, income, culture & social ties.
👉 Recognizing foraging can support more equitable, resilient urban food systems.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s442...

Apply to be a BES Associate Editor - British Ecological Society Help advance outstanding ecological research by joining our Editorial Boards! Applications are now open across all seven BES journals.

We are looking for new Associate Editors of "People and Nature". If you work on people-nature relations & like handling papers, please apply by 23.02.26. @britishecologicalsociety.org
🔗 www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/appl...

Working on #ParticipatoryMapping or #CitizenScience approaches to advance #EcosystemServices? Please submit an abstract to our session at the Ecosystem Services Partnership Europe Conference (Prague, 18.-22.05.26). Submission deadline: 31.12.25. www.espconference.org/europe2026/h...

Reconnecting people to nature is key for biodiversity action. Our new study identifies 5 ways people relate to #Natura2000:
🐾 Learning
🏞️ Heritage
🪴 Care
🧑‍🌾 Multifunctionality
👭 Collaboration
Revealing such narratives can build new alliances & place PAs at the heart of society.
doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

Which innovations around #ForestEcosystemServices are being developed in Europe? And where do we find them? A continent-wide mapping exercise led by Marko Lovric, an output of the SINCERE (sincereforests.eu) & InnoforEst (innoforest.eu) projects. #OpenAccess. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Why should landscape values and disvalues be considered for balanced decision-making in protected areas?

A new Research Paper focusing on Bannerghatta National Park, India, Open Access as FirstView in #EnvironmentalConservation

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Image @plieningerlab.bsky.social

Mapping What People Value in Western Rwanda’s Restoration Landscapes Join our PhD student Gaelle as she journeys through Western Rwanda uncovering the values rooted in its landscapes.

Participatory mapping (#PPGIS) has potential to foster socially inclusive #EcosystemRestoration. In our recent #PeopleNatureLandscapesBlog, Gaelle Ndayizeye showcases her experiences from a PPGIS study of how local farmers value Western Rwanda's restoration landscapes. medium.com/people-natur...

Woodland coppicing is a UNESCO-recognised immaterial cultural heritage & a key driver of forest biodiversity. In parts of Germany, centuries-old forestry cooperatives maintain this traditional practice that has become rare elsewhere. Great visit to the Haubergs-cooperatives of Lahn-Dill region.

New study: Local peoples’ values & disvalues around #Bannerghatta NP, India. Residents value biodiversity, land & clean air—but experience human–wildlife conflicts. Our study emphasises that inclusive conservation needs consideration of both values & disvalues.
🔗 doi.org/10.1017/S037...

'Local peoples’ values and disvalues in and around an Indian protected area undergoing urbanization'

A new Research Paper as FirstView in #EnvironmentalConservation

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

#India #urbanization #conservation
Image by Prof. Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social

The call for abstracts to the 2026 Ecosystem Services Partnership conference in Prague is now open. Working on participatory mapping? Please contribute to our session "Participatory Mapping of Ecosystem Services – Methods, Advances & Future Directions (X7)". www.espconference.org/europe2026/h...

Resilient Biodiversity Conservation: Working with Social–Ecological Connections to Navigate Crises Abstract. Biodiversity conservation needs to adjust and keep adjusting to changing conditions. This is largely a matter of connections—across land uses, be

🌍 New in BioScience: “Resilient Biodiversity Conservation.”
We show how strengthening connections between people, nature & governance helps conservation adapt to crises.
The future of conservation is in cultivating resilient social-ecological relationships. #OpenAccess.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/bios...

New toolkit of our 'Participatory research methods for sustainability' series is out: Q method, a structured approach to account for diverse & conflicting human perspectives. By T. S. Jiren, M. Kernecker & A. Moroder. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science & Society.
🔗 doi.org/10.14512/gai...

Open Letter by scientists to the Council:
"Climate Neutrality Is Europe’s Greatest Economic Opportunity”.
Ahead of the European Council meeting on 23.10.2025,
2,178 scientists urge EU Heads of States & Governments to take ambitious decisions for the 2040 targets.
zenodo.org/records/1739...

🎉 Our paper just came out! We used #PPGIS to map local values in restoration landscapes in Western #Rwanda — highlighting the vital role of landscapes for farming, resource access & resilience.

Big congrats to Gaelle Ndayizeye on her 1st PhD paper!

👉 doi.org/10.1111/rec....

‘Food forests are everything’: creating edible landscapes helps nature thrive in Afro-descendant lands Agroforestry systems in Latin America practised by local communities are a boon to biodiversity, according to research

Fascinating article: Afro-descendant communities manage rich food forests across 2M km² in Latin America—yet only 5% are legally recognized. These biodiverse landscapes store carbon, curb deforestation & reflect a deep legacy of resistance. www.theguardian.com/environment/...