School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
Organisation profile
Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.
Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.
Main research areas
Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.
Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.
Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.
We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.
Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.
Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.
With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.
Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses
In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.
- Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Applying social-ecological system resilience principles to the context of woody vegetation management in smallholder farming landscapes of the Global South
Shumi, G., Loos, J. & Fischer, J., 05.2024, In: Ecosystems and People. 20, 1, 17 p., 2339222.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Appraising biocultural approaches to sustainability in the scientific literature in Spanish
Díaz-Reviriego, I., Hanspach, J., Torralba, M., Ortiz-Przychodzka, S., Frias, C. B., Burke, L., García-Martín, M. & Oteros-Rozas, E., 04.2024, In: Ambio. 53, 4, p. 499-516 18 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A review of ecological gradient research in the Tropics: identifying research gaps, future directions, and conservation priorities
Muenchow, J., Dieker, P., Kluge, J., Kessler, M. & von Wehrden, H., 01.02.2018, In: Biodiversity and Conservation. 27, 2, p. 273-285 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A review of ecosystem service benefits from wild bees across social contexts
Matias, D. M. S., Leventon, J., Rau, A. L., Borgemeister, C. & von Wehrden, H., 01.05.2017, In: Ambio. 46, 4, p. 456-467 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A review of fire effects across South American ecosystems: the role of climate and time since fire
Giorgis, M. A., Zeballos, S. R., Carbone, L., Zimmermann, H., von Wehrden, H., Aguilar, R., Ferreras, A. E., Tecco, P. A., Kowaljow, E., Barri, F., Gurvich, D. E., Villagra, P. & Jaureguiberry, P., 23.04.2021, In: Fire Ecology. 17, 1, 20 p., 11.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A review of transdisciplinary research in sustainability science
Brandt, P., Ernst, A., Gralla, F., Lüderitz, C., Lang, D., Newig, J., Reinert, F., Abson, D. & von Wehrden, H., 08.2013, In: Ecological Economics. 92, August, p. 1-15 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A review of urban ecosystem services: six key challenges for future research
Lüderitz, C., Brink, E., Gralla, F., Hermelingmeier, V., Rau, A.-L., Abson, D., Lang, D. J., von Wehrden, H., Wamsler, C., Sasaki, R., Partelow, S., Meyer, M., Lisa, N. & Panzer, L., 01.08.2015, In: Ecosystem Services. 14, p. 98-112 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A review on the use of calcium chloride in applied thermal engineering
N'Tsoukpoe, K. E., Rammelberg, H., Fopah Lele, A., Korhammer, K., Watts, B. A., Schmidt, T. & Ruck, W., 22.01.2015, In: Applied Thermal Engineering. 75, p. 513-531 19 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A Social–Ecological Systems Framework as a Tool for Understanding the Effectiveness of Biosphere Reserve Management
Ferreira, A. F., Zimmermann, H., Santos, R. & Wehrden, H., 10.10.2018, In: Sustainability. 10, 10, 26 p., 3608.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Assessing nature’s contributions to people: Recognizing culture, and diverse sources of knowledge, can improve assessments
Díaz, S., Pascual, U., Stenseke, M., Martín-López, B., Watson, R. T., Molnár, Z., Hill, R., Chan, K. M. A., Baste, I. A., Brauman, K. A., Polasky, S., Church, A., Lonsdale, M., Larigauderie, A., Leadley, P. W., Van Oudenhoven, A. P. E., Van Der Plaat, F., Schröter, M., Lavorel, S., Aumeeruddy-Thomas, Y., Bukvareva, E., Davies, K., Demissew, S., Erpul, G., Failler, P., Guerra, C. A., Hewitt, C. L., Keune, H., Lindley, S. & Shirayama, Y., 19.01.2018, In: Science. 359, 6373, p. 270-272 3 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A Sustainability Agenda for Tropical Marine Science
Partelow, S., Schlüter, A., von Wehrden, H., Jänig, M. & Senff, P., 01.01.2018, In: Conservation Letters. 11, 1, 15 p., e12351.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A systematic review of guiding principles for sustainable urban neighborhood development
Lüderitz, C., Lang, D. J. & von Wehrden, H., 10.2013, In: Landscape and Urban Planning. 118, October, p. 40-52 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A systematic review of peer-reviewed gender literature in sustainability science
Frank, E., Mühlhaus, R., Mustelin, K. M., Trilken, E. L., Kreuz, N. K., Bowes, L. C., Backer, L. M. & von Wehrden, H., 07.2024, In: Sustainability Science. 19, 4, p. 1459-1480 22 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
A theory of participation: what makes stakeholder and public engagement in environmental management work?
Reed, M. S., Vella, S., Challies, E., de Vente, J., Frewer, L., Hohenwallner-Ries, D., Huber, T., Neumann, R. K., Oughton, E. A., Sidoli del Ceno, J. & van Delden, H., 01.04.2018, In: Restoration Ecology. 26, S1, p. S7-S17 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Australia’s Stock Route Network: 1. A review of its values, and implications for future management
Lentini, P. E., Fischer, J., Gibbons, P., Lindenmayer, D. & Martin, T., 08.2011, In: Ecological Management & Restoration. 12, 2, p. 119-127 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Biocultural approaches to sustainability: A systematic review of the scientific literature
Hanspach, J., Jamila Haider, L., Oteros-Rozas, E., Stahl Olafsson, A., Gulsrud, N. M., Raymond, C. M., Torralba, M., Martín-López, B., Bieling, C., García-Martín, M., Albert, C., Beery, T. H., Fagerholm, N., Díaz-Reviriego, I., Drews-Shambroom, A. & Plieninger, T., 09.2020, In: People and Nature. 2, 3, p. 643-659 17 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Biodegradable green composites: It's never too late to mend
Rafiee, K., Schritt, H., Pleissner, D., Kaur, G. & Brar, S. K., 01.08.2021, In: Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 30, 100482.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience: ten guiding principles for commodity production landscapes
Fischer, J., Lindenmayer, D. B. & Manning, A. D., 03.2006, In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 4, 2, p. 80-86 7 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Biological nitrogen recirculation to food protein – A review
Siddiqui, S. A., Pleissner, D., Pentjuss, A., Gołaszewski, J., Karwowska, A., Dace, E., Pahmeyer, M., Van Miert, S., Frooninckx, L., Broeckx, L., Heinz, V. & Smetana, S., 01.12.2023, In: Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy. 6, 15 p., 100056.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Biosphere Reserves as catalysts for sustainability transformations: five strategies to support place-based innovation
Dabard, C. H., Mann, C. & Martín-López, B., 01.04.2025, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 73, 6 p., 101508.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Biosphere reserves' management effectiveness-A systematic literature review and a research agenda
Ferreira, A. F., Zimmermann, H., Santos, R. & von Wehrden, H., 01.07.2020, In: Sustainability. 12, 12, 31 p., 5497.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Blockchain for the Circular Economy: Analysis of the Research-Practice Gap
Böckel, A., Nuzum, A.-K. & Weissbrod, I., 01.01.2021, In: Sustainable Production and Consumption. 25, p. 525-539 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Boundary speak in sustainability studies: Computational reading of a transversal field
Herberg, J., Schmitz, S., Stasiak, D. & Schmieg, G., 10.06.2021, In: Science and Public Policy. 48, 3, p. 398-411 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Can Pulsed Electric Fields Treated Algal Cells Be Used as Stationary Phase in Chromatography?
Pleissner, D. & Smetana, S., 29.04.2022, In: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 6, 7 p., 860647.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Chances and challenges of the biologization of the economy of rural areas
Pleissner, D., 01.06.2020, In: Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 23, p. 46-49 4 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Characterising and identifying gaps in sustainability assessments of tourism - a review
Balas, M. & Abson, D. J., 01.07.2022, In: Tourism Management Perspectives. 43, 101004.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Chronobiologische Aspekte der Insomnie
Ell, J., Benz, F., Walter, N., Steinmetz, L., Brueckner, H., Lehr, D., Riemann, D. & Spiegelhalder, K., 01.06.2021, In: Somnologie. 25, 2, p. 110-118 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Circular and inclusive utilization of alternative proteins: A European and Mediterranean perspective
Athanassiou, C. G., Smetana, S. M., Pleißner, D., Tassoni, A., Gasco, L., Gai, F., Shpigelman, A., Bravo Cadena, M., Gastli, M., Conceição, L. E. C., Gronich, E., Paolacci, S., Chalkidis, V., Kuthy, M., Stolzenberger, R. E., El Yaacoubi, A., Mehlhose, C., Petrusán, J.-I. & Rumbos, C. I., 01.04.2024, In: Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 46, 6 p., 100892.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Community resilience for a 1.5 degrees C world
Fazey, I., Carmen, E., Chapin III, F. S., Ross, H., Rao-Williams, J., Lyon, C., Connon, I., Searle, B. & Knox, K., 04.2018, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 31, p. 30-40 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Competencies for Advancing Transformations Towards Sustainability
Redman, A. & Wiek, A., 30.11.2021, In: Frontiers in Education. 6, 11 p., 785163.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Accepted/In press
Conceptualizing transformative climate action: insights from sufficiency research
Richard, B., Nathan, B., Andreas, N. & Ernest, A., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Climate Policy. 20 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Consequences of nuclear accidents for biodiversity and ecosystem services
von Wehrden, H., Fischer, J., Brandt, P., Wagner, V., Kümmerer, K., Kuemmerle, T., Nagel, A., Olsson, O. & Hostert, P., 01.04.2012, In: Conservation Letters. 5, 2, p. 81-89 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Continuous pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation of organic residues for the production of biochemicals
Peinemann, J. C. & Pleißner, D., 01.2020, In: Bioresource Technology. 295, 8 p., 122256.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Contributions of Net-Map to sustainability action research
Cortés-Calderón, S. V., López-Rodríguez, M. D., Jiménez-Aceituno, A., Castro, A. J. & Mancilla-García, M., 08.2025, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 75, 101542.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Co-production of nature's contributions to people: What evidence is out there?
Kachler, J., Isaac, R., Martín-López, B., Bonn, A. & Felipe-Lucia, M. R., 01.08.2023, In: People and Nature. 5, 4, p. 1119-1134 16 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Crisis-induced disruptions in place-based social-ecological research - an opportunity for redirection
Hermans, K., Berger, E., Biber-Freudenberger, L., Bossenbroek, L., Ebeler, L., Groth, J., Hack, J., Hanspach, J., Hintz, K. S., Kimengsi, J. N., Kwong, Y. M. C., Oakes, R., Pagogna, R., Plieninger, T., Sterly, H., van der Geest, K., van Vliet, J. & Wiederkehr, C., 15.07.2021, In: GAIA. 30, 2, p. 72-76 5 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Current practice of assessing students' sustainability competencies: a review of tools
Redman, A., Wiek, A. & Barth, M., 01.01.2021, In: Sustainability Science. 16, 1, p. 117-135 19 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Der Konflikt zwischen Klima- und Naturschutz bei der energetischen Verwendung von Waldrestholz
Pietsch, L., 01.2013, In: Natur und Recht. 35, 1, p. 29-32 4 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Der lateinamerikanische Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurs - von der Kapitalismuskritik zum „Guten Leben"
Kuhn, K. & Rieckmann, M., 13.07.2010, In: ITB infoservice. Berichterstattung zur Forschungs-, Technologie- und Innovationspolitik weltweit. 7, p. 8-10 3 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Design of greener drugs: aligning parameters in pharmaceutical R&D and drivers for environmental impact
Vidaurre, R., Bramke, I., Puhlmann, N., Owen, S. F., Angst, D., Moermond, C., Venhuis, B., Lombardo, A., Kümmerer, K., Sikanen, T., Ryan, J., Häner, A., Janer, G., Roggo, S. & Perkins, A. N., 01.07.2024, In: Drug Discovery Today. 29, 7, 10 p., 104022.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Developing European conservation and mitigation tools for pollination services: approaches of the STEP (Status and Trends of European Pollinators) project
Potts, S. G., Biesmeijer, J. C., Bommarco, R., Felicioli, A., Fischer, M., Jokinen, P., Kleijn, D., Klein, A.-M., Kunin, W. E., Neumann, P., Penev, L. D., Petanidou, T., Rasmont, P., Roberts, S. P. M., Smith, H. G., Sorensen, P. B., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Vaissiere, B. E., Vila, M., Vujic, A., Woychiechowski, M., Zobel, M., Settele, J. & Schweiger, O., 13.04.2011, In: Journal of Apicultural Research. 50, 2, p. 152-164 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Digitale Behandlungsangebote für Insomnie – eine Übersichtsarbeit
Spiegelhalder, K., Acker, J., Baumeister, H., Büttner-Teleaga, A., Danker-Hopfe, H., Ebert, D. D., Fietze, I., Frase, L., Klein, S., Lehr, D., Maun, A., Mertel, I., Richter, K., Riemann, D., Sauter, C., Schilling, C., Schlarb, A. A., Specht, M., Steinmetz, L., Weeß, H. G. & Crönlein, T., 01.06.2020, In: Somnologie. 24, 2, p. 106-114 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Dimensions, dialectic, discourse: Three political perspectives on the sustainability of the German healthcare system
Fischer, M. & Heinrichs, H., 19.07.2018, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15, 7, 22 p., 1526.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Discussion on the validity of commonly used reliability indices in sports medicine and exercise science: a critical review with data simulations
Warneke, K., Gronwald, T., Wallot, S., Magno, A., Hillebrecht, M. & Wirth, K., 06.2025, In: European Journal of Applied Physiology. 125, 6, p. 1511-1526 16 p., e0216065.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Disentangling ‘ecosystem services’ and ‘nature’s contributions to people’
Kadykalo, A. N., López-Rodriguez, M. D., Ainscough, J., Droste, N., Ryu, H., Ávila-Flores, G., Le Clec’h, S., Muñoz, M. C., Nilsson, L., Rana, S., Sarkar, P., Sevecke, K. J. & Harmáčková, Z. V., 01.01.2019, In: Ecosystems and People. 15, 1, p. 269-287 19 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Disentangling gender and social difference for just and transformative biocultural approaches
Díaz-Reviriego, I., Torralba, M., Vizuete, B., Ortiz-Przychodzka, S., Pearson, J., Heindorf, C., LLanque Zonta, A. & Oteros-Rozas, E., 08.2024, In: People and Nature. 6, 4, p. 1394-1406 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Does Internet-based guided self-help for depression cause harm? An individual participant data meta-analysis on deterioration rates and its moderators in randomized controlled trials
Ebert, D. D., Donkin, L., Andersson, G., Andrews, G., Berger, T. K., Carlbring, P., Rozental, A., Choi, I., Laferton, J. A. C., Johansson, R., Kleiboer, A., Lange, A., Lehr, D., Reins, J. A., Funk, B., Newby, J., Perini, S., Riper, H., Ruwaard, J., Sheeber, L., Snoek, F., Titov, N., Ünlü Ince, B., Van Bastelaar, K. M. P., Vernmark, K., Van Straten, A., Warmerdam, L., Salsman, N. & Cuijpers, P., 01.10.2016, In: Psychological Medicine. 46, 13, p. 2679-2693 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Do guided internet-based interventions result in clinically relevant changes for patients with depression? An individual participant data meta-analysis
Karyotaki, E., Ebert, D. D., Donkin, L., Riper, H., Twisk, J., Burger, S., Rozental, A., Lange, A., Williams, A. D., Zarski, A. C., Geraedts, A., van Straten, A., Kleiboer, A., Meyer, B., Ünlü Ince, B. B., Buntrock, C., Lehr, D., Snoek, F. J., Andrews, G., Andersson, G., Choi, I., Ruwaard, J., Klein, J. P., Newby, J. M., Schröder, J., Laferton, J. A. C., Van Bastelaar, K., Imamura, K., Vernmark, K., Boß, L., Sheeber, L. B., Kivi, M., Berking, M., Titov, N., Carlbring, P., Johansson, R., Kenter, R., Perini, S., Moritz, S., Nobis, S., Berger, T., Kaldo, V., Forsell, Y., Lindefors, N., Kraepelien, M., Björkelund, C., Kawakami, N. & Cuijpers, P., 01.07.2018, In: Clinical Psychology Review. 63, p. 80-92 13 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Dry grassland communities on southern Öland: Phytosociology, ecology, and diversity
Löbel, S. & Dengler, J., 01.01.2007, In: Acta Phytogeographica Suecica. 88, p. 13-31 19 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Ecological assessment of forest management approaches to develop resilient forests in the face of global change in Central Europe
Huth, F., Tischer, A., Nikolova, P., Feldhaar, H., Wehnert, A., Hülsmann, L., Bauhus, J., Heer, K., Vogt, J., Ammer, C., Berger, U., Bernhardt-Römermann, M., Böhme, M., Bugmann, H., Demant, L., Buse, J., Dörfler, I., Ewald, J., Feldmann, E., Fichtner, A., Gossner, M. M., Grams, T. E. E., Häberle, K.-H., Hagge, J., Hartmann, H., Herzog, S., Kahmen, A., Kohnle, U., Krabel, D., Krämer-Klement, K., Kreyling, J., Manthey, M., Mellert, K., Meyer, P., Mölder, A., Muffler-Weigel, L., Ohse, B., Opgenoorth, L., Rewald, B., Rothe, A., Ruehr, N., Scharnweber, T., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmeddes, J., Schmerbeck, J., Schmidt, M., Seidel, D., Thomas, F. M., Tiebel, M., von Oheimb, G., Wagner, S., Weigel, R., Wilmking, M., Zang, C. & Schuldt, B., 08.2025, In: Basic and Applied Ecology. 86, p. 66-100 35 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research