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.

  1. Published

    Landslide Hazards: Household Vulnerability, Resilience and Coping in Malaysia

    Ahmad, J., Lateh, H. & Mohamad Saleh, M. S., 2014, In: Journal of Education and Human Development. 3, 3, p. 149-155 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Land-sharing/-sparing connectivity landscapes for ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation

    Grass, I., Loos, J., Baensch, S., Batáry, P., Librán-Embid, F., Ficiciyan, A., Klaus, F., Riechers, M., Rosa, J., Tiede, J., Udy, K., Westphal, C., Wurz, A. & Tscharntke, T., 01.06.2019, In: People and Nature. 1, 2, p. 262-272 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published
  4. Published

    Landschaftsplanung und Strategische Umweltprüfung

    Haaren, C. V., Hoppenstedt, A., Scholles, F., Werk, K., Runge, K. & Winkelbrandt, A., 2000, In: UVP-Report. 14, 1, p. 44-47 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearch

  5. Published

    Landschaft als Prozess – Prozess als Konflikt

    Mölders, T. & Hofmeister, S., 2020, Landschaft als Prozess. Duttmann, R., Kühne, O. & Weber, F. (eds.). 1 ed. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, p. 493-511 19 p. (RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Landscape simplification filters species traits and drives biotic homogenization

    Gámez-Virués, S., Perović, D. J., Gossner, M. M., Börschig, C., Blüthgen, N., de Jong, H., Simons, N. K., Klein, A.-M., Krauss, J., Maier, G., Scherber, C., Steckel, J., Rothenwöhrer, C., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Weiner, C. N., Weisser, W., Werner, M., Tscharntke, T. & Westphal, C., 20.10.2015, In: Nature Communications. 6, 8 p., 8568.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Landscape-scale biodiversity governance: Scenarios for reshaping spaces of governance

    Leventon, J., Schaal, T., Velten, S., Loos, J., Fischer, J. & Newig, J., 01.05.2019, In: Environmental Policy and Governance. 29, 3, p. 170-184 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Landscape products for sustainable agricultural landscapes

    García-Martín, M., Huntsinger, L., Ibarrola-Rivas, M. J., Penker, M., D’Ambrosio, U., Dimopoulos, T., Fernández-Giménez, M. E., Kizos, T., Muñoz-Rojas, J., Saito, O., Zimmerer, K. S., Abson, D. J., Liu, J., Quintas-Soriano, C., Sørensen, I. H., Verburg, P. H. & Plieninger, T., 18.10.2022, In: Nature Food. 3, 10, p. 814-821 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Landscape moderation of biodiversity patterns and processes - eight hypotheses

    Tscharntke, T., Tylianakis, J. M., Rand, T. A., Didham, R. K., Fahrig, L., Batáry, P., Bengtsson, J., Clough, Y., Crist, T. O., Dormann, C. F., Ewers, R. M., Fründ, J., Holt, R. D., Holzschuh, A., Klein, A.-M., Kleijn, D., Kremen, C., Landis, D. A., Laurance, W., Lindenmayer, D., Scherber, C., Sodhi, N. S., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Thies, C., van der Putten, W. H. & Westphal, C., 08.2012, In: Biological Reviews. 87, 3, p. 661-685 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  10. Published

    Landscape heterogenity affects the functional diversity of grassland Lepidoptera

    Perovic´, D., Virue´s, S. G., Börschig, C., Klein, A.-M., Krauss, J., Tscharntke, T. & Westphal, C., 2013, Building Bridges in Ecology – Linking Systems, Scales and Disciplines: Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Ökologie. Gesellschaft für Ökologie, p. 281 1 p. (Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Ökologie; no. 43).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksPublished abstract in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review