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. 2017
  2. Published

    Two new Lebistina Motschulsky, 1864 species from Kenya and Tanzania (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini)

    Assmann, T., Boutaud, E., Drees, C., Marcus, T., Nolte, D., Starke, W., Terlutter, H., Völler, E. & Zumstein, P., 21.02.2017, In: African Invertebrates. 58, 1, p. 9-21 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Verhandeln

    Trötschel, R., Höhne, B., Majer, J. M., Loschelder, D. D., Deller, J. & Frey, D., 20.02.2017, Kommunikation, Interaktion und soziale Gruppenprozesse. Bierhoff, H.-W. & Frey, D. (eds.). 1 ed. Göttingen: Hogrefe Verlag, p. 803-846 44 p. (Enzyklopädie der Psychologie; vol. 6, no. 3).

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

  4. Published

    Does sustainable intensification offer a pathway to improved food security for aquatic agricultural system-dependent communities?

    Attwood, S. J., Park, S., Loos, J., Philipps, M., Mills, D. & McDougall, C., 17.02.2017, Sustainable Intensification in Smallholder Agriculture: An integrated systems research approach. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 71-87 17 p. (Earthscan food and agriculture series).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  5. Published

    The Benefit of Web- and Computer-Based Interventions for Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    Heber, E., Ebert, D. D., Lehr, D., Cuijpers, P., Berking, M., Nobis, S. & Riper, H., 17.02.2017, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 19, 2, 17 p., e32.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  6. Published

    The use of player physical and technical skill match activity profiles to predict position in the Australian Football League draft

    Woods, C. T., Veale, J. P., Collier, N. & Robertson, S., 16.02.2017, In: Journal of Sports Sciences. 35, 4, p. 325-330 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    An integrative research framework for enabling transformative adaptation

    Colloff, M. J., Martín-López, B., Lavorel, S., Locatelli, B., Gorddard, R., Longaretti, P. Y., Walters, G., van Kerkhoff, L., Wyborn, C., Coreau, A., Wise, R. M., Dunlop, M., Degeorges, P., Grantham, H., Overton, I. C., Williams, R. D., Doherty, M. D., Capon, T., Sanderson, T. & Murphy, H. T., 01.02.2017, In: Environmental Science & Policy. 68, p. 87-96 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Beta diversity of plant species in human-transformed landscapes: Control of community assembly by regional productivity and historical connectivity

    Conradi, T., Temperton, V. M. & Kollmann, J., 01.02.2017, In: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 24, p. 1-10 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Crown and leaf traits as predictors of subtropical tree sapling growth rates

    Li, Y., Kröber, W., Bruehlheide, H., Härdtle, W. & von Oheimb, G., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 136-145 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Direct production of lactic acid based on simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of mixed restaurant food waste

    Pleissner, D., Demichelis, F., Mariano, S., Fiore, S., Navarro Gutiérrez, I. M., Schneider, R. & Venus, J., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 143, p. 615-623 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Foraging wireworms are attracted to root-produced volatile aldehydes

    Barsics, F., Delory, B. M., Delaplace, P., Francis, F., Fauconnier, M. L., Haubruge, É. & Verheggen, F. J., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Pest Science. 90, 1, p. 69-76 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  12. Published

    Hazard screening of photo-transformation products from pharmaceuticals: Application to selective β1-blockers atenolol and metoprolol

    Toolaram, A. P., Menz, J., Rastogi, T., Leder, C., Kümmerer, K. & Schneider, M., 01.02.2017, In: The Science of The Total Environment. 579, p. 1769-1780 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  13. Published

    Impact of tree diversity and environmental conditions on the survival of shrub species in a forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China

    Yang, B., Li, Y., Ding, B.-Y., Both, S., Erfmeier, A., Härdtle, W., Ma, K., Schmid, B., Scholten, T., Seidler, G., von Oheimb, G., Yang, X. & Bruehlheide, H., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 179-189 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  14. Published

    Interspecific and intraspecific variation in specific root length drives aboveground biodiversity effects in young experimental forest stands

    Bu, W., Schmid, B., Liu, X., Li, Y., Härdtle, W., Von Oheimb, G., Liang, Y., Sun, Z., Huang, Y., Bruelheide, H. & Ma, K., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 158-169 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  15. Published

    Legacy effects of past land use on current biodiversity in a low-intensity farming landscape in Transylvania (Romania)

    Culbert, P. D., Dorresteijn, I., Loos, J., Clayton, M. K., Fischer, J. & Kuemmerle, T., 01.02.2017, In: Landscape Ecology. 32, 2, p. 429-444 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  16. Published

    Leverage points for sustainability transformation

    Abson, D. J., Fischer, J., Leventon, J., Newig, J., Schomerus, T., Vilsmaier, U., von Wehrden, H., Abernethy, P., Ives, C. D., Jager, N. W. & Lang, D. J., 01.02.2017, In: Ambio. 46, 1, p. 30-39 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  17. Published

    On the combined effect of soil fertility and topography on tree growth in subtropical forest ecosystems - a study from SE China

    Scholten, T., Goebes, P., Kühn, P., Seitz, S., Aßmann, T., Bauhus, J., Bruelheide, H., Buscot, F., Erfmeier, A., Fischer, M., Härdtle, W., He, J.-S., Ma, K., Niklaus, P. A., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmid, B., Shi, X., Song, Z., von Oheimb, G., Wirth, C., Wubet, T. & Schmidt, K., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 111-127 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  18. Published

    Salivary cues: simulated roe deer browsing induces systemic changes in phytohormones and defence chemistry in wild‐grown maple and beech saplings

    Ohse, B., Hammerbacher, A., Seele, C., Meldau, S., Reichelt, M., Ortmann, S. & Wirth, C., 01.02.2017, In: Functional Ecology. 31, 2, p. 340-349 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  19. Published

    Sustainability and management control. Exploring and theorizing control patterns in large European firms

    Crutzen, N., Zvezdov, D. & Schaltegger, S., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 143, p. 1291-1301 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  20. Published

    Trait-based approaches to analyze links between the drivers of change and ecosystem services: Synthesizing existing evidence and future challenges

    Hevia, V., Martín-López, B., Palomo, S., García-Llorente, M., de Bello, F. & González, J. A., 01.02.2017, In: Ecology and Evolution. 7, 3, p. 831-844 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  21. Published

    Tree diversity increases levels of herbivore damage in a subtropical forest canopy: evidence for dietary mixing by arthropods?

    Brezzi, M., Schmid, B., Niklaus, P. A. & Schuldt, A., 01.02.2017, In: Journal of Plant Ecology. 10, 1, p. 13-27 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review