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

    Inquiry-based learning and secondary chemistry education – a contradiction?

    Hofer, E., Abels, S. & Lembens, A., 05.01.2018, In: RISTAL. 1/2018, p. 51-65 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    The ground beetle tribe Cyclosomini s.l. in Israel (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

    Aßmann, T., Boutaud, E., Buse, J., Chikatunov, V., Drees, C., Friedman, A.-L.-L., Härdtle, W., Homburg, K., Marcus, T., Renan, I. & Wrase, D. W., 08.2015, In: Spixiana. 38, 1, p. 49-69 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Toward a methodical framework for comprehensively assessing forest multifunctionality

    Trogisch, S., Schuldt, A., Bauhus, J., Blum, J. A., Both, S., Buscot, F., Castro-Izaguierre, N., Chesters, D., Durka, W., Eichenberg, D., Erfmeier, A., Fischer, M., Geißler, C., Germany, M., Goebes, P., Gutknecht, J., Hahn, C. Z., Haider, S., Härdtle, W., He, J.-S., Hector, A., Hönig, L., Huang, Y., Klein, A.-M., Kühn, P., Kunz, M., Leppert, K. N., Li, Y., Liu, X., Niklaus, P. A., Pei, Z., Pietsch, K., Prinz, R., Proß, T., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schmidt, K., Scholten, T., Seitz, S., Song, Z., Staab, M., von Oheimb, G., Weißbecker, C., Welk, E., Wirth, C., Wubet, T., Yang, B., Yang, X., Zhu, C.-D., Schmid, B., Ma, K. & Bruelheide, H., 12.2017, In: Ecology and Evolution. 7, 24, p. 10652-10674 23 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Abflussverhältnisse steuern die Retention von Pestiziden und hydrologischen Tracern in Feuchtflächen

    Lange, J., Greiwe, J., Müller, B., Hensen, B., Kümmerer, K. & Olsson, O., 2018, Forum für Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung 39.18: M³ - Messen, Modellieren, Managen in Hydrologie und Wasserressourcenbewirtschaftung: Beiträge zum Tag der Hydrologie am 22./23. März 2018 an der Technischen Universität Dresden . Schütze, N., Müller, U., Schwarze, R., Wöhling, T. & Grundmann, J. (eds.). Fachgemeinschaft Hydrologische Wissenschaften (FgHW), Vol. 39.18. p. 271-280 10 p. (Forum für Hydrologie und Wasserbe wirtschaftung; vol. 39.18).

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

  5. 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

  6. Published

    Kampf der Megatrends

    Schaltegger, S. & Petersen, H., 2018, In: Forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften. 1, p. 22-24 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransfer

  7. 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

  8. Published

    Halboffene Verbundkorridore: Ökologische Funktion, Leitbilder und Praxis-Leitfaden

    Aßmann, T., Boutaud, E., Finck, P., Härdtle, W., Matthies, D., Nolte, D. I. I., von Oheimb, G., Riecken, U., Travers, E. & Ullrich, K., 2016, Münster: BfN-Schriftenvertrieb im Landwirtschaftsverlag. 296 p. (Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt; vol. 154)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearch

  9. Published

    Baumartenvielfalt und Ressourcennutzung - Ergebnisse eines Stickstoff-Tracer-Experimentes in Baumanpflanzungen im subtropischen China

    Härdtle, W., 2016, Jahrestagung der Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft e.V: vom 4. bis 6. März 2016 in Hannover : zu Ehren von Professor Dr. Elgene Box (University of Georgia, Athens, USA). Pott, R. (ed.). Hannover: Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft , p. 75-86 12 p. (Berichte der Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft; vol. 28).

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

  10. Published

    Introduction to the Assessment - Characteristics of the Region

    Quante, M., Colijn, F., Bakker, J. P., Härdtle, W., Heinrich, H., Lefebvre, C., Nöhren, I., Olesen, J. E., Pohlmann, T., Sterr, H., Sündermann, J. & Tölle, M. H., 01.09.2016, North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment. Quante, M. & Colijn, F. (eds.). 1. ed. Cham: Springer Verlag, p. 1-52 52 p. (Regional Climate Studies).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch