About us

Research

Assessment

Implementation

Education

Information



1. Research:

  • Taxonomy: About 80-90% of species on Earth are hitherto not described. As we can only preserve what we know, the scientific description (taxonomy) of species is an important basis of biodiversity conservation. However, it is not sufficient to describe the morphology of species. Taxonomists are often the only experts available to assess whether a species is threatened or not. Therefore, it is crucial that scientists in our centre also apply their knowledge to foster species conservation.
  • Ecology/Faunistics: Data on the distribution of invertebrate species is usually scarce and often outdated. Information on the habitat requirments are crucial to assess the conservation status of species. Therefore, we want to foster ecological field research on invertebrates.

2. Assessment:

  • Red List assessments: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most widely acknowledged source of information regarding the extinction risk of species. Red Lists are the basis for conservation action. So far, only 1.5% of invertebrate species have been assessed for the IUCN Red List. Knoweldge on the Red List status is crucial to facilitate conservation action on the ground and develop conservation strategies. Therefore, Red List assessments are a central part of our objectives.
  • Key Biodiversity areas: The concept of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) is suitable to identify regions with special importance for biodiversity conservation. Species that have the core of their distribution in the respective area are particularly important to identify KBAs. We thus are also planning to use the IUCN KBA criteria to identify areas that need special protection to preserve invertebrate biodiversity.

3. Implementation

  • Conservation Strategies: Strategic conservation planning is a suitable method to develop targeted conservation action for biodiversity conservation and clearly define responsibilities and timed actions. So far, conservation strategies exist only for a few invertebrate species. We aim at developing more conservation stategies for invertebrates over a broad field of applications, including strategies for habitat conservation or species communities.
  • Monitoring: Data on population trends of invertebrate species are largely lacking. It is important to develop and implement suitable monitoring programmes to obtain better data that feeds into red list assessments and conservation action.
  • Conservation management: Implementation of conservation action on the ground is the main task of local stakeholders (e.g. protected areas, conservation administration etc.). We provide technical advice to such stakeholders and help to develop environment-friendly solutions.

4. Education

  • University education: Teaching the next generation of conservation scientists is paramount to enhance conservation success. We teach several courses in conservation biology and species identification in the Bachelor and Master course "environmental biosciences" at Trier University. Furthermore, we present our knowledge at international conferences and workshops.
  • Capacity Building: The most species-rich countries (tropical developing or industrialising countries) often lack scientific expertise in invertebrate diversity and conservation. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to create this expertise in the tropics to facilitate conservation in these countries.

5. Information

  • Awareness raising: The insect crisis has just recently reached the awarenes of the public. Science-based information of the public and the politics are necessary, to achieve conservation success for invertebrate species.