HumanNature

Stadtnatur in Frankfurt

Metropolitan areas and large cities are surprisingly diverse habitats for a wide range of animal and plant species. However, nature in the city is not only ecologically valuable but also economically significant: as spaces for recreation and physical activity, as well as sinks for pollutants and regulators of the climate, near-natural areas make a substantial contribution to urban quality of life and provide important ecosystem services.

Frankfurt’s urban nature has been the subject of scientific research for more than 40 years. The Senckenberg Biotope Mapping working group is part of the Department of Botany and Molecular Evolutionary Research at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt. On behalf of the city’s Environmental Department, it has been systematically recording biological diversity across the entire urban area since 1985. Together with Senckenberg’s extensive collections, this inventory even makes it possible to reconstruct changes in biodiversity over centuries. This not only allows insights into the transformation of urban nature, but also provides a valuable basis for assessing future changes in the context of global change.

How can Frankfurt remain true to the goals of a “Green City” despite growth, increasing density and climate change? What does sustainable urban development look like, and how can we use biodiversity data to support it?

Participation is free of charge. The lecture will be held in German. Online participation is also possible via Zoom:

Participation link:

Meeting ID: 619 5136 5165

Access code: 008950

The botanist Georg Zizka was Head of the Department of Botany at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt am Main until 2021, and concurrently Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt. He continues to research plant diversity, its origins, and how it changes under human influence.