Exploring biodiversity and climate change in the Alps

Watzmann massif Image: Nationalpark Berchtesgaden A new cooperation between TUM and Berchtesgaden National Park has begun - Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Berchtesgaden National Park have commenced a project for the permanent monitoring of biodiversity. At 50 locations in the National Park, the research team is going to gather information about the state of species and analyze the effects of climate change. It is the first large-scale project as part of the cooperation between TUM and the National Park, a cooperation facilitated by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment. Today, Rupert Seidl , Professor for Ecosystem dynamics and Forest management in Mountain landscapes at TUM and Head of the Department of Research and Monitoring at National Park Management Berchtesgaden, as well as his colleague Dr. Sebastian Seibold presented the long term biodiversity monitoring project at the alpine lake Königssee. This project will generate reliable data about various species stocks ranging from fungi and plants to insects and even birds or bats. "The loss of biodiversity is a global phenomenon. It has grown to a point at which we not only have to question traditional nature protection approaches, but also have to worry about sharp declines in the efficiency of ecosystems," Seidl stated.