The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) aims to support Research and Development (R&D) projects dealing with “Tipping points, dynamics and interactions of social and ecological systems (BioTip)”. Funding is provided through the BMBF framework programme “Research for Sustainable Development” (FONA3). The R&D projects are aimed to support the implementation of the German National Strategy on Biological Diversity.
Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human existence is intimately linked. The rapid pace of biodiversity loss is therefore one of the great challenges of global change. The drivers of biodiversity loss include degradation such as fragmentation, habitat loss, biological invasions, pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, and climate change. These changes exceed the adaptation potential of many organisms and ecosystems and ultimately result in the greater vulnerability of society. Strategies and management tools are therefore needed to either prevent or reverse the loss of biodiversity and the downward spiral occurring in many social and ecological systems. This requires an in-depth understanding of the interactions between the systems, the processes and the dynamics which lead to degradation, tipping points and changes within social and ecological systems. The aim of the call is to identify measures to effectively curb current negative developments. By closing research gaps the projects will also contribute to the implementation of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Partners from developing countries may be funded through subcontracting agreements.
