"Nature can still be saved" - Bernhard Misof on the World Nature Conference

What do you expect from the World Nature Conference in Montreal?

I have high hopes for the World Nature Conference in Montreal. The species conservation conference took place in Panama a fortnight ago. It can boast many successes, such as the protection of 60 shark species internationally, the protection of elephants and ivory. This is a very, very positive development. And we can feel around us and internationally that we have finally reached the point where we are really doing something for nature conservation and the protection of biodiversity. Even though the heads of government will not be in Montreal, there will still be a working level at which we can hopefully make substantial progress.

Can nature still be saved?

Nature can still be saved. There are various models that show that if we take the right steps, we can definitely reverse the trend in a positive way. The right steps are protecting natural ecosystems, changing our consumer behaviour and ultimately moving away from fossil fuels. Taken together, all three of these components would enable us to actually reverse the trend in biodiversity loss. We all just have to want it and I believe that this is the crucial point that we as civil society as a whole have to address and ultimately implement.

Where should nature conservation start?

Nature conservation should start at the following levels: Of course, it is also about protecting endangered species from extinction. That is very important. But the actual approach in nature conservation must be that we say that there must be no conflict between climate protection and the protection of biodiversity. We have to think together and one of the solutions is to promote nature-based solutions. What are nature-based solutions? It's about protecting ecosystems that can also serve as CO2 reservoirs or restoring them to their natural state and nurturing them. There are the famous 30/30 goals, which means that 30 per cent of our planet must be protected by 2030. Implementing these goals would be exactly what we need - in addition to changing our consumer behaviour and moving away from fossil fuels.

Where does the LIB start with its research and communication?

The LIB's research now addresses two or perhaps even three different levels: Level one: we research and characterise the insanely fascinating diversity of nature. Consider that probably 50 per cent or 30 per cent of all biological species have not even been described or known yet. The second level at the LIB is that we are very, very committed to understanding the genomic basis of diversity. And the third level is to understand diversity by conducting research on monitoring, developing monitoring methods and conducting conservation research. Taken together, these areas of research provide a comprehensive picture of biodiversity and what we can ultimately generate from it in terms of knowledge for action.

And if you think about communication, then these are precisely our topics. How can we convey the fascination of nature? How can we communicate the need to observe and understand nature outdoors? Understanding the causes of the decline in biodiversity, ultimately with the aim of creating a connection with nature. Because only emotionality will give us the opportunity to achieve something in each individual person that leads to the protection of nature, to the protection of biodiversity.