Face of the LIB: Christoph Scherber

What drives you as a researcher?

I grew up in the foothills of the Alps and was already out and about in lonely moors and colourful mountain meadows as a child. My parents rented a weekend cottage in a large garden. There were orchids, old fruit trees, a large pond and lots of rain barrels for catching and breeding mosquito larvae, tadpoles and dragonfly larvae. I also had all kinds of experimental kits and at home I gave guided tours of my nature collection for 20 pfennigs. The enthusiasm for nature has always been there, as long as I can remember.

What led you to biology?

It got really serious when I took part in a drawing course at the Munich Botanical Gardens - by chance I ended up in front of the outdoor showcases with carnivorous plants. My interest in these "masterpieces of evolution" then led me first to bog science and botany, and later to ecology and biodiversity research.

What are the highlights of your day-to-day work?

I am always happy to be able to realise new ideas and research approaches and to work with exciting people - from gardeners and farmers to professors.

What does nature mean to you personally? Do you have a favourite place in nature?

I can't reveal my favourite place - just this much, it's a beautiful deep black moorland lake, a haven of peace in time.

Crabs, fish, butterflies: Who has their own personal affection and why?

I would say the tropical rainforest. Once you've set foot in it, you can't let it go. You feel completely surrounded and "entertained" by nature and realise how small we humans are on this planet.

How do you explain the concept of biodiversity to children?

The diversity in every nook and cranny. I always like to take a coffee or cocoa cup as an example and then show that you can harvest better cocoa or coffee if there are lots of pollinator species around. Strawberries also taste better and last longer if they have been pollinated by many bee species.

What do you want people to associate with the LIB in ten years' time?

People should know it as well as some Max Planck Institutes - and they should associate it not only with research into biodiversity, but also with the development of strategies for a bio-diverse future.

What do you see as the greatest challenge in the field of environmental protection?

The extinction of species must be at least as high on the agenda as climate change. This awareness is still only rudimentary among the public.

What would you have become if biology hadn't worked out?

Then I would either have become an author of fantasy stories and children's books - or a rock musician.

What advice would you give to young biologists at the start of their careers?

Let your heart be your guide - and learn from the best researchers in the world. Have the courage to go abroad to see the world through different eyes.

Which area at the LIB is particularly close to your heart?

I want all areas to build on their strengths together and work well together to make the world a little bit better.

Prof Dr Christoph Scherber studied in Regensburg and Rostock and wrote his thesis at Imperial College London in England on the ecology of an introduced plant species. He completed his doctorate in ecology at the University of Jena on the relationship between herbivory and biodiversity and habilitated in ecology at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Göttingen. From 2015 to 2020, he was Professor of Animal Ecology at the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Münster. In autumn 2020, he was appointed Professor of Biodiversity Monitoring at the University of Bonn and heads the Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Research at the LIB.