Research group

Biodiversity and Ecosystem services (BIOECOS)

Methodological focus
Our research focuses on monitoring, mapping and modeling spatio-temporal patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It comprises conceptual work, applied case studies and the development of methods. Our aims are:
  • First, to understand the impacts of different land use systems on species distributions and the capacity of ecosystems to provide ecosystem services.
  • Secondly, to characterize and quantify trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services and between ecosystem services and biodiversity.
  • Thirdly, to explore the suitability of information derived from remote sensing or other geospatial data to help inform decision-making and to develop future monitoring capabilities.
Collaboration across disciplines is of central importance for our research. We are concerned with a broad range of spatial scales, from the local (individuals, populations) to the national as well as continental/global level.

Methodological focus

  • Geospatial analysis of large databases on biodiversity and ecosystem services using macroecological methods and statistical modeling
  • Novel techniques to monitor biodiversity in agricultural landscapes (e.g. audiomoth)
  • AI assisted analysis of biodiversity monitoring data
  • Analysis of remote sensing products (e.g. Land Surface Temperature, Vegetation Indices, Leaf Area Index, UV-B radiation) for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Contacts

Dr. Michael Beckmann

Phone: +49 (0)341 6025 1946
michael.beckmann@ufz.de

Anne Paulus

Phone: +49 (0)341 6025 1070
anne.paulus@ufz.de

Projects

  • BESTMAP - Behavioural, Ecological and Socio-economic Tools for Modelling Agricultural Policy; Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission

Former Projects

  • WAKANAKA: Ermittlung naturschutzbezogener Kriterien in der Umweltprüfung der Bedarfsplanung für Stromnetze und in der Bundesfachplanung zur Erhöhung der Planungssicherheit und Verhinderung von Zielkonflikten more information
  • ECOPOTENTIAL: improving future ecosystem benefits through earth observations more information
  • TALE - Towards multifunctional agricultural landscapes in Europe: Assessing and governing synergies between food production, biodiversity and ecosystem services more information
  • LEGATO: Land-use intensity and Ecological Engineering – Assessment Tools for risks and Opportunities in irrigated rice based production systems more information
  • Improving species distribution models of endangered plants in Mexico (completed) more information

Frequent collaborators

  • University of Dresden, Chair of Computational Landscape Ecology Link
  • University of Leeds, School of Geography (UK) Link
  • Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences (Czech Republic) Link
  • German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Link
  • The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) at the University of Maryland (USA) Link
  • University of Southampton, Geography and Environmental Science Link
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Science, Environmental Geography Link
  • Stony Brook University (USA), Department of Ecology & Evolution Link

Recent publications

2024 (4)

2023 (7)

2022 (6)

2021 (5)

2020 (7)