News and events

To mark the 15th anniversary of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”, a specialist conference will take place in Eberswalde in September 2026. The event brings together experts from research, conservation management, policy and practice to discuss current developments surrounding Europe’s extraordinary beech forest ecosystems.

On 29 June, the Socialecological Forest Management study programme, in cooperation with the ECONICS INSTITUTE, will host an extraordinary political and cultural multimedia event at the Eberswalde Univerisity for Sustainable Development. The evening, featuring Ecuadorian economist and politician Alberto Acosta, journalist Sandra Weiss, and GRUPO SAL, will address some of the most pressing questions of our time.

The first conference of the Forest-Alliance (Wald-Allianz) brought together over 150 people from forestry practice, science, politics, and civil society in Meiningen, Thuringia. The focus was on exchanging experiences and learning from one another. Just as in the nested forest ecosystem, positive feedback loops emerge in this inspiring network for social-ecological forest management!

On February 20, 2026, more than 40 representatives from municipalities, Berlin districts and rural counties, organizations and institutions, public administrations, and businesses gathered in the Bürgersaal in Bernau. The occasion was a workshop to discuss the feasibility study for a possible “Berlin-Barnim Biosphere Region.” In presentations, a plenary discussion, and two moderated group sessions, the participants compiled the strengths, challenges, visions, and expectations of the process for the establishment of a possible biosphere region.

The forms and paths of growth of the “green” are sometimes inexplicable, sometimes downright improbable, but always inspiring. Nature never follows straight lines. Detours and setbacks can even lead to strengthening.
At a time when we may doubt ourselves and despair, it is worth taking a look at the power of ecosystems. ECONICS is the logical approach to understanding this power a little better, learning from it, and thinking about and shaping human actions and economic activity in a truly ecosystemic way. Even more than our environment, we should probably pronature ourselves.

We are deeply saddened that Jane Goodall has left this earth. In gratitude for her perseverance in fighting for the habitat we all share, we will always remember our encounter with her.

The ECONICS INSTITUTE will now take over the role of the Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management as a participating institution in the Forest Alliance coordination group.

The ECONICS Institute presents its first “Green-Moist-Cool Index,” which illustrates that land cover has a significant influence on surface temperature and precipitation. The mutually influential triangular relationship reflects the performance of landscapes and their sustainability in the face of climate change.

As part of an event organized by the State Working Group on Trees at BUND Saxony-Anhalt, Prof. Dr. Pierre Ibisch presented a new approach to socio-ecological wetland management.