TCBC – Translational Centre Biodiversity Conservation
Together with climate change, biodiversity loss is the most pressing environmental crisis of our time. The "Translational Centre Biodiversity Conservation" bundles knowledge and makes it generally available. In collaboration with key Swiss stakeholders, the Centre identifies topics for knowledge exchange, translation, and synthesis, and communicates and distributes the resulting synthesis products.
Overview
The Translational Centre Biodiversity Conservation aims to bridge the gap between research and practice in biodiversity and nature conservation. As a first step, the project will evaluate the specific needs and requirements of experts working in conservation practice. It will identify topics that lack comprehensive synthesis, compiling existing knowledge from research and practice. The breadth of topics will include aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity as well as conservation policy, management, and communication. As a second step, the topics will be discussed in working groups equally comprised of scientists and experts from practice. The results from the working groups will be summarized in synthesis documents and recommendations. In the long term, the Centre aims to provide a platform for knowledge exchange between research and practice in biodiversity conservation in Switzerland. The idea of such a synthesis Centre is not new and we build on varied previous experiences. We plan to provide synthesis documents and recommendations for about six to ten relevant topics in the next three years.
The Centre uses a participatory and transdisciplinary approach throughout the project duration. The first working groups will start their work in early 2024. An executive board composed of scientists and conservation experts from practice supervises and supports the project. The project is funded by the ETH Board and is a collaboration of different ETH domain institutions.
To find out more, visit the website of the external pageTranslational Centre Biodiversity Conservation.
Start
May 2023
Funding
ETH Board, external pageJoint Initiative
Collaborators
- Dr Eva Lieberherr (NARP, ETH)
- Nora Zumbühl (NARP, ETH)
- Prof. Dr Rolf Holderegger (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, WSL)
- Prof. Dr Christoph Vorburger (Aquatic Ecology, Eawag)
- Prof. Dr Alex Widmer (Integrative Biology, ETH)
- Dr Karen Bussmann-Charran (Aquatic Ecology, Eawag)
- Rea Pärli (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, WSL)
- Dr Sarah Richman (Integrative Biology, ETH)
External partners
- Christoph Bühler, Hintermann & Weber AG
- Dr Urs Gimmi, Konferenz der Beauftragten für Natur- und Landschaftsschutz
- Sarah Pearson Perret, Pro Natura Romandie
- André Stapfer, Büro Landschaft und Natur