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Prof. Dr. Julia Pongratz convened into the Scientific Advisory Board for Nature-based Climate Action

19 Mar 2024

Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity will be implemented with the help of independent advice and scientific support. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke appoints Prof Dr Julia Pongratz.

© BMUV/ Annette Riedl

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke today appointed 16 leading scientists to the Scientific Advisory Board for Nature-based Climate Action (WBNK) in Berlin. With immediate effect, the WBNK will provide independent advice to the Federal Government on issues relating to nature-based climate action and provide scientific support to the Federal Environment Ministry in the implementation of the Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity (ANK). The ANK was launched by the Federal Government in spring 2023.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke says: ‘With the Scientific Advisory Board for Nature-based Climate Action, we have scientific, practical and independent support at our side on a permanent basis. With their expertise, the members make a significant contribution to ensuring that our measures for nature-based climate action have the greatest possible impact. With their experience, the experts from the fields of practice, economics, social sciences and law ensure that we make decisive progress in protecting, strengthening and restoring our forests and floodplains, soils and peatlands, seas and water bodies, and green spaces in urban and rural areas.’

BfN President Sabine Riewenherm adds: ‘The Scientific Advisory Board is the independent scientific body in the Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity. One of the Advisory Board's objectives will be to consider and evaluate the links and interactions between the 69 different measures in the action plan, but also to provide impetus for the future development of nature-based climate actions measures. I am of course particularly pleased that the office of the Scientific Advisory Board will be based at the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.’

The Scientific Advisory Board is initially appointed for three years and works on an honorary basis. The 16 members are:

• Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, Alfred-Wegener-Institut

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Bolte, Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut

• Prof. Dr. Matthias Drösler, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf

• Prof. Dr. Mariele Evers, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Gattinger, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen

• Prof. Dr. Harald Grethe, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

• Prof. Dr. Rieke Hansen, Hochschule Geisenheim University

• Anke Herold, Öko-Institut e. V.

• Prof. Dr. Pierre Ibisch, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development

• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Köck, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

• Prof. Dr. Julia Pongratz, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

• Prof. Dr. Katrin Rehdanz, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

• Prof. Dr. Josef Settele, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

• Dr. Franziska Tanneberger, University of Greifswald

• Prof. Dr. Vicky Temperton, Leuphana University Lüneburg

• Dr. Michael Zschiesche, Independent Institute for Environmental Issues

Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity

The aim of the Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity is to significantly improve the general condition of ecosystems in Germany and thus strengthen their resilience and climate change mitigation performance. Terrestrial and marine ecosystems are to be better protected and made more resilient so that they can contribute to the national climate action goals in the long term. Intact ecosystems play a crucial role in this. Forests, floodplains, soils, peatlands, seas, other bodies of water, green spaces in the city and in rural areas are natural climate protectors, as they sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the long term. They can also mitigate the consequences of climate change by buffering floods and having a cooling effect in hot weather. These potentials should be better utilised in order to tackle the climate crisis and species extinction in a targeted manner. The Federal Ministry for the Environment envisages a total of 69 measures in ten fields of action as part of the Action Plan on Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Biodiversity.