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Extreme and prolonged droughts jeopardize the stability of ecosystems worldwide. An international study in Science shows that their productivity declines further with each year of drought. BFH-HAFL was the only Swiss institution involved, providing data and contributing important findings from a Central European grassland.

An international study using a new type of global vegetation model provides a new perspective on vegetation: it measures the extent to which climate, fire and herbivores shape natural landscapes. The researchers - including Prof. Claude Garcia from the BFH-HAFL School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences - are calling for a rethink of ecological restoration.

Its preservation benefits many others: the umbrella species. This is the role played by the white-backed woodpecker for beetles that feed on dead wood. This rare bird is therefore an indirect indicator of biodiversity, as researchers at BFH-HAFL have shown. Deciduous or mixed forests with lots of dead wood - this is the preferred habitat of the White-backed Woodpecker.

It may look chaotic, but deadwood in the forest does have a function. It has a decisive influence on biodiversity. Researcher Elena Haeler has shown in a study that not only the quantity but also the distribution of deadwood in the habitat plays an important role . Until now, research into deadwood has mainly focused on the amount of wood present.

Following the suspension of the A5 Westast implementation project at the end of 2020, Stadtlabor Biel/Bienne is presenting a further developed vision of the future for the redesign of the Bernstrasse axis in the direction of Brügg.

Researchers at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Performance Technology IRPT have developed novel systems that allow people paralysed by spinal cord injury to activate their muscles and propel a tricycle. The innovative work of two young IRPT researchers was recently rewarded through successful defence of their PhD theses.

Pollen season: The new app called Ally Science has been designed for the two million or so allergy sufferers in Switzerland Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and University Hospital Zurich (USZ) are launching the free smartphone app Ally Science on the 24th of April 2018.