Ecology as the guiding discipline of the future

A nature-based economy that regenerates ecosystems and stops species extinction? Christoph Küffer believes this is possible if we strengthen ecology in research and education and make ecological expertise a basic skill for society. Species extinction has become one of the greatest global risks. International politics and business have recognised this. At the Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, the states are officially negotiating until this evening on a global strategy and urgently needed new targets to preserve biological diversity.¹ With or without a global agreement - we will need significantly more protected areas and better protection of indigenous communities, which are among the most important guardians of the remaining biodiversity on the planet. But that will not be enough. Biodiversity is the foundation for quality of life, health, a well-functioning local climate, sustainable agriculture and many other vital functions of our landscapes. We must therefore succeed in ecologically regenerating the entire utilised landscape.