A Blog of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
A post by Laura Calderon, Anna Komendantskaya, Philip Müller, Tabea Theis & Lena Wollstäger “How does conservation work at scale?” – Many of us students at the 2025 Agrobiodiversity Summer School were unsure about this question and eager to answer it when we visited the “Geonaturpark Frau Holle Land”. After having visited individual farms in […]
A post by Emile Ammann, Judith Chileshe, Sarah Gonzenbach, Janina Storjohann & Andrea Bedogni Can agrobiodiversity be cultivated collectively? Modernisation in agriculture has often come at a cost. While it has boosted productivity, it has also fragmented farming communities and weakened collective practices. But in the countryside near Kassel, Germany, a different story is unfolding, […]
A post by Lea Doobe, Mateusz Zawadzki, Muhammad Ahmer and Nina Huber Agrobiodiversity is often presented as the key to resilience when it comes to climate change. But how much diversity can one farm really handle? At Hof Tolle in Northern Hesse, diversity is practiced every day, showing both its potential and its challenges. First […]
A post by Theresa Collmann, Michela Daraio, Ralph Carlo Evidente, Madhavi Parajuli, Svenja Steckel Agroforestry systems combine rows of trees, shrubs with arable crops (silvo-arable) and pasture (silvo-pastoral). They offer potential for increased biodiversity, more resilient agriculture, and additional sources of income. Yet their implementation is complex and often costly – how can agroforestry practices […]
A post by Khulan Gansukh, Claudia Heidemann, Naomi Koepfli, & Van Dao Sheep are often underestimated as livestock, and their numbers in Germany continue to decline [1]. Yet they provide milk and meat, while also playing an important role in nature conservation. At Milchschäferei Asbach, Raphael welcomed us to the farm and shared both the challenges and […]
Ein Beitrag von Laura Fraticelli Stehst du auch manchmal ratlos vor dem Regal und fragst dich: Soll ich die Orangen aus Südafrika nehmen oder lieber die aus Spanien? Und welche Auswirkungen hat diese Entscheidung wohl anderswo? Solche alltäglichen Konsumentscheidungen haben oft globale Folgen – auch wenn wir sie nicht direkt sehen. Globale Wasserknappheit – unser […]
How to save one of the world’s most threatened amphibians, and why does it matter? A post by Verena Simon-Kutscher, Sidra Yousaf, Yanna Raykov and Paul Birkner The black olm (Proteus anguinus parkelj, Fig. 1) is one of the most endangered amphibians in the world. It is found in an area of less than 10 […]
A post by Artur Falcette, Adèle Garret, Robert Mäntler and Dominique Schwarz How Slovenian salt makers have been thriving for 700 years at protecting biodiversity Salt production in coastal regions, an activity that involves the transformation of natural coastal areas into salt flats, can generate significant environmental and social impacts. The conversion of ecosystems such […]
A post by Juliette Aymon, Liene Hennig, Marco Güntert and Manuela Jäggi The Ljubljana Marshes Nature Park is an area of significant agricultural and ecological importance and home of endangered species. New regulations that limit agricultural activities in that area have led to resistance from farmers. A lack of communication is one of the underlying […]
A post by Nina Trdan, Chiara Gasperini, Soraya Negri and Clara Körner Leaving the motorway and entering the city of Koper, you find yourself in the heart of an urban coastal area, with offices and shopping centres on one side and the port of Koper on the other. Looking around, it is hard to imagine […]
