Forests | Getting started

Understanding and valuing our forests

Tannenzapfen

JUST HOW IMPORTANT forests are for regulating global temperatures, storing carbon and providing a habitat for fauna and flora has become increasingly evident in recent decades. DAAD alumni and alumnae around the world are involved in various ways with woodland protection and reforestation, while some also study the forest’s self-healing powers – in conflict regions, for example. As a firefighter and forest fire expert, DAAD alumnus Lindon Pronto works at the interface between nature and technology. One of his jobs is to introduce different perspectives into political debates, such as the idea that wildfires, though dangerous, are sometimes also necessary – they play a vital role for example in the reproduction of redwoods in the USA, whose cones can be seen in the photograph above. Viable solutions for the future can only be developed if people around the world collaborate, form networks and embrace different viewpoints. Discover how former DAAD scholarship holders are contributing to this discourse! —

Forests | Interview

“Fire destroys – and creates space for new life”

Firefighter, forest fire expert and DAAD alumnus Lindon Pronto talks about international differences in the way fire is managed in places as diverse as Europe, Indonesia and the Congo – and stresses the vital role cross-border exchange plays in finding sustainable solutions.

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Forests | Close up

“The tree outside my door”

Ein blühender Baum vor einem Haus

Contributors to this issue reveal which trees have a special significance for them.

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Forests | Overview

The importance of protecting our forests

From ethnomedicine to ecosystems: how the DAAD’s programmes help ­ensure the protection and sustainable use of forests.

Forests | Engaging in exchange

Between forest and desert: savannas suffer climate stress

Africa’s savannas are a wildlife habitat, economic factor and climate regulator – and currently under threat. A master’s programme links students from East and West Africa and provides ways of translating scientific ideas into practice.

Savanne

Forests | Engaging in exchange

Supporting nature’s powers of self-healing

In den rumänischen Karpaten

Post-crisis forest restoration: the DAAD-funded project Fields of ­Conflict brings young researchers and students together with experts.

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Forests | Food for thought

Protecting forests – a job for us all

The importance of forests long failed to be recognised – but is now becoming increasingly evident. How can global deforestation be stopped? This is the question being addressed by Ralph Mitlöhner, professor of tropical silviculture at the University of Göttingen.

Illustration eines Waldes

Forests | In action

Planting the future together

Professor Iskandar ­Siregar

Professor Iskandar Siregar, an Indonesian expert in forest genetics, believes in interdisciplinary collaboration – both in research and in exchange with stakeholders in politics and business.

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Forests | In action

The sound of the trees

The composer Susie Ibarra translates the sounds of nature into music – creating a novel way to experience our environment.

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Forests | In action

Opening our ears and minds to nature

Musik als visuelle Kunst

The composer Ludger Kisters creates compositions based on the sounds of nature and electroacoustic music – and translates them into visual art.

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Forests | In action

Researching forests – on the ground and from space

Professor Cornelius Senf uses satellite images, laser technology and his scientific foresight to study changes in European forests. Learn more about his work in this article and in the DAAD’s series of “Science in a Nutshell” videos.

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Forests | In action

“Forests are at the heart of a solution to the climate crisis”

Carolle Alarcon

In her role as Executive Manager of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture, Carolle Alarcon wants to preserve forests – and believes dialogue is the best way forward.

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Forests | In action

A life devoted to science

Dr. Laura Salazar

Dr Laura Salazar studies the impact of climate change on ferns in Ecuador’s Amazon region.

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Forests | In dialogue

Literary ecology

Professorin Gabriele Dürbeck und Dr. Simon Probst
Rethinking human-environment relations in an attempt to help resolve the climate crisis: Professor Gabriele Dürbeck and Dr Simon Probst from the University of Vechta in conversation.
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Forests | Keeping in touch

“Brazil has a lot to offer in terms of higher education”

The UN Climate Change Conference COP30 will be taking place in Brazil in 2025. How the DAAD Regional Office Rio de Janeiro is taking advantage of the global attention being focused on climate and sustainability topics.

Flagge Brasilien
#DAAD100

Life-changing support? Share your experiences with others!

“We had the chance to live in one of the world’s most wonderful countries, to sing in an international choir of people from all nations. (…) We were able to learn that and how it is possible to be content and happy with just simple things,” is what Dr Paul Löhnert writes about his DAAD lectureship in Nairobi, Kenya in 1991. Their time in Africa turned out to be a life-changing experience for him and his young ­family: “We have never lived as intensively as we did during those five years.” Dr Paul Löhnert sent his reminiscences to the DAAD by e-mail – as have many other former DAAD scholarship holders, lecturers and programme participants. They contain mes­sages of gratitude, messages in which it is abun­dantly clear how important the funding proved for every one of them. Immerse yourself in this world and discover how the DAAD has been changing lives, fostering careers and bringing people together for 100 years.

Read more stories from 100 years of the DAAD!

www.daad.de/exchangeconnects/

 

You are part of the change – make your commitment visible!

Would you also like to be part of our anniversary logo and anniversary website? Then just take a selfie in our digital photo booth and use the DAAD anniversary design to give it a distinctive appearance. Share your pic and your DAAD story on social media using the hashtag #daad100! We look forward to your contribution.

Forests | In contact

100 years DAAD

Networks and engagement

More than 140 DAAD alumni associations worldwide play their part in keeping the connections between DAAD alumni and alumnae alive even after the funding has come to an end. They met in Bonn to mark the DAAD’s anniversary year.

Watch the video to discover what the associations achieved during their meeting in Bonn.

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