LIB experts appointed to Hamburg’s council for nature conservation

9 November 2019

Photo: UHH/CeNak

Dr. Martin Kubiak: “The basic principles we have worked out can serve as a model for other cities.”

The sustained preservation and the development of diverse biotopes and their inhabitants in the city of Hamburg is one of the leading principles of Hamburg’s council for nature conservation. The independent committee of experts is chosen by the Senate for a 3-year term. CeNak bio-diversity expert Dr. Martin Kubiak is new on board.

The council was founded in 1982. The volunteer work of the committee is anchored in Hamburg’ nature conservation act, and members are recommended by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (BUE). In its 2017 report, the experts make clear that the unsealed surfaces in a metropolitan area like Hamburg are too valuable to allow them to be used for short-term necessities. Currently, the council is critical of Hamburg’s districts’ increasingly frequent practice of using Section 13a of the building code to circumvent environmental constraints (environmental report and impact regulation) with an expedited process, for example, to build housing.

Consulting, discussion, and networking

“In many ways, cities represent highly dynamic biotopes in a constant state of transformation. That has sustained consequences for the natural resources and biotopes in a large city such as Hamburg. I am therefore pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the expert consultation and discussion offered by my appointment to the nature conservation council. The basic principles worked out in Hamburg can serve as a model for other cities,” says Dr. Martin Kubiak. The CeNak researcher was appointed to the council in August, and the committee was re-constituted at the end of October.

Seeing species diversity holistically

At selected points throughout the city, the insect expert supervises a collaborative project for bio-monitoring, developed and administered by CeNak, the research association Neuntöter e.V., and the Ministry of Environment and Energy. According to the expert, “We desperately need these far-reaching survey projects to gain a holistic view of species diversity—especially of insects—and to track changes.” According to Martin Kubiak, the participation and networking of interested persons and associations is essential in building a broad basis for effective monitoring and, importantly, for raising environmental awareness.

Experts from research and associations

The council is legally bound to further the interests of nature conservation among the public, and to advise and make recommendations to institutes. The newly elected committee consists of 15 experts from the fields of botany, soil science, ecology, and water resource management. These experts are drawn both from academic institutions and from associations, foundations, and from planning commissions. Besides Dr. Martin Kubiak, Dr. Reinmar Grimm from the Universität Hamburg Institute of Zoology has been a member of the council for many years.

Further information

Hamburg’s nature conservation council

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