News

Our project with our partners Bioregioning Tayside is addressing the social and ecological dynamics of landscape transitions using participatory strategy game approaches. More information available at https://negotiating-landscape-scotland.com/.  

Dukunu Mole is a serious game created through a collaboration between BirdLife International, LEAF Inspiring Change, ETH Zürich and CIRAD between 2021 and 2023.  

Ivan Novotny, supported by Nastasia Boul Lefeuvre, conducted a 2 years research in Donomadé, a village in Southern Togo, related to the adoption of innovative agriculture system (including pineapple as a cash crop). In collaboration with Happy Togo, a local NGO, the research team foused on the use of a strategy game together to explore different livelihood options for farmers in this region.

Anne Dray (Ecosystem Managment) and Philippe Nicod (ArboRise Foundation) participated in the Scientifica event to present the outcomes of their Eth4D-funded project in Guinea on low-cost sustainable reforestation with seedballs. Visitors got exposed to the sensitive topic of carbon credits and certification while the children could create their own seedball to take home. For more info: https://eth4d.ethz.ch/news-and-events/eth4d-news/2021/06/new-eth4d-research-challenge.html  

Agri-environmental schemes seek to improve the sustainability of agriculture, but their success depends on farmer participation. Using a systematic review of 79 scientific articles, we summarised the key factors that play a role in farmers’ uptake of such schemes.

We shared large prints of aerial images with various stakeholders in Zambian landscapes to discuss opportunities and risks of drone technology. In less than a decade, the use of drones to collect aerial imagery has shifted from the cutting-edge to a mainstream tool in research. Yet surprisingly, little is known about how different people around the world interpret pictures taken by drones in different contexts.

Fritz Kleinschroth was interviewed by Christoph Keller from the “Treibhauspodcast” about the role of literature and narratives to convey the urgency of the climate crisis. From Minute 36 onwards you can hear insights about experiences and some of the texts that the students read in the course “Readings in Environmental Thinking” with Jaboury Ghazoul. Spoiler alert: We end with a conversation about ChatGPT and the importance of creative writing in the age of AI.

The EU will, on 6 July, be voting on the regulation to curb EU-driven deforestation and forest degradation. The currently proposed definition of forest degradation is wholly inadequate, and is likely to undermine any efforts at sustainable forest management. The full text of a statement signed by 48 scientists and delivered to the EU.

The Rainforest Ecology course offers an engaging learning experience through its active learning approach, as well as a unique transdisciplinary perspective, with contributions from researchers and practitioners from tropical regions who participate through video-link. Additionally, the course places emphasis on the ethical considerations involved in representing people within tropical ecological research.

Fritz Kleinschroth leads a tour of Zurich North's Opfikerpark/Glattpark, an area that was once an industrial site and more recently a massive construction zone, highlighting the enduring presence of urban wilderness within the redeveloped landscape.