The global loss of biological diversity poses profound challenges for society, politics, and the economy. With the newly opened Frankfurt Conservation Center (FCC), a platform is being established in Frankfurt am Main that aims to strengthen the connections between science, conservation practice, politics, and the economy. The goal is to develop new forms of collaboration for more effective biodiversity and nature conservation. The Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) is one of the FCC’s partner organizations and contributes its expertise in social-ecological biodiversity research.
The loss of biological diversity is one of the central global challenges of our time. Intact ecosystems not only secure habitats for animals and plants but also form the basis for food, health, water availability, and economic stability. At the same time, existing strategies are often insufficient to protect biodiversity in the long term and to shape societal developments in an environmentally sustainable manner. Against this backdrop, the FCC is focusing on new forms of collaboration between various societal actors.
The FCC was officially opened on June 10, 2026, during a ceremony in Frankfurt. Guests included representatives from politics, science, business, and civil society. In the future, the center is to be housed in its own building on the grounds of the Frankfurt Zoo. The partner organizations are already working on joint projects and strategic collaborations.
Platform for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
The Frankfurt Conservation Center is supported by three founding institutions: Goethe University Frankfurt, the Senckenberg Nature Research Society, and the Frankfurt Zoological Society. Together with other partners – including Conservation International, ISOE, the KfW Foundation, BioFrankfurt, TRAFFIC, and Frankfurt Zoo – an international network for biodiversity and nature conservation is taking shape.
The FCC pursues an interdisciplinary approach that specifically combines research, conservation practice, education, public outreach, and engagement with economic stakeholders. The goal is to pool existing expertise and strengthen collaborations in order to make international conservation more effective.
Biodiversity Conservation as a Societal Task
The ISOE contributes to the FCC with its expertise in social-ecological biodiversity research. The focus is on the question on societal values that are associated with biodiversity and motives and barriers towards a more biodiversity-friendly behavior.
The FCC’s mission to bring together different forms of knowledge and societal perspectives builds on central approaches in social-ecological research. This is because biodiversity and nature conservation issues cannot be answered solely through the natural sciences, but also require engagement with societal interests, conflicts of use, and political frameworks.
With the guiding principle “Connecting Minds – Expanding Horizons,” the FCC sees itself as a platform for new alliances in nature conservation. Frankfurt offers unique conditions for this: the city brings together internationally renowned research institutions, nature conservation organizations, and the financial sector. In the future, the FCC aims to better connect these potentials and also raise their international profile.
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