Because we want our work to make a contribution to the sustainable development of our society, we are committed to science transfer and exchange with various stakeholders. In this way, scientific findings can find their way into practice and research topics can be aligned with social issues.
The Ecological Society (GfÖ) is an independent scientific organization. The GfÖ's Specialist Group Urban Ecology is dedicated to the special significance of cities for nature and people. The working group connects scientists and practitioners involved in the research, planning and design of urbanA spaces and supports the transfer of knowledge to society.
In cooperation with his colleagues and the Society for Ecological Restoration Europe (SER), Valentin Klaus conducted two webinars on the urban ecological restoration of ecosystems with the title "Boosting ecological restoration in urbanized areas". The recordings of the webinars are freely available:
Part 1: "Connecting nature and people"
Part 2: "How to make use of the momentum"
This document proposes solutions to the barriers identified by European cities in a 2024 survey when designing and maintaining green spaces to promote biodiversity. In particular, it addresses issues related to limited time and financial resources and potential competing land uses, which were identified by the cities as the most relevant.
In this executive summary, we explain a conceptual framework by V. Klaus and K. Kiehl that supports ecological restoration and rehabilitation of urban ecosystems. The framework is intended to be applicable to a wide range of ecosystems typical of cities, including near-natural, highly modified and novel ecosystems, and it provides examples of how such ecosystems can be enhanced to increase biodiversity and ecosystem services.
This information sheet presents the ecological effectiveness and cost efficiency of various measures to create and enhance urban biodiversity. It provides an overview based on existing literature in combination with expert surveys and has been written for all interested professionals and laypeople.
As part of our "ReNatUrE" project we have collaborated with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland to produce English-language factsheets on urban ponds, urban grasslands, stone walls, and further options to support biodiversity in cities. All factsheets can be accessed and downloaded as a PDF via the link below.
This brochure aims to provide a summary of the results of our activities during the project ReNatUrE to inform the wide public. Our goal is to show how restoring nature in cities can make them more biodiverse, sustainable, and enjoyable places to live.
Copyright © Geographical Institute 2026
Last update: Jan 14, 2026
