Response Doctoral Program
Warum wird in der Schweiz so wenig Buchweizen angebaut? SRF-1-Foodexpertin Esther Kern hat sich darüber in der Sendung «À point – Wissen aus der Küche auf den Punkt gebracht» mit RESPONSE Fellow Fabian Hess unterhalten. Als Doktorand an der ETH untersucht er über hundert Buchweizen-Sorten für den Anbau in der Schweiz.
Continue reading Buchweizen als wertvolle Pflanze auf dem Feld – SRF RadiosendungResponse Doctoral Program
The tropics lost a whopping 4.1 million hectares of primary forests in 2022, equivalent to losing 11 football fields of forest per minute, according to research from the World Resources Institute. Numerous restoration projects worldwide target counteracting these large scales of forest destruction that are causing insurmountable loss of biodiversity. By planting native vegetation as well as by assisting in natural regrowth of vegetation, these projects aim to restore degraded forests back to their flourishing state. These efforts are not just about the trees. They are crucial for the recovery of animal communities too. However, it is unfortunately undermined by the limited data available on the influence of forest loss and regeneration on recovery of faunal species and communities.
Continue reading Unlocking Forest Restoration Success: DNA traces are Revolutionizing Wildlife Monitoring and ConservationResponse Doctoral Program
The tropics lost a whopping 4.1 million hectares of primary forests in 2022, equivalent to losing 11 football fields of forest per minute, according to research from the World Resources Institute. Numerous restoration projects worldwide target counteracting these large scales of forest destruction that are causing insurmountable loss of biodiversity. By planting native vegetation as well as by assisting in natural regrowth of vegetation, these projects aim to restore degraded forests back to their flourishing state. These efforts are not just about the trees. They are crucial for the recovery of animal communities too. However, it is unfortunately undermined by the limited data available on the influence of forest loss and regeneration on recovery of faunal species and communities.
Continue reading Unlocking Forest Restoration Success: DNA traces are Revolutionizing Wildlife Monitoring and ConservationResponse Doctoral Program
In the vast expanse of sub-Saharan Africa, trees sustain the timeless tradition of producing charcoal; the very charcoal used to grill food at barbecues. Charcoal is a vital energy source fueling households and industries. Having said that, this seemingly innocuous practice of burning wood in a kiln comes at a hefty price tag. Converting trees to charcoal disrupts the delicate balance of carbon in ecosystems, with consequences that reverberate far beyond the local landscape.
Continue reading Charcoal Chronicles: Navigating Environmental Sustainability and Societal Needs in sub-Saharan AfricaAre you interested in biodiversity management and conservation at the global, national, cantonal, and municipal level? Are you interested in how integrating scientific research results into the decision-making process and engaging at the science and policy interface successfully? If yes, join our upcoming science and policy workshop.
Continue reading New Course Offer – Capacity Building Workshop on Effective Science-Policy Collaboration in Biodiversity ManagementGrégoire Saboret1, Loïc Thurre2, Noémie Pidoux 3(2024). Food for Thought: Could Swiss agriculture provide healthy and sustainable food for its population? (PDF)
The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) is a reference diet for the entire population aimed at respecting the planetary boundaries for environmental resources while optimizing human’s population health (Willet et al. 2019). Swiss consumption of certain types of food is far from the PHD. This suggests that dietary habits should shift protein sources towards plant-based options, preferably non-transformed such as beans, lentils or soy. This change can’t be triggered without considering a transformation of our agricultural systems. Currently, one-third of Switzerland’s land is dedicated to agriculture, covering about 1.5 million cultivated hectares, or roughly one hectare per five to six inhabitants. We posed a simple question: Could Swiss agriculture theoretically produce the PHD on this area?
Continue reading Could Swiss agriculture produce Planetary Health Diet?Response Doctoral Program
Fei Wu, a RESPONSE fellow in the PhD program Science and Policy, successfully defended her PhD in March 2024!
Continue reading CONGRATULATIONS – Fei WuOn June 19, 2024, Servan Grüninger will share his experiences on how can you prepare for a career at the interface between science and policy.
Continue reading Perspectives for science-based policy advice as a young researcher in SwitzerlandResponse Doctoral Programme
Forage grasses are the primary source of roughage for ruminant livestock and substantially contribute to sustainable milk and meat production. Cultivars adapted to specific environments and management conditions are needed to produce the required amounts of high-quality roughage. Moreover, there is a need to efficiently breed for novel forage grass cultivars to mitigate challenges emerging through climate change and to facilitate sustainable and productive agriculture.
Continue reading Providing genomic resources for important forage grassesAgriculture is facing a major challenge of feeding the growing world population. Since the green revolution, the abundant use of fertilizers has been widely regarded as a fundamental tool to address this challenge. Switzerland’s agriculture, on average, has used excessive amounts of fertilizers at relatively low efficiency, indicating the need to improve the nutrient use efficiency of Swiss agricultural production.
Continue reading Towards Circular Nutrient Economy in Agriculture
