Bundesamt für Naturschutz

Signed in 1973 and also known as the Washington Convention, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from over-exploitation. CITES currently provides various degrees of protection for some 37,000 animal and plant species, whether traded as live specimens, as parts or as products derived thereof. more

To counter the ongoing decline of species in the wild and in natural habitats in the EU and to conserve biodiversity, the Birds Directive was issued in 1979 and the Habitats Directive in 1992. Core provisions in both of these relate to the designation of protected areas to create an EU-wide protected area network – Natura 2000 – for certain threatened species and habitat types of Community interest. more

Climate change currently poses a threat to the diversity of life on earth. This is why transforming our energy supply system to renewable energy sources is one of the key challenges faced in Germany today. more

In order to effectively counteract the loss of biological diversity, meaningful data on the status of changes in biodiversity is required. Our monitoring continuously collects standardized and scientifically sound data on nature and the landscape, which is then processed to inform policy decisions. This data is an important basis to analyse the effects of our actions on biodiversity and to derive measures to protect biological diversity. more

The oceans are the world’s biggest ecosystems and are home to a wide range of different habitats for untold numbers of animal and plant species. Healthy marine ecosystems perform functions which are vital to the survival of marine biodiversity and of human beings. They represent the largest natural carbon sink and thus form a great buffer against climate change. more

The global decline in biodiversity, meaning the loss of species and their populations, can be attributed to many factors. Combating it requires measures that focus on the differing causes of threat and promote species conservation. The following pages provide information on international and national rules, regulations and species conservation efforts along with facts and figures concerning species. more

Many habitats have long been subject to increasing threat, not least due to intensification and increasing uniformity in agriculture. This has led to the current rapid loss of biological diversity. One of the key nature conservation counter-strategies or instruments is the designation of protected areas. more