Tobias Plieninger
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plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger
@plieningerlab.bsky.social
4.1K followers 1.3K following 280 posts

Professor of Social-Ecological Interactions, University of Kassel & University of Göttingen. Rural landscapes | Ecosystem services | Sustainability. PersOp
www.uni-kassel.de/go/plieninger

Videos
Environmental science 61%
Geography 15%
Posts Replies Media Videos

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 1d
A powerful call by Amitav Ghosh for locally led climate solutions. In the Sundarbans of Bangladesh & India this means moving away from embankment construction, shrimp farming & assisted migration, toward community-based agroecology approaches. www.equator.org/articles/bey...
Beyond the Apocalypse • EQUATOR
How visions of catastrophe shape the ‘climate solutions’ imposed by aid agencies
www.equator.org

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 3d
Many Indigenous philosophies acknowledge respect & reciprocity between people & nature. Affective ties to land & home are also at the heart of Tamazirt thinking of Amazigh communities in Morocco. Tamazirt could serve as an Indigenous anchor point for rural revitalisation.
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s132...
Dimensions of Tamazirt thinking

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 5d
How do multiple & interconnected social-ecological crises (water scarcity, economic crisis, sociocultural value crisis) affect traditional rural lifeways & drive land abandonment and migration decisions in Morocco's High Atlas? Our new paper, led by @laurakmoch.bsky.social.
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s132...
Conceptual representation of how residents’ mobility and land abandonment decisions are shaped by proximate and underlying causes

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 6d
"Iran’s greatest current existential crisis is what hydrologists are calling its rapidly approaching water bankruptcy." Great essay on Iran's existential water crisis & how restoration of ancient qanat water collection technologies could provide a sustainable solution. e360.yale.edu/features/ira...
After Ruining a Treasured Water Resource, Iran Is Drying Up
Iran is looking to relocate the nation’s capital because of severe water shortages that make Tehran unsustainable. Experts say the crisis was caused by years of ill-conceived dam projects and overpump...
e360.yale.edu

Reposted by Tobías Plieninger

uni-goettingen.de
Uni Göttingen @uni-goettingen.de · 11d
Wie lassen sich Europas #Agrarlandschaften so wiederherstellen, dass die #Ökosysteme und auch die #Gesellschaft profitieren? Forschende haben Empfehlungen für eine sozial inklusive Umsetzung der neuen EU-Verordnung veröffentlicht.
Mehr: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/3240.html...
Die Etablierung von Bäumen und Sträuchern auf Agrarflächen wie hier auf dem Hof Werragut in Eschwege bietet die Möglichkeit, verarmte Agrarlandschaften zu renaturieren und gleichzeitig die landwirtschaftliche Produktion fortzuführen und zu diversifizieren – Foto: Tobias Plieninger

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 16d
The EU #NatureRestorationRegulation may sound dry, but it can inspire ideas for reconnecting people with nature. Our policy article outlines how to foster active learning, cultural values, caring attitudes, land-use synergies & collaboration.
doi.org/10.1111/rec....
www.uni-kassel.de/uni/aktuelle...
Multifunctional agricultural landscape in Lower Saxony / Germany

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 19d
@ipbes.net flags conserving & regenerating places of value to nature & people as key for #TransformativeChange. Our India study shows urban lakes, ponds & canals act as such places, supporting livelihoods while shaping #BioculturalDiversity & urban #FoodSystemSustainability. doi.org/10.1038/s442...
A woman selling freshly foraged greens on a Bengaluru street, connecting urban consumers with wild local foods.

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 21d
The #NatureRestorationRegulation is a landmark for EU policy. How can National Restoration Plans boost human–nature relations? Some ideas in our article:
✨Positive restoration stories
🎨Cultural values
🏺Heritage sites/products
🌾Multifunctional landscapes
💡Shared ideas platform
doi.org/10.1111/rec....
Restoration through multifunctional agroforestry

Reposted by Tobías Plieninger

uni-goettingen.de
Uni Göttingen @uni-goettingen.de · 22d
Urban Blue Spaces: the overlooked rivers, lakes and wetlands in cities.

Researchers surveyed 1,200 people in 4 cities in India and found foraging to be widespread, providing valuable food, income, culture, connections: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/3240.html...

#NatureCities: doi.org/10.1038/s442...
The photograph shows three women in colourful clothes wading in greyish green water on a sunny day. They are bent over to collect food from the floor of some drying wetlands in Kolkata (a megacity in India). The rocks and mud on the banks are grey-brown. It isn’t visible from the photo but the women are collecting small fish, snails and other aquatic foods. This image provides a glimpse into the everyday lives of urban household workers from a wetland in Kolkata on their way home. Image thanks to researcher Sukanya Basu.

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 23d
🌍 New study: Foraging in India’s urban blue spaces is widespread yet overlooked.
Surveying 1,200 people in 4 cities, we found that lakes & wetlands provide food, income, culture & social ties.
👉 Recognizing foraging can support more equitable, resilient urban food systems.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s442...

Reposted by Carly D. Ziter

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 25d
We are looking for new Associate Editors of "People and Nature". If you work on people-nature relations & like handling papers, please apply by 23.02.26. @britishecologicalsociety.org
🔗 www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/appl...
Apply to be a BES Associate Editor - British Ecological Society
Help advance outstanding ecological research by joining our Editorial Boards! Applications are now open across all seven BES journals.
www.britishecologicalsociety.org

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · 28d
Working on #ParticipatoryMapping or #CitizenScience approaches to advance #EcosystemServices? Please submit an abstract to our session at the Ecosystem Services Partnership Europe Conference (Prague, 18.-22.05.26). Submission deadline: 31.12.25. www.espconference.org/europe2026/h...

Reposted by Garry Peterson, David Leclère, Carly D. Ziter , and 1 more

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Nov 25
Reconnecting people to nature is key for biodiversity action. Our new study identifies 5 ways people relate to #Natura2000:
🐾 Learning
🏞️ Heritage
🪴 Care
🧑‍🌾 Multifunctionality
👭 Collaboration
Revealing such narratives can build new alliances & place PAs at the heart of society.
doi.org/10.1002/pan3...

Reposted by Garry Peterson

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Nov 20
Which innovations around #ForestEcosystemServices are being developed in Europe? And where do we find them? A continent-wide mapping exercise led by Marko Lovric, an output of the SINCERE (sincereforests.eu) & InnoforEst (innoforest.eu) projects. #OpenAccess. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Reposted by Tobías Plieninger

envconsjournal.bsky.social
Environmental Conservation @envconsjournal.bsky.social · Nov 19
Why should landscape values and disvalues be considered for balanced decision-making in protected areas?

A new Research Paper focusing on Bannerghatta National Park, India, Open Access as FirstView in #EnvironmentalConservation

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Image @plieningerlab.bsky.social

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Nov 19
Participatory mapping (#PPGIS) has potential to foster socially inclusive #EcosystemRestoration. In our recent #PeopleNatureLandscapesBlog, Gaelle Ndayizeye showcases her experiences from a PPGIS study of how local farmers value Western Rwanda's restoration landscapes. medium.com/people-natur...
Mapping What People Value in Western Rwanda’s Restoration Landscapes
Join our PhD student Gaelle as she journeys through Western Rwanda uncovering the values rooted in its landscapes.
medium.com

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Nov 12
Woodland coppicing is a UNESCO-recognised immaterial cultural heritage & a key driver of forest biodiversity. In parts of Germany, centuries-old forestry cooperatives maintain this traditional practice that has become rare elsewhere. Great visit to the Haubergs-cooperatives of Lahn-Dill region.

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Nov 11
New study: Local peoples’ values & disvalues around #Bannerghatta NP, India. Residents value biodiversity, land & clean air—but experience human–wildlife conflicts. Our study emphasises that inclusive conservation needs consideration of both values & disvalues.
🔗 doi.org/10.1017/S037...

Reposted by Tobías Plieninger

envconsjournal.bsky.social
Environmental Conservation @envconsjournal.bsky.social · Nov 10
'Local peoples’ values and disvalues in and around an Indian protected area undergoing urbanization'

A new Research Paper as FirstView in #EnvironmentalConservation

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

#India #urbanization #conservation
Image by Prof. Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Nov 6
The call for abstracts to the 2026 Ecosystem Services Partnership conference in Prague is now open. Working on participatory mapping? Please contribute to our session "Participatory Mapping of Ecosystem Services – Methods, Advances & Future Directions (X7)". www.espconference.org/europe2026/h...
https://www.espconference.org/europe2026/home
Your cookies are disabled, please enable them.
www.espconference.org

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Oct 27
🌍 New in BioScience: “Resilient Biodiversity Conservation.”
We show how strengthening connections between people, nature & governance helps conservation adapt to crises.
The future of conservation is in cultivating resilient social-ecological relationships. #OpenAccess.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/bios...
Resilient Biodiversity Conservation: Working with Social–Ecological Connections to Navigate Crises
Abstract. Biodiversity conservation needs to adjust and keep adjusting to changing conditions. This is largely a matter of connections—across land uses, be
doi.org

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Oct 22
New toolkit of our 'Participatory research methods for sustainability' series is out: Q method, a structured approach to account for diverse & conflicting human perspectives. By T. S. Jiren, M. Kernecker & A. Moroder. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science & Society.
🔗 doi.org/10.14512/gai...

Reposted by Helmut Haberl, Tobías Plieninger, Daniel Müller , and 14 more

guypeer.bsky.social
Guy Pe'er @guypeer.bsky.social · Oct 20
Open Letter by scientists to the Council:
"Climate Neutrality Is Europe’s Greatest Economic Opportunity”.
Ahead of the European Council meeting on 23.10.2025,
2,178 scientists urge EU Heads of States & Governments to take ambitious decisions for the 2040 targets.
zenodo.org/records/1739...

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Oct 10
🎉 Our paper just came out! We used #PPGIS to map local values in restoration landscapes in Western #Rwanda — highlighting the vital role of landscapes for farming, resource access & resilience.

Big congrats to Gaelle Ndayizeye on her 1st PhD paper!

👉 doi.org/10.1111/rec....

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Oct 6
Fascinating article: Afro-descendant communities manage rich food forests across 2M km² in Latin America—yet only 5% are legally recognized. These biodiverse landscapes store carbon, curb deforestation & reflect a deep legacy of resistance. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Food forests are everything’: creating edible landscapes helps nature thrive in Afro-descendant lands
Agroforestry systems in Latin America practised by local communities are a boon to biodiversity, according to research
www.theguardian.com

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Oct 1
Are you a student at @unikassel.bsky.social or @agrarunigoe.bsky.social & interested in learning participatory scenario planning for sustainable agriculture? If yes, please enroll (e.g. by sending me a message) to our course, taking place from 22.10.25 onwards. (The course will be held in German.)

Reposted by Tobías Plieninger, Rob Marchant, Jonas Geschke

natrevbiodiv.nature.com
Nature Reviews Biodiversity @natrevbiodiv.nature.com · Sep 30
New online! Addressing landscape multifunctionality in conservation and restoration
Addressing landscape multifunctionality in conservation and restoration
Nature Reviews Biodiversity, Published online: 30 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s44358-025-00091-4Multifunctional land-use systems supply multiple ecosystem services while contributing to biodiversity conservation. This Review summarizes the provision of ecosystem services and their trade-offs and synergies with biodiversity at the landscape scale, explores traditional, contemporary and emerging land-use systems, and highlights strategies and challenges to achieve multifunctionality in conservation and restoration.
bit.ly

Reposted by Garry Peterson, Dominik Wiedenhofer

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Sep 30
🌍 Out today in 'Nature Reviews Biodiversity': We explore landscape multifunctionality as a way to address biodiversity loss, climate change & food insecurity together. Instead of siloed fixes, multifunctional land-use integrates restoration, production & well-being.
🔗 rdcu.be/eIL2g
Addressing landscape multifunctionality in conservation and restoration
Nature Reviews Biodiversity - Multifunctional land-use systems supply multiple ecosystem services while contributing to biodiversity conservation. This Review summarizes the provision of ecosystem...
rdcu.be

plieningerlab.bsky.social
Tobias Plieninger @plieningerlab.bsky.social · Sep 28
While agroforestry is increasingly mainstreamed, it becomes important to promote diversified & regionally adapted systems. In this review, led by T.H. Le, we point to the history of traditional agroforestry in Europe & to the need for integrating traditional & novel systems. doi.org/10.1007/s104...

Reposted by Teja Tscharntke, Tobías Plieninger, Malte Jochum

catrinwestphal.bsky.social
Catrin Westphal @catrinwestphal.bsky.social · Sep 28
🎉 Great team success! New publication just came out — the result of inspiring group discussions led by @teja-tscharntke.bsky.social It's fantastic to have such a collaborative spirit in the lab!

Biodiversity conservation needs mix of measures and collaboration

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...