Tobias Plieninger
@plieningerlab.bsky.social
Professor of Social-Ecological Interactions, University of Kassel & University of Göttingen. Rural landscapes | Ecosystem services | Sustainability. PersOp
www.uni-kassel.de/go/plieninger
www.uni-kassel.de/go/plieninger
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.
November 12, 2025 at 8:13 AM
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.
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...
🔗 doi.org/10.1017/S037...
November 11, 2025 at 6:43 AM
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...
🔗 doi.org/10.1017/S037...
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...
🔗 doi.org/10.14512/gai...
October 22, 2025 at 1:33 PM
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...
🔗 doi.org/10.14512/gai...
🎉 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....
Big congrats to Gaelle Ndayizeye on her 1st PhD paper!
👉 doi.org/10.1111/rec....
October 10, 2025 at 3:35 PM
🎉 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....
Big congrats to Gaelle Ndayizeye on her 1st PhD paper!
👉 doi.org/10.1111/rec....
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.)
October 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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.)
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...
September 28, 2025 at 7:11 AM
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...
#Hutewälder: Naturschutz durch #Waldweide ist im Kommen. Unsere Interviews mit Tierhalter*innen zeigen, was benötigt wird zur Stärkung der Hutewaldwirtschaft:
🌳Bessere Wirtschaftlichkeit
🌳Modellprojekte & Praxisleitfäden
🌳Vernetzung
🌳Einbindung der Tierhalter*innen
➡️ doi.org/10.1399/NuL....
🌳Bessere Wirtschaftlichkeit
🌳Modellprojekte & Praxisleitfäden
🌳Vernetzung
🌳Einbindung der Tierhalter*innen
➡️ doi.org/10.1399/NuL....
August 4, 2025 at 1:22 PM
#Hutewälder: Naturschutz durch #Waldweide ist im Kommen. Unsere Interviews mit Tierhalter*innen zeigen, was benötigt wird zur Stärkung der Hutewaldwirtschaft:
🌳Bessere Wirtschaftlichkeit
🌳Modellprojekte & Praxisleitfäden
🌳Vernetzung
🌳Einbindung der Tierhalter*innen
➡️ doi.org/10.1399/NuL....
🌳Bessere Wirtschaftlichkeit
🌳Modellprojekte & Praxisleitfäden
🌳Vernetzung
🌳Einbindung der Tierhalter*innen
➡️ doi.org/10.1399/NuL....
#IntegratedLandscapeApproaches are powerful in dealing with complex social-ecological challenges, but often lack attention to #LandscapeJustice. In this synthesis, we identify dimension of landscape injustices, provide a methods overview & reflect on our own experiences.
doi.org/10.5751/ES-1...
doi.org/10.5751/ES-1...
July 28, 2025 at 9:42 AM
#IntegratedLandscapeApproaches are powerful in dealing with complex social-ecological challenges, but often lack attention to #LandscapeJustice. In this synthesis, we identify dimension of landscape injustices, provide a methods overview & reflect on our own experiences.
doi.org/10.5751/ES-1...
doi.org/10.5751/ES-1...
Ziquejie rice terraces in Hunnan province (China) - a globally important agricultural heritage system, recognized by FAO. Forest-covered mountains provide the water for this centuries-old irrigation system based on natural gravity - Chinese version of Japan's #Satoyama landscapes.
July 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Ziquejie rice terraces in Hunnan province (China) - a globally important agricultural heritage system, recognized by FAO. Forest-covered mountains provide the water for this centuries-old irrigation system based on natural gravity - Chinese version of Japan's #Satoyama landscapes.
Co-production of rich agrobiodiversity by people & nature in the Shexian dry stone terrace landscape (Hebei, China). Key components of this agricultural heritage system are: Farmers, Chinese red pepper, donkeys/mules, traditional crops & a lot of stones. Paper: doi.org/10.1080/2639...
July 26, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Co-production of rich agrobiodiversity by people & nature in the Shexian dry stone terrace landscape (Hebei, China). Key components of this agricultural heritage system are: Farmers, Chinese red pepper, donkeys/mules, traditional crops & a lot of stones. Paper: doi.org/10.1080/2639...
🚜 New study: Why do farmers join collaborative agri-environmental schemes?
🧑🌾 Farmer interviews show:
🌼 Nature values & admin ease matter most
💶 Financial incentives help—but support, flexibility & peer exchange are key
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jr...
Project: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/628701.html
🧑🌾 Farmer interviews show:
🌼 Nature values & admin ease matter most
💶 Financial incentives help—but support, flexibility & peer exchange are key
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jr...
Project: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/628701.html
July 24, 2025 at 6:03 AM
🚜 New study: Why do farmers join collaborative agri-environmental schemes?
🧑🌾 Farmer interviews show:
🌼 Nature values & admin ease matter most
💶 Financial incentives help—but support, flexibility & peer exchange are key
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jr...
Project: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/628701.html
🧑🌾 Farmer interviews show:
🌼 Nature values & admin ease matter most
💶 Financial incentives help—but support, flexibility & peer exchange are key
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jr...
Project: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/628701.html
China is a leader in conserving agricultural heritage systems. My visit with T. Guo led us to tea gardens in Yunnan province. What looks like an untended plantation is actually a smallholder-managed & incredibly diverse agroecosystem of tea intercropped with buckwheat, flax, maize, sweet potato etc.
July 15, 2025 at 1:09 PM
China is a leader in conserving agricultural heritage systems. My visit with T. Guo led us to tea gardens in Yunnan province. What looks like an untended plantation is actually a smallholder-managed & incredibly diverse agroecosystem of tea intercropped with buckwheat, flax, maize, sweet potato etc.
🌿 New study: What kind of #peatland future do we want—and how do we get there? We co-created mental models with 42 land users to explore how land use affects ecosystem services & well-being. Best future? A mosaic: peatland conservation, extensive grazing & eco-tourism.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
July 8, 2025 at 6:18 AM
🌿 New study: What kind of #peatland future do we want—and how do we get there? We co-created mental models with 42 land users to explore how land use affects ecosystem services & well-being. Best future? A mosaic: peatland conservation, extensive grazing & eco-tourism.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
#HighNatureValue farming covers ~30% of EU farmland—but it is under threat from abandonment & intensification. Our Pan-European review of 178 studies reveals key patterns in biodiversity, ecosystem services, policy drivers & innovations. Read in "People and Nature":
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...
July 7, 2025 at 6:23 AM
#HighNatureValue farming covers ~30% of EU farmland—but it is under threat from abandonment & intensification. Our Pan-European review of 178 studies reveals key patterns in biodiversity, ecosystem services, policy drivers & innovations. Read in "People and Nature":
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/pan3...
Interested in #Agroforestry, #EcosystemServices & rural-urban dynamics? Apply for a 4-years (65%) PhD position on “Effects of tree-based agriculture on ecosystem services supply, distribution & access in a rurban environment”. Fieldwork takes place in Morocco. euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/358166.
July 4, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Interested in #Agroforestry, #EcosystemServices & rural-urban dynamics? Apply for a 4-years (65%) PhD position on “Effects of tree-based agriculture on ecosystem services supply, distribution & access in a rurban environment”. Fieldwork takes place in Morocco. euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/358166.
We're super-happy that our research unit "Sustainable Rurbanity" is funded by @dfg.de. Combining social-ecological systems with assemblage thinking, we explore the complex relations between rural & urban spaces, focusing on Ghana, India & Morocco. @unikassel.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de.
July 3, 2025 at 8:02 AM
We're super-happy that our research unit "Sustainable Rurbanity" is funded by @dfg.de. Combining social-ecological systems with assemblage thinking, we explore the complex relations between rural & urban spaces, focusing on Ghana, India & Morocco. @unikassel.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de.
Can livestock be part of the solution in Europe’s agricultural landscapes? 🐄🌍
We present a #BioculturalDiversity framework that reframes low-input animal farming as key to biodiversity, climate resilience & heritage. Case studies: 🇩🇪 peatlands, 🇪🇺 Med wildfires, 🇦🇹 hay milk.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
We present a #BioculturalDiversity framework that reframes low-input animal farming as key to biodiversity, climate resilience & heritage. Case studies: 🇩🇪 peatlands, 🇪🇺 Med wildfires, 🇦🇹 hay milk.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
July 2, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Can livestock be part of the solution in Europe’s agricultural landscapes? 🐄🌍
We present a #BioculturalDiversity framework that reframes low-input animal farming as key to biodiversity, climate resilience & heritage. Case studies: 🇩🇪 peatlands, 🇪🇺 Med wildfires, 🇦🇹 hay milk.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
We present a #BioculturalDiversity framework that reframes low-input animal farming as key to biodiversity, climate resilience & heritage. Case studies: 🇩🇪 peatlands, 🇪🇺 Med wildfires, 🇦🇹 hay milk.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
How are values, knowledge & context shaping environmental stewardship & visions for meaningful human-nature relationships in protected areas? Led by Miguel Angel Cebrián. A result of the @biodiversa.eu-funded ENVISION project, now out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1002/pan3....
June 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM
How are values, knowledge & context shaping environmental stewardship & visions for meaningful human-nature relationships in protected areas? Led by Miguel Angel Cebrián. A result of the @biodiversa.eu-funded ENVISION project, now out in @peopleandnature.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1002/pan3....
#Agroforstwirtschaft erfreut sich wachsender Beliebtheit, aber ihre Umsetzung in der Landwirtschaft stößt auf rechtliche & andere Hürden. Eine sozial-ökologische Perspektive zum Zusammenspiel einer komplexen Gesetzgebung mit anderen Barrieren. Mit M. Klimke & C. Zengerling. doi.org/10.1007/s116...
March 24, 2025 at 6:19 AM
#Agroforstwirtschaft erfreut sich wachsender Beliebtheit, aber ihre Umsetzung in der Landwirtschaft stößt auf rechtliche & andere Hürden. Eine sozial-ökologische Perspektive zum Zusammenspiel einer komplexen Gesetzgebung mit anderen Barrieren. Mit M. Klimke & C. Zengerling. doi.org/10.1007/s116...
The Sundarbans (Bangladesh) are rich in biodiversity, but massively degrading. In this study, led by Abul Polas, we use participatory mapping (#PPGIS) to identify drivers, pressures & impacts of mangrove degradation as well as restoration opportunities. doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...
March 20, 2025 at 10:18 AM
The Sundarbans (Bangladesh) are rich in biodiversity, but massively degrading. In this study, led by Abul Polas, we use participatory mapping (#PPGIS) to identify drivers, pressures & impacts of mangrove degradation as well as restoration opportunities. doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...
"It truly felt like a rollercoaster ride: highs and lows in quick succession, with moments of accomplishments followed by doubts about whether I was truly ready for the finish line." A PhD report by Sukanya Basu, leading her to India's urban wetlands & beyond. medium.com/people-natur...
March 17, 2025 at 6:43 AM
"It truly felt like a rollercoaster ride: highs and lows in quick succession, with moments of accomplishments followed by doubts about whether I was truly ready for the finish line." A PhD report by Sukanya Basu, leading her to India's urban wetlands & beyond. medium.com/people-natur...
Terrace landscapes are exemplars of biocultural landscapes, rich in natural & cultural heritage and jointly created by people & nature. We're super-happy that our project "A social-ecological analysis of co-production of Mediterranean terrace landscapes" is funded by @dfg.de! @unikassel.bsky.social.
March 14, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Terrace landscapes are exemplars of biocultural landscapes, rich in natural & cultural heritage and jointly created by people & nature. We're super-happy that our project "A social-ecological analysis of co-production of Mediterranean terrace landscapes" is funded by @dfg.de! @unikassel.bsky.social.
Farm trees have ecological benefits, but also cultural importance. Here, we identify olive trees as cultural keystone species in Morocco's High Atlas. Considering cultural values is key for developing sensitive restoration. @mobarakchaima.bsky.social @mrdjournal.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
March 13, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Farm trees have ecological benefits, but also cultural importance. Here, we identify olive trees as cultural keystone species in Morocco's High Atlas. Considering cultural values is key for developing sensitive restoration. @mobarakchaima.bsky.social @mrdjournal.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
#Agroforestry is en vogue, but its adoption is facing legal & other hurdles. Here, we use a social-ecological traps perspective to explain how complex legislation interacting with local processes disincentivizes farmers' agroforestry uptake. With M. Klimke & C. Zengerling. doi.org/10.1007/s116...
March 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM
#Agroforestry is en vogue, but its adoption is facing legal & other hurdles. Here, we use a social-ecological traps perspective to explain how complex legislation interacting with local processes disincentivizes farmers' agroforestry uptake. With M. Klimke & C. Zengerling. doi.org/10.1007/s116...
#TreesOutsideForests (a common landscape feature across South Asia) provide crucial contributions to human wellbeing (but different trees affect wellbeing dimensions differently). A systematic review, led by Pooja Choksi, in Environmental Research Letters. doi.org/10.1088/1748...
February 28, 2025 at 3:22 PM
#TreesOutsideForests (a common landscape feature across South Asia) provide crucial contributions to human wellbeing (but different trees affect wellbeing dimensions differently). A systematic review, led by Pooja Choksi, in Environmental Research Letters. doi.org/10.1088/1748...