Aletta Bonn appointed to German Advisory Council on Global Change
Aletta Bonn will serve the German Advisory Council on Global Change for at least for years (Picture: private)
Research group leader to advise the German government for at least four years
Prof Aletta Bonn has been appointed by the federal government to the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU).
Bonn heads the Biodiversity and People research group at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. She combines research on biodiversity and ecosystem functions with human well-being. Her research aims to build bridges between science, politics and society.
An important aspect of Aletta Bonn's work is the promotion of co-design and joint knowledge production in nature conservation research. She is involved in numerous citizen science projects and played a key role in the development of the Citizen Science Strategy 2030 for Germany.
Commenting on her appointment, she says: “I am very much looking forward to working together in the German Advisory Council on Global Change and hope that we can actively support the effective achievement of the global biodiversity and sustainability goals by 2030.”
iDiv Speaker Prof. Henrique Pereira acknowledges Bonn’s appointment as an excellent decision: “At iDiv we were delighted to learn about the appointment of our colleague Aletta Bonn to the WBGU. Professor Bonn is a world-leading scientist in the field of biodiversity. Her research has uncovered the importance of engaging people in citizen science to raise societal awareness of environmental problems. She is an interdisciplinary scientist whose ground-breaking work includes colleagues from multiple disciplines. For instance, she has worked with psychologists to look at the positive impacts of biodiversity on mental health. Her scientific expertise and her collaborative spirit make her an excellent appointee to this important body that advises the German government.”
Bonn is one of three new members of the nine-member WBGU. The appointment begins today and is valid until 31 October 2028.
