Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources

Responsibility for Natural Life Foundations

The Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources (UNR) is an internationally top‑ranked institution for research and teaching on human‑environment systems. We see ourselves as responsible for the natural life‑supporting bases of humans, plants and animals on all spatial and temporal scales: local, regional, international, global, and also historic, to understand the future.

Research focuses

Natural resources: use, protection, security
Global change: climate change, ecosystems, land use, globalization
Livelihoods: forest, water, soil, air, biodiversity
Transformation toward sustainability: socio‑ecological‑technical systems
Natural hazards and environmental risks: resilience, adaptation

News

“Insights 2025” Now Available

The latest edition of the “Insights” report has been published. In it, ENR looks back on some of the many diverse activities and events at the faculty in 2025.

Information from the Dean: Safety at the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources

The ENR takes its responsibility to provide a safe study and work environment for all its members very seriously. To this end, the Dean’s Office, represented by Dean Prof. Dr. Heiner Schanz, sent a message to UNR students and staff on March 26, 2026.

Photo of the tropical experimental forest of the Sardinilla experiment in Panama

Silviculture

TreeStability: Does Tree Diversity Protect Forests Against Climate Extremes?

The Chair of Silviculture has secured DFG funding for a new research project investigating whether increasing tree diversity can stabilise forest ecosystems in the face of climate change. Led by Dr. Florian Schnabel, the three-year project “TreeStability” draws on data from 25 tree diversity experiments across the globe.

Professorships

Information and links to the 40 professorships at the faculty

Master Earth Sciences

New study programme for the winter semester 2025/26

Faculty Administration

Information and Contact

Future Forests

The newly approved Excellence Cluster
“Future Forests – Adapting Complex Social‑Ecological Forest Systems to Global Change” is largely driven by chairs of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources. Future Forests aims to analyse and develop adaptation and transformation pathways for forest‑based socio‑ecological systems of the future. The social‑science component concentrates on decision‑making under uncertainty and societal ambiguity concerning the protection and management of future forests.

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Bei der Eröffnung der FowiTa: Dr. Heike Puhlmann, Prof. Dr. Friederike Lang, Prof. Dr. Thomas Seifert und Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schraml schneiden symbolisch ein Band durch.

Review FowiTa 2025

From 29 September to 2 October 2025, the University of Freiburg hosted the Forestry Science Conference (FowiTa) under the motto ‘Forest – New – Thinking’. Around 600 experts in forestry and environmental sciences as well as forestry practitioners from all over Germany gathered in Freiburg to discuss the future of the forest. In this interview, the organisers Prof. Dr. Friederike Lang and Prof. Dr. Thomas Seifert explain the ideas that emerged from the conference.

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