Biodiversity Policy Lab

The “Biodiversity Policy Lab” (BPL) is a research unit at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. The BPL’s work focuses on analysing biodiversity policy, advising decision-makers, and facilitating or initiating public debate. The BPL’s aim is to make the diversity of species, genes and ecosystems a matter of public concern – a matter for which societies must take responsibility, ensuring its conservation and use in accordance with sustainability criteria.

The BPL builds on the strengths of a natural history research museum: the MfN is a centre for collection-based research into evolution and biodiversity, whilst its exhibition serves as a forum for anyone with an intellectual or practical interest in nature. The BPL combines these strengths with research in the social sciences and humanities on the co-evolution of nature and society.

Within this framework, the “Alliance of University and Non-University Biodiversity Research in Germany”, coordinated by the BPL, was established as an association of the largest research networks within the academic biodiversity community – with the aim of issuing joint statements and developing solutions to key issues in current biodiversity research. As a point of contact for various stakeholders from politics, administration and civil society, particularly on the topics of access and benefit sharing (ABS) and digital sequence information (DSI), the platform contributes to constructive debate and a fairer distribution of biodiversity benefits. 

Partners

VBIO – Association for Biology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine in Germany (https://www.vbio.de)
DNFS – German Natural Science Research Collections (https://www.dnfs.de)
NFDI – National Research Data Infrastructure Association (https://www.nfdi.de)