EcoUnity: Nature Conservation for Everyone
01.01.2025 – 31.12.2026

“EcoUnity: Nature Conservation for Everyone” examines how people with a migrant background can be encouraged to become more involved in voluntary nature conservation work. The starting point is that people with a migrant background have so far been under-represented in nature conservation, meaning that important perspectives and the potential offered by a diverse society are often overlooked.

The project examines which factors facilitate or hinder access to nature conservation volunteering, and how outreach, participation and support need to be structured to make nature conservation more inclusive. The aim is to highlight barriers, develop new approaches in collaboration with people with a migration background and civil society partners, and, in the long term, strengthen a more diverse culture of engagement in nature conservation.

EcoUnity follows a co-creative citizen science approach. People with a migration background have conducted interviews within their own communities. They asked about the hurdles and barriers to getting involved in nature conservation. They also wanted to know what would make opportunities for engagement in nature conservation more accessible and attractive. Based on the results, it is possible to identify conditions that enhance personal well-being and make opportunities for engagement more appealing. 

In EcoUnity, the insights gained are translated into concrete opportunities for engagement and implemented in collaboration with partners from the nature conservation sector and migrant self-help organisations. Through more than ten initiatives, the project is examining how participation opportunities need to be designed to ensure they offer low-threshold access and build on existing interests, experiences and networks. The lessons learnt from these formats are incorporated into recommendations for inclusive opportunities for engagement in nature conservation.

A key outcome of the project is a set of practical recommendations for nature conservation organisations. These bring together findings from research and practical trials and demonstrate how inclusive participation in nature and environmental conservation can be successfully achieved.

Partners

EcoUnity is being implemented by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in collaboration with partners from the fields of nature conservation and migrant self-help organisations. These partners include the NABU Berlin Regional Association, the Berlin Nature Conservation Foundation, the Bergwaldprojekt e.V., the Berlin State Working Group on Nature, Grün Berlin, Essbare Straße e.V., Zukunftskiez Dammweg216 e.V., the Berliner Bürgerplattformen, interaktiv e.V. and moveGLOBAL e.V. 

The key cooperation partner is Yeşil Çember – ökologisch interkulturell gGmbH, which supports the project in particular by ensuring a culturally sensitive approach to target groups, facilitating access to opportunities for civic engagement, and assisting with the development, implementation and evaluation of participatory formats. The project is also supported by Dr Nicola Moczek of PSY:PLAN.

The network also includes further associated partners who contribute complementary perspectives, networks and practical experience from the fields of nature conservation, urban society and civic engagement.