As a biologist I was very interested in the Poster Session “Biodiversity and ecosystem services”. Bernhard Freyer from BOKU Vienna (organisator of next year’s Tropentag) lead as the session chair and connected the different topics of the posters quite well. Interesting discussions developed subsequent to the presentations. Bernhard Freyer opens the discussion. Continue...

I talked to Mr Siegfried Harrer of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) – an office that is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) with German Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Schmidt. BMEL is one of the donors of Tropentag 2015. Harrer said that BMEL is spending 8.5 million Euros on 8 different science projects this year. The main interest of BLE being at Tropentag is to get in contact with other organizations and researchers. They organize workshops for local farmers around the world. Furthermore they have upcoming possibilities for young scientists from developing countries to get grants.

We just reached over 1000 participants here at Tropentag 2015 in Berlin! This is a new all-time record. Last year in Prague there were 686 participants from 66 countries. Next year the Tropentag host will be Vienna, Austria. See all statistics at ATSAF homepage here

Poster Session 1.3 Biodiversity and ecosystem services Lisa Stefanie Lautz from Kassel University, Germany, presented her poster about the Mexican local crop ‘Nance’ (Byrsonima crassifolia) today. This plant is cultivated in home gardens and the tropical fruits are eaten and sold on local markets. Byrsonima occurs in Central and South America and is a member of the “acerola” family of Malpighiaceae. In Yucatán it has nearly disappeared from the wild... Continue...

Poster Session 1.3 Biodiversity and ecosystem services Kai Behn, University of Bonn, Germany, presented a really informative poster at this mornings poster session. His studies are about different plant species on fallow cropland in a valley in Namulonge, Uganda.

here are some pictures of the day. enjoy. get your bag get some fruit get connected get started