Ecosystem Services TU Dresden

Overview

The MSc Ecosystem Services from TU Dresden combines the natural and social sciences expertise of the International Institute (IHI) Zittau and the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at TU Dresden, the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz, and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden.

The global loss of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation are among the grand challenges of global environmental change. In this context, ecosystem services as the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems for human well-being are gaining increasing attention in science, policy and society. Identifying, mapping and assessing ecosystem services as well as capturing their values in public and private decision-making are important objectives of national, 

European and international biodiversity and sustainability strategies. At the global level, this demanding task is not least part of the working programme of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). IPBES is an intergovernmental body which assesses the state of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services it provides to society, in response to requests from decision makers.

Professional field

• Research and education (universities, research centres, industry)
• Public administration (e.g., environmental and conservation ministries, public agencies)
• Business; Economic and policy consultancy
• International organisations (e.g., UNEP, FAO, World Bank)
• Non-governmental organisations (e.g., conservation NGOs, such as WWF, IUCN)
• Scientific management