Nature protection

The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Munich (ZSM) & The Bavarian Botany and Mycology State Collection Munich (BSM)
Research station Panguana

Scientific collections of animals or plants provide a data basis for the protection of ecologically unique habitats. Researchers at the ZSM and the BSM have, for example, gathered highly diverse animal and plant groups in the research station Panguana in the Peruvian rainforest – a true hotspot of biodiversity – and evaluated them scientifically. In 2011, the approximately 10 km² area around Panguana has been declared a nature conservation area by the Peruvian Department of Environment.

Information on Panguana including publications

The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Munich (ZSM)
Biodiversity in Madagascar

Human impact on the landscape of Madagascar has resulted in habitat destruction of many amphibians, lizards, snakes and turtles. Many species in the same area have yet to be discovered. It is only by studying the biodiversity that the threat for many animal groups can be determined at all. This also makes a valuable contribution towards recognizing regions of Madagascar that are particularly worth protecting.

List of publications on Madagascar’s biodiversity

The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Munich (ZSM)
It’s buzzing in the Bavarian Forest!

Also in Germany, there are areas that stand out due to their high density of biodiversity – so called hotspots, such as the national park Bavarian Forest. An insect-capture project of the ZSM aiming to study the biodiversity there produced some surprising results. The scientists found that, there are many more native insect species than initially thought in the Bavarian Forest. In only five months, almost 30,000 insects representing 2,530 species were captured in a single insect trap installed in the national park,. This is an enormous number, if you consider that so far, only 3,257 insect species have been recorded within the entire national park. It is thus presumed that many more species than expected exist there. Especially with regard to the ongoing species extinction which can still be observed, this result is surprising.

Link to Malaise-trap project