For five years, an interdisciplinary team involving Goethe University Frankfurt conducted research on promoting insect diversity in cities – using the city of Frankfurt as a case study. On 14 May 2025, the key findings were presented during a closing event at the Palmengarten in Frankfurt. The event primarily addressed representatives from municipalities, academia, and urban society.
The aim of the project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and led by ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, was to explore new ways of designing urban green spaces to be insect-friendly and to engage citizens in insect conservation.
Goethe University contributed to the scientific aspect of the project. Together with other research partners, a wide range of insect species – including endangered species and some identified in Hesse for the first time – were detected using an innovative environmental DNA monitoring approach.
To promote appreciation for insects, SLInBio complemented its natural and social science research with creative citizen participation: exhibitions, workshops, citizen science activities, and artistic interventions enabled diverse approaches to the topic of insect protection in urban spaces.
More information (in German) about the project “SLInBio – Urban Lifestyles and the Valorization of Biodiversity: Dragonflies, Grasshoppers, Bumblebees & Co.” can be found at: : www.insektenvielfalt-frankfurt.org/
ISOE press release (in German): Eine Stadt für mehr Insektenschutz: Frankfurter Forschungsprojekt stellt zentrale Ergebnisse vor | ISOE Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung
