Elite Network of Bavaria Forum: Biodiversity in Transition - Challenges for the Future

University of Bayreuth | 17 July, 2026.  

We would like to cordially invite you to a festive evening dedicated to one of the key issues of our time: the ongoing loss of biodiversity and the ways in which this trend can be countered through decisive action in science, politics and society. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the Global Change Ecology MSc programme within the Bavarian Elite Network.

We are delighted to have secured Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Mosbrugger as our keynote speaker. He is the former Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research in Frankfurt and will hold the Johannes Gutenberg Endowed Chair at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in 2026. In his lecture, he will examine the causes and dynamics of biodiversity loss while also highlighting concrete solutions and courses of action. Among other things, the focus will be on the political framework, institutional responsibility and the role of universities as centres of research, education and social transformation.

The loss of biological diversity is one of the core themes of the international Master’s programme in Global Change Ecology. Its innovative approach – which aims not only to impart scientific understanding to students from diverse academic backgrounds for the development of solutions, but also to examine the processes required for societal acceptance and political implementation at an international level – impressed the Bavarian Elite Network as early as 2006 and remains pioneering.

We are delighted to mark the 20th anniversary of the programme with this gala evening and to introduce the topic of global and regional biodiversity loss – which still receives too little public attention – to a wider audience.

Please register your attendance by Friday, 10 July 2026 at the latest via this link.