The Leuphana University Lüneburg is leading a transformative initiative to enhance biodiversity education in the Carpathians through the ProBioTIC project. Despite its ecological significance, the Carpathian region struggles to link biodiversity and sustainability science with policy and community action. The project fosters collaboration between young researchers, students, and local stakeholders, emphasizing the integration of traditional knowledge and sustainable consumption practices.
Leuphana University Lüneburg, supported by funding from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), is leading a transformative initiative to enhance biodiversity education in the Carpathian region through the project "ProBioTIC: Promoting Biodiversity through Transdisciplinary Learning Interventions in the Carpathian Region".
The Carpathian region, spanning seven countries, is one of Europe’s most biodiverse areas, hosting unique ecosystems and species such as bears, wolves, and diverse bird populations. Despite its ecological significance, challenges remain in connecting biodiversity and sustainability science with policy and community action. ProBioTIC addresses these challenges by fostering collaboration between young researchers, students, and local stakeholders, emphasizing the integration of traditional knowledge and sustainable consumption practices.
Central to the project is a transdisciplinary module co-developed by Leuphana University and Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In this course, students collaborate with stakeholders from the Carpathian region to co-create community-led and context-specific learning interventions that promote biodiversity and sustainable consumption. This includes campaigns addressing human-wildlife coexistence, the touristic value of biodiversity, and sustainable food practices.
Following the Carpathian Convention, a transboundary agreement for the protection of the most biodiverse region in Europe, ProBioTIC aims to emphasize the role of ESD and transdisciplinary learning in addressing local and regional challenges, foster dialogue between different stakeholders, and deliver policy recommendations to drive sustainable change in the Carpathians and beyond.
This project is funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) and is implemented by Leuphana University Lüneburg in cooperation with partners: The Human-Environmental Systems Research Centre at the Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland, The HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary, and Dr. Tamara Mitrofanenko, an independent consultant.
For more information and updates on the project, visit the Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute (SETRI) at Leuphana University. If you have any questions or would like to contribute, please contact the project’s coordinator, Senan Gardiner, at
