The Leibniz-IZW is an internationally renowned German research institute. It is part of the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. and a member of the Leibniz Association. Our goal is to understand the adaptability of wildlife in the context of global change and to contribute to the enhancement of the survival of viable wildlife populations. For this purpose, we investigate the diversity of life histories, the mechanisms of evolutionary adaptations and their limits, including diseases, as well as the interrelations of wildlife with their environment and people. We use expertise from biology and veterinary medicine in an interdisciplinary approach to conduct fundamental and applied research – from the molecular to the landscape level – in close dialogue with the public and stakeholders. Additionally, we are committed to unique and high-quality services for the scientific community.
+++ Current information on African swine fever: The Leibniz-IZW conducts research on the population dynamics, on models of disease outbreaks in wild boars and on the ecology and human-wildlife interaction in urban areas. African swine fever is a reportable disease in domestic swine and therefor is the purview of the respective federal state laboratories and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (Federal Research Institute for Animal Health) FLI. +++
News
Swedish capercaillies are becoming real citizens in Brandenburg
Bad Liebenwerda, Germany - Using molecular genetic tools, scientists have demonstrated the existence of a grandchildren’s generation of capercaillies in the south of Brandenburg in East Germany. A pilot conservation project reintroduced these endangered birds to the German nature reserves “Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft” and “Niederlausitzer Landrücken” as recently as 2012. The founder population was wild caught in Sweden and then transferred to Brandenburg.
Read more … Swedish capercaillies are becoming real citizens in Brandenburg
Like father like son: Increased ambient temperatures lead to epigenetic modifications in exposed wild guinea pigs which can even be transmitted to the next generation
Fathers are able to adjust to increasing temperatures within their own lifetime and do transmit this information to their offspring. This has now been shown for the first time in a wild animal. The findings were the result of a project within the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation and have been published in the scientific journal “Molecular Ecology”.
Reproduction and stem cell researchers set up a rescue plan for Northern White Rhino
International scientists set up a rescue plan for the worldwide last three northern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum cottoni). The goal is to use the remaining three rhinos and tissue samples from already dead individuals to multiply them into a viable self-sustaining population. For this purpose scientists apply recent findings in reproduction and stem cell research.
Read more … Reproduction and stem cell researchers set up a rescue plan for Northern White Rhino
Saving the Northern White Rhino – International Rescue Meeting in Vienna
An international team of the world’s leading reproductive and genetic experts will meet from 3rd – 6th December, 2015 in Vienna with the purpose of fighting extinction. The meeting, organised by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Germany, San Diego Zoo Global in the United States, Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Austria and ZOO Dvůr Králové of the Czech Republic will include scientists from four continents. The goal of the meeting will be to setup a master plan to save the northern white rhino, a species on the brink of extinction.
Read more … Saving the Northern White Rhino – International Rescue Meeting in Vienna
Bat immune receptors are one of a kind
An international team of scientists discovered that in bats Toll-like receptors, the first-line defence mechanism against invading pathogens, are different from other mammals. This suggests that the way bats recognise certain pathogens may be different than in other species and help explain why bats appear to suffer little from some pathogens which cause serious disease or mortality in other mammals. The study has been published in the scientific journal “Molecular Ecology”.
Hope for Asia’s wildlife: Reforestation measures and new wildlife corridors in Borneo
Owing to their high emission of CO2 and the destruction of large forest areas, the forest fires currently burning in Southeast Asia lead to an environmental disaster of unsuspected dimensions. One of the world’s most species-rich habitats is destroyed to clear land for new oil palm plantations. A ray of hope for Asia’s wildlife is presented by the agreement between the Rhino and Forest Fund (RFF) and the state government of Sabah, Malaysia, signed on 11th November 2015. The memorandum of understanding lays the foundation for urgently needed reforestation measures of degraded rain forest areas and the establishment of wildlife corridors. A further milestone is a donation of more than 460 ha of forest land to the Sabah Forestry Department on 11th November 2015, which has been initiated by the RFF. The land will be declared as conservation area and will eventually serve as a wildlife corridor between already existing nature reserves.
Read more … Hope for Asia’s wildlife: Reforestation measures and new wildlife corridors in Borneo
Standardised mammal surveys in support of law enforcement and measuring conservation success; an example from the Central Annamites
HUE, November 10, 2015 - From 10 to 11 November 2015, the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and WWF’S Carbon and Biodiversity (CarBi) programme will jointly host a workshop on the application of standardised biodiversity surveys in forests in Vietnam. Results from four protected areas, namely Bach Ma National Park, Quang Nam and Hue Saola Nature Reserves (Vietnam), and Xe Sap National Protected Area (Laos), will be presented and discussed by national and international scientists and stakeholders.
Why do animals dig waterholes?
Scientists from Berlin showed that animals in the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, East Africa, already dig waterholes during dry seasons even if water is still available in the riverbed. When the river dries up and the water stops flowing, the water quality in the remaining pools deteriorates as they are contaminated with faeces and bacteria. In order to gain clean drinking water the animals have to find new water sources. The study has been published in the scientific journal „Mammalian Biology“...