The UNESCO Chair Bownbag Sessions
"come have lunch with us!"

Conservationists should never eat alone! The UNESCO Chairon Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences invites partnersand friends to lunch. We meet virtually every Wednesday at lunchtime (12.30 CET) with our brown bags. Different representatives of grassroots initiatives, international organizations,and the academic community give short introductions to their work on nature conservation in the 21st century andcontribute to our lunchtime discussions.

The presentationsare recorded and made available far beyond lunchtime.

If you would like to take part virtually in a brownbag session, please contact us via E-Mail!
iceb@cuas.at

List of all Videos

How are we re-launching a historic scientific journal to meet modern-day standards, Michael & Daniel?
01.07.2026 | Michael Jungmeier & Daniel Dalton | Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria

Beyond the eviction of the Maasai community in Tanzania, can nature conservation be addressed without affecting human relationships and feelings?
24.06.2026 | Sabrina Muscolino | Junior Researcher, Carinthia University of Applied University, Austria

From Concrete to Living Skin: Can Mosses Rewrite Urban Resilience, Katia and Enrica?
17.06.2026 | Katia Perini & Enrica Roccotiello | University of Genoa, Italy

Agricultural habitat restoration: butterflies approve, bumblebees hesitate. What now, Sebastiano?
10.06.2026 | Sebastiano Favarin | Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Is local environmental intelligence the knowledge system we've been overlooking, David?
03.06.2026 | K. David Harrison | inaugural UNESCO Chairholder in Environmental Leadership, Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity at the VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam

Bye-bye butterfly net: will we just be washing flowers in the future Bettina?
20.05.2026 | Bettina Thalinger | TRIDENT Group Leader, WasserCluster Lunz, Austria

Are we protecting children, or erasing their roles in society, Camilla?
13.05.2026 | Camilla Morelli | Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Bristol, UK

Is data quality the unseen step in ecological modelling, Marta?
06.05.2026 | Marta Rodríguez-Rey | Assistant Professor and researcher at the University of Alcalá, Spain

What can the managers of protected areas do to improve the habitats and ecological connectivity for large carnivores, Polona?
29.04.2026 | Polona Zakrajšek | Junior Researcher at the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas

How can we safe(guard) urban biodiversity, Isa Klee?
22.04.2026 | Isabella Klebinger | Öko Campus Wien, multispecies urbanist, biodiversifier and artist

Do Alpine Ibexes need a law degree to cross the border, Hanna?
15.04.2026 | Hanna Öllös | Head of Projects, CIPRA International Lab, Austria

Anna, can the Box Breathing Approach be also applied to Nature Conservation?
08.04.2026 | Anna Hollerer | Junior Researcher at ConNA (Construction Need Nature) at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria

Could environmental DNA monitoring become so powerful that it changes who controls conservation decisions — and how, Teja?
01.04.2026 | Teja Muha | Strategic Project Developer at ICEB Research Center, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria

Arks of Plant Diversity: Why are Genebanks Essential for our Future Nutrition, Sylvia?
25.03.2026 | Sylvia | Curator of Austria’s largest plant genebank at the AGES, Linz

How can we communicate climate science without doomsday scenarios, Helene?
18.03.2026 | Dr. Helene Hoffmann | Postdoctoral Researcher, Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Germany

Can bracken support biodiversity, Barbara?
11.03.2026 | Barbara Turk Niskač | Postdoctoral research fellow, Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, ZRC SAZU, Slovenia

How can we monitor pollinators without ever seeing them, Ilja?
04.03.2026 | Ilja Svetnik | Junior researcher at UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Management for Conservation Areas and Science Communication & Outreach Officer for ICEB - Interdisciplinary Center for Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity, Villach

Do restoration measures in the Danube really improve biodiversity – or is it just “all for the fish”, Thomas?
25.02.2026 | Thomas Hein | Head of the CD Laboratory MERI & Head of the Institute of Hydrobiology at BOKU University Austria

Can green infrastructure save our cities, Paolo?
11.02.2026 | Paolo Viskanic | CEO of R3GIS, Italy

Why does nature conservation needs a new international designation, José?
04.02.2026 | José Brilha | Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Geodiversity and Geoconservation at the University of Minho, Portugal

Are Asia-Pacific National Parks really safe homes for Pandas, Orangutans and Asian Elephants – or are we just telling ourselves they are, Liyuan?
28.01.2026 | Liyuan Qian | Associate Professor in the Landscape Department, School of Architecture, Southwest Jiaotong University, China

Does ‘good lighting’ always mean a 'bad night' for a bat, Chiara?
21.01.2026 | Chiara Carucci | Founder at Noctua Cultural & Natural Heritage, Italy

Life at 3100 Meters: Who Knew Bugs Could Be This Chill?
14.01.2026 | Sarah Marie Wagner | University of Salzburg

Can peatlands save the world, Harald?
17.12.2025 | Harald Zechmeister | Senior Scientist, University of Vienna, Department for Botany and Biodiversity Research, Vienna, Austria

When does biological intelligence (BI) outsmart AI?
10.12.2025 | Leopold Slotta-Bachmayr | Wildlife ecologist, head trainer, Naturschutzhunde, Austria

City life vs country life? Adaptations of a bird of prey to urbanization.
03.12.2025 | Gianluca Damiani | Naturalist and wildlife photographer, currently, PhD student at the Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (University of Tuscia), Rome (Italy)

Do the echoes of land restoration speak louder than the silence of degradation, Frederik?
26.11.2025 | Sachser Frederik | Researcher, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Austria

Do we really need another study on green exposure and wellbeing, Ludovica?
19.11.2025 | Ludovica Sparro | Master's student at La Sapienza University of Rome

Harmony or Hype? Media Discourses on the Coexistence of Alpine Farming and Tourism
12.11.2025 | Pachucki, Christoph | Postdoctoral researcher, University of Innsbruck, Austria

How is it possible, that we know almost nothing about the biggest ecosystem in the Alps, Christian?
05.11.2025 | Christian Komposch | CEO and zoologist at the ÖKOTEAM – Institute of Animal Ecology and Landscape Planning, Austria

Mapping wolves in Austra: what can environmental models predict - and human landscapes prevent, Sara?
29.10.2025 | Sara Aref Zahed | Research staff at WIFO (Austrian Institute of Economic Research)

How can recognizing the invisible value of mangroves contribute to sustainable management and conservation in Mozambique?
22.10.2025 | Noemi Bernardini & Davide Crescenzi | Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

How can Arduinos be used as a low-cost sensor network for high-resolution microclimate monitoring in natural environments, Adam?
15.10.2025 | Clark, Adam Thomas | Associate Professor, University of Graz, Austria)

Is intangible heritage becoming too intangible - vanishing faster than we can document it, Rūta and Lote?
08.10.2025 | Rūta Muktupāvela & Lote Katrīna Cērpa | Professor, Leading Researcher, The Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies of the Lavian Academy of Culture, Latvia and Representative of Latvia in UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions | Research Assistant, The Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies of the Lavian Academy of Culture, Latvia

How close are we to having a reliable model predicting bird species diversity based on acoustic monitoring, Daniel?
01.10.2025 | Daniel Dalton | Senior Researcher, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria

Why should we use visual participatory methods with young research participants, Chi?
24.09.2025 | Kim Chi Tran | Researcher from the International Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands and UNESCO Chair of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Austria

What can bats teach us about changing conservation norms, Rym?
02.07.2025 | Rym Nouioua | Doctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Vienna

Are you going wild about nature, Andreas?
25.06.2025 | Andreas Kaufmann | Managing Director GoWild Intl. – Zoo & Wildlife Consulting Services, Austria

Running from the weather: How mother nature became the world's rudest eviction notice, Isidoro?
18.06.2025 | Isidoro De Bortoli |S enior researcher and environmental lawyer at the Institute for Regional Development of Eurac Research (Italy)

Can we combine biodiversity increase and climate protection with food and resource production through agroforestry, Mario?
11.06.2025 | Mario Molinar | Science communicator and innovation developer for environmental strategies, Alpen-Adria University a. o. institutions in Carinthia, Austria

A light pollution record - but do we really need to spend the effort?
 
04.06.2025 | Christopher Rogi | Dark Sky advocate and member of the "Paten der Nacht - Österreich", Austria

How does the fungus end up in the database, Erik?
28.05.2025 | Erik Aarden | a researcher in science, technology, and society at Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt

How do dietary niche changes and vacant niche filling shape the success of invasive Ponto-Caspian amphipods outside their native range, Denis?
21.05.2025 | Denis Copilas-Ciocianu | Senior researcher, Nature Research Centre, Lithuania

How do portable tools enable to assess freshwater biodiversity in protected areas using eDNA,Vid?
14.05.2025 | Vid Švara | Senior researcher at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

How Do You Measure Visitor Impact on Hiking Trails?
07.05.2025 | Jakub Chromcak | Researcher at Zilina University and lead partner of the INTERREG Central Europe project HUMANITA

How can we use remote sensing technologies to assess soil erosion on mountain trails, Alessandro?
30.04.2025 | Alessandro Valetta | Researcher at University of Parma

What is a Miyawaki forest?
23.04.2025 | Mojca Nastran | Assistant professor at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana

World Heritage Glaciers in times of climate change: What will happen if they come to disappear?
16.04.2025 | Tales Carvalho Resende | Project Officer at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre

What factors influence forest ecology, and the amount of carbon stored in temperate primary forests?
09.04.2025 | Ralhan Dheeraj | Postdoctoral researcher, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Why not going down from the stupid summits? – On some pros and cons of alpine biodiversity monitoring
02.04.2025 | Harald Pauli | International GLORIA Coordination at OEAW/IGF-Mountain Research and BOKU/Botany

Can Butterfly Monitoring Contribute to Evaluating the EU Restoration Law?    
26.03.2025 | Rüdisser, Johannes Markus | University of Innsbruck

Beneath the Pavement: What are the hidden truths of land cover segmentation?
19.03.2025 | Petschnigg, Christina | Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH

Why should the daffodil meadows in Ausseerland be protected and preserved?    
12.03.2025 | Franziska Miller-Aichholz | ecologist and head of the Verein zum Schutz und Erhalt der Narzissenwiesen, Austria

Bad or good memory: how can open access tools help us understand ecological connectivity, Zaira?
05.03.2025 | Zaira Valgi | Junior Ecologist at the COREBIOM Project and intern at the Natural History Museum, Mozambique

Will autonomous robots come to the rescue of endangered ecosystems, Thomas?
26.02.2025 | Schmickl, Thomas | Professor at the Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Austria

Why should global conservation strategies prioritize youth programs like Nature Guardians, Augusto?
19.02.2025 | Augusto Júnior Nhampossa | Junior Project Manager at Associação Natura Moçambique

The end of the night is near. How can we save the naturally dark night, Clemens?
12.02.2025 | Christian Schnaitl | Speaker of “Paten der Nacht – Österreich“

How do visitors plan, navigate, and track their adventures in conservation areas, Lilia?
05.02.2025 | Lilia Schmalzl | Senior researcher at UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Management of Conservation areas

What is the role of citizen science in biodiversity research in Austria, Daniel and Florian?
29.01.2025 | Daniel Dörler; Florian Heigl | Senior scientists for citizen science at BOKU University, Austria

No kangaroos in Austria (or maybe not just yet?), but Australian IT infrastructure for Austria’s biodiversity portal?
22.01.2025 | Christian Lettner | Project staff at the Austrian Biodiversity-Hub, University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria

What are traditional sustainable forms of land use in the Donau-Auen National Park and if any, shall we maintain all of them?
15.01.2025 | Leputsch Susanne | Coordinator for the Donau-Auen National Park in Vienna, Austria

Is it still ecologically justifiable to eat ruminants? Do we have to choose between climate protection and the preservation of mountain pastures and meadows?
08.01.2025 | Susanne Aigner | Ökologiebüro Aigner, Austria

Is there a chance to bridge the gap between the educational systems at universities, funding and talented researchers, Ruth?
18.12.2024 | Ruth Swoboda | Director of the inatura Erlebnis Naturschau in Dornbirn, Austria

Higher and bigger: can bat population dynamics signal ongoing climate change?
11.12.2024 | Marta Polizzi | Junior Researcher at UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas

Did the Austrian minister save Europe’s degraded nature?
04.12.2024 | An Cliquet | Biodiversity law professor at Ghent University, Belgium

What can narratives on human-nature interactions tell us about risks, Paola?
27.11.2024 | Fontanella Paola | Programme Associate Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS)

Should we combine conventional and eDNA data to select priority areas for freshwater conservation, Joana?
20.11.2024 | Joana G. Nogueira | PhD student at Biopolis/CIBIO-InBIO research group APPLECOL, FRESHCODE

The 30×30 biodiversity target : mirage or reality?
13.11.2024 | Jo Mulongoy | President of the Institute for Enhanced Livelihoods

Can international experts, activists and scientific expeditions help Komarnica Canyon achieve UNESCO protection against hydropower threats, Andrijana?
06.11.2024 | Andrijana Mićanović | Researcher and project coordinator at the Montenegrin Ecologists Society

Brochures, butterflies and more – What drives businesses to apply and change for protected areas’ branding initiatives, Maren?
30.10.2024 | Maren Kleinau | PhD candidate at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg

How can we categorize the extinction risk of species, Peter?
23.10.2024 | Zulka Klaus Peter | Senior expert at Environment Agency Austria

Protected Area Labels for agri-food products: A real solution for biodiversity, or just another fancy sticker, Athina?
16.10.2024 | Athina Koutsouki | PhD candidate at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

How can the barcoding community respond to global conservation needs?
09.10.2024 | Adriana Radulovici | Executive Secretary of the International Barcode of Life

Can conservation research findings really become the next billion-Dollar Startup – with a little help from the Gründergarage, Petra? 
02.10.2024 | Petra Hössl | Senior Researcher in the Industrial Engineering program at CUAS

How did one tree conquer a whole continent, Anna?  
25.09.2024 | Anna Kovarovics | Expert on conservation areas at E.C.O. Institute of Ecology

Whinchat are you still singing in the Alpes vaudoises, Jean-Christophe?
10.07.2024 | Jean Christophe Fallet | secrétaire exécutif at Alpes vivantes

How can we optimise the overtourism in national parks?
03.07.2024 | Mateusz Rogowski | Chair of Tourism and Recreation at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland

When should environmental restoration start in Ukraine?
26.06.2024 | Bohdan Vykhor | executive director at WWF Ukraine

Can stink bug control work with robots and drones, Manfred?
19.06.2024 | Hartbauer, Manfred | Professor at the University of Graz

How Can Free Conservation Tools Help Turn the Tide for Endangered Species, Adam?
12.06.2024 | Adam Turner | Wildlife Ranger And Conservation Biologist

30x30 can we learn from the past or are we doomed to repeat the same mistakes, Olivier?
05.06.2024 | Olivier Hymas | Senior Researcher at University of Lausanne, Coordinator of the IUCN-WCPA OECM Europe Working group

Wolfgang, what are the facts about the European Restoration Law?
29.05.2024 | Wolfgang Suske | expert for nature protection and executive director of Suske consulting

20 Years of Carpathian Convention. What are the strong and what are the weak points, Harald?
22.05.2024 | Harald Egerer | Head of UNEP Vienna Programme Office - Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention

How can we design a transdisciplinary exploration of a national park, Monika?
15.05.2024 | Monika Auinger | Junior Researcher at the UNESCO Chair on sustainable management of conservation areas

How can we trace the unintended dispersal of neophytes in protected areas using eDNA, Vid?
08.05.2024 | Vid Švara | Senior Researcher at the UNESCO Chair on sustainable management of conservation areas

How to strengthen transnational cooperation on Alpine biodiversity issues, Claire?
24.04.2024 | Claire de Kermadec | project officer at the permanent secretariat of the Alpine Convention

What is the current legal basis for ensuring safety on visitor trails in Austria's national parks and what criteria can be used for hazard tree management adapted to the requirements of the protected area, Karoline and Ernst?
17.04.2024 | Karoline Zsak, Ernst Karner | employee in the Donau-Auen National Park, professor for Civil Law at University of Vienna

Legal realization of biosphere reserve concepts: One size fits all, Anna?
10.04.2024 | Anna Kovbasniuk | Youth Representative in the EuroMAB Steering Committee

Is it possible to build up a credible regional narrative and a fancy brand story for a nature destination all at once, David & Johannes?
03.04.2024 | David Osebik, Johannes Terler | tourism and regional development experts

Why do we need to save old-growth forests, Zoltan?
27.03.2024 | Kun Zoltán | member of the WCPA Europe leadership group

What the hell is the EUROPARC Federation and its connection to national parks, Michael?
20.03.2024 | Michael Hošek | President of the EUROPARC Federation and expert on international biodiversity conservation

What are the innovative and hands-on practices of nature conservation engineers, Elisabeth?
13.03.2024 | Elisabeth Wiegele | Junior Researcher at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

How can we create green toad breeding habitats using Citizen Science, Lukas?
06.03.2024 | Lukas Landler | researcher at the Institute of Zoology at the University for Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

How can cooperation between universities and national or biosphere reserves support regional development, Svetlana?
28.02.2024 | Buko Svetlana | head of the degree programme "Intercultural Management", Vice Dean, School of Management Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

How can we harmonize biodiversity conservation and agriculture, Bea?
21.02.2024 | Bea Maas | agro-ecologist, conservation scientist and equality advocate at the University of Vienna

What are environmental and socio-economic impacts of new variants of root chicory, Maria?
14.02.2024 | Maria Hingsamer | scientist and project coordinator at JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH

From the First World War events and heritage to the cross-border Walk of Peace, what difference does a century of time make, Maša?
07.02.2024 | Maša Klavora | director of the Walk of Peace in the Soča Region Foundation

How can we support protected area staff to achieve the 30x30 target of the Global Biodiversity Framework, Olga?
31.01.2024 | Olga Biegus | Programme Manager at the Universal Ranger Support Alliance

How is working as a shepherdess on alpine pastures in Tirol, Maria?
24.01.2024 | Maria Naynar | University of Vienna

How can we rebuild wild-bee habitats, that have been lost, Ilja?
17.01.2024 | Ilja Svetnik | Junior Researcher at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

How do you monitor plant, insect and habitat diversity in the Austrian farmland, Kathrin?
10.01.2024 | Kathrin Pascher | senior researcher with a focus on biodiversity and ecological risk assessment of genetically modified organisms, lecturer at the University of Vienna and the University for Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) as well as coordinator of the National Hub Biodiversity & Water (BiodiWa)