The variety of life on earth is extraordinary. While humans have discovered and described about two million species, no one can say how many species live on earth in total. This is not only due to their sheer abundance, but also because many of them are hard to find, or living in habitats inaccessible for humans. At the same time, the interrelations between the ecological systems are complex and though we know about the accelerating pace of biodiversity loss, much more information is needed to combat it efficiently.

In this regard, innovative technology and international collaboration play a key role. In the 9th DWIH Coffee Talk, three experts talked about current Japanese-German efforts in biodiversity research – by diving into the deep sea, monitoring bird movements or analysing habitat distribution and impacts of human activity.