The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz - BfN) started work in August 1993. It was formed from the Federal Research Centre for Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology and from species protection boards of the Federal Nutrition and Forestry Agency. It was also assigned species protection functions from the Federal Economic Agency.

The BfN is the central scientific authority at federal level for national and international nature conservation and landscape management.



It is based in Bonn and has branches in Leipzig and on the island of Vilm (off the coast of the larger island of Rügen). The International Nature Conservation Academy of the Island of Vilm is part of the Vilm branch. The BfN has a total of around 290 employees.

The BfN...

 

• advises the Federal Government,
• provides support for federal development programmes,
• approves imports and exports of protected animal and plant species
• conducts its own research and awards research assignments
• provides information about the results of its work.

With the results of these activities, the BfN provides aids to decision making in the legislative process and supports the practical work of administrative authorities and nature conservation associations.

The BfN operates a central nationwide literature documentation and information system and a landscape information system. It thereby lays the foundations for systematic scientific work and for rapid and reliable information about nature conservation and landscape management issues.

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is also integrated in the UNESCO programme "Mankind and the Biosphere" (MAB). The BfN publishes the magazine "Natur und Landschaft" and also publishes material in several series of its own.

To the BfN website