The great crawl

Understanding what biodiversity means for our lives

There are alarmingly fewer creeps, flies, chirps and hums in Germany's meadows and forests. "When you went on vacation with your parents and grandparents, the windshields used to be full after a few hours. They're empty today. Insect mortality is a reality!" says Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus.

Some may ask: What has the mosquito ever done for me (after the book title by Dr. Frauke Fischer). Wouldn't it be fantastic if mosquitoes died out? The clear answer to this: No! Nature is a network in which every organism plays an important role. No species exists independently. We could not survive without the diversity of nature. All the numerous insects perform important tasks: They pollinate three-quarters of our crops, loosen soils, destroy carrion, decompose organic matter and thus maintain soil fertility or clean water bodies.

The insects are eco-service providers with six legs.

And there's more bad news: Without mosquitoes, there would be no chocolate either. Cocoa flowers are so tiny that only very small insects like mosquitoes can reach their pollen.

But species extinction is only one part of biodiversity. "Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on our planet. This includes the genetic diversity within a species, the diversity of animal and plant species, and the diversity of ecosystems and their services. Biodiversity is therefore much more than the sum of all species. For the sake of simplicity, people often speak only of species diversity. However, this is neither scientifically correct nor does it do justice to the importance of biological diversity for us. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are not only the basis of our survival, but also the fundamental prerequisite of all economic activity." (Agency Up!)

We depend on biodiversity. It provides us with food, active ingredients for medicines, recreation and regulates the climate. It is the basis of our existence. Diversity means life.

But what does biodiversity have to do with entrepreneurship? Many founders develop business models that work with nature rather than against it. Below we show examples.

RESHAPING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND INSECTS 

Insect Day on 30.03.2023 at the Environmental Forum Berlin

The insect population is decreasing dramatically. Over 40% of insect species are endangered. Just under 5% are considered extinct. It is time to act. 

Insect Respect® is organizing the 4th Insect Day in Germany. The goal: to encourage and inspire people, and together develop concrete approaches and ideas to rethink our relationship with insects.

Entrepreneurs are especially welcome, as intelligent business models that develop solutions for the protection of biodiversity are also important.

On March 30, 2023, the Umweltforum Berlin will discuss the relationship between humans and insects with you and give personalities from culture, philosophy, business and science the space to present innovative approaches.
Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel, Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer and Prof. Dr. Josef Settele will be taking part. You can find the entire program here.

For our readers we have a special offer: 

Get your ticket for 25€ (normal price 100€)! There is a limited number of tickets for the discounted tickets. First come, first serve. Just enter ENTREPRENEUR under "message" when registering.

To the registration

New publication

Fresh from the printing press: On March 14, the book "Wal macht Wetter" was published by oekom Verlag.

Biologist Frauke Fischer and economist Hilke Oberhansberg tell us with a lot of charm why the climate crisis gives koalas a stomach ache, how whales make weather, corals stop floods and why we actually just have to give nature enough space again so that life on this planet remains worth living.

"Ingenious, funny and hopeful - an ode to the superpowers of nature!"  Dirk Steffens

You can also see more about Dr. Frauke Fischer here:

At the Entrepreneurship Summit 2022, Dr. Frauke Fischer (Agentur auf!), Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus (Reckhaus GmbH), Thomas Schmidt (CEO Haniel) and Oliver Kuschel (Anthropoid gGmbH) were interviewed on the big Summit stage. Click here for the video.

to the book

From insect killer to insect rescuer - this is the path taken by Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus. He started out in the family business of the same name, which is one of the leading manufacturers of biocides in Germany and Switzerland and which he has managed in the second generation since 1995.

With the "Insect Respect" quality mark launched in 2012, which creates compensation areas for ecologically compensated insect control, the entrepreneur is striving for a sustainable transformation of his industry. The trigger for the company's change and the unique compensation model was a dialogue with Swiss conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin. They initiated the counter-movement "save instead of kill" and implemented the campaign "save flies" together with Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus in 2012. In doing so, he literally fights his own market by educating people about the consequences of insect mortality. Among other things, this is also done directly on his products, which can then be imagined like the notices on cigarette packs. The "Insect Respect" seal of approval he founded has now also been adopted by major retail partners such as dm and Aldi Süd. "I haven't been advertising biocides for over twelve years, only insects! And my competitors hate me!"

At the Entrepreneurship Summit 2022, we spoke with Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus in a short interview about his company, future business areas and the importance of interdisciplinary exchange.

To the video

Here are 3 examples of startups dedicated to biodiversity:

1. Holycrab

From problem to potential: Holycrab turns invasive pests, the red American swamp crab, into delicious delicacies. According to the UN, invasive species are among the main drivers of the major species extinctions currently underway. So Holycrab balances our ecosystems and makes for better food.

Sounds exciting? Then listen in to the LIVE TALK with Lukas Bosch.

2. Heckenretter

Heckenretter plant new wild hedges and make sure they are maintained in a conservation-friendly manner. The goal is to be able to harvest their fruits in a few years. These are then processed into high-quality products, the sale of which in turn helps finance the conservation work of the association. This creates a regional cycle around the wild hedge.

3. Stolze Kuh

Anja and Janusz Hradetzky run nature-friendly cattle farming on nature conservation areas in Stolzenhagen an der Oder - in other words, farming with ideals. On their farm, they combine organic farming, nature conservation, their own farm cheese dairy and educational events.