Our vision
Understanding biodiversity and functions of tropical ecosystems drives decision making and management on all levels.
Our mission
Promoting the conservation and rehabilitation of tropical biodiversity and ecosystems through research
and its application.
About the society...
Roughly 70% of the world’s human population lives in the tropics, an area covering only 10% of the Earth’s land surface. With populations and economies steadily growing, the pressure on natural resources is increasing at an exponential rate. More than 3/4 of the once pristine habitats in the tropics have been lost in the last 50 years through overexploitation and land-use change. If the current trend continues over the next decades, we face the disappearance of millions of species, with unforeseeable ecological and socio-economic consequences for our and for future generations. The greatest challenge for tropical ecologists and conservationists is to devise scientifically based strategies for the protection of tropical ecosystems, which ensure the economically and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources.
The Society for Tropical Ecology (Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie, gtö), founded in 1987, is Europe’s largest scientific association in the field of tropical ecology. We empower interested people to join and to widen our scientific understanding of the key developments of our times.
Our goals are:
– to broaden our understanding of tropical ecology by analyzing the structures and processes from species to ecosystems and the synthesis of results
– to foster applied research in tropical ecology
– to promote conservation of tropical ecosystems, species and other natural resources and the sustainability of their use
– to increase awareness of the importance of tropical ecosystems and their huge biodiversity, among the broader public and among decision-makers in politics, the corporate sector and civil society
– to strengthen cooperation between scientists and the appropriate governmental and non-governmental bodies in both European and tropical countries
– to support young researchers through the creation of networks, information exchange, and training opportunities