Grasslands in Central Europe and southern Africa have developed in fundamentally different ways since the Ice Age. In the upcoming Kosmos lecture, former Professor Dr Ulrich Zeller will compare the development of grassland ecosystems and show the role played by extinct large animals, human use and current nature conservation concepts. The lecture "Biodiversity in the change of environment and use: research trips to southern Africa and ecosystematic comparison" will take place on Thursday, 12 February 2026, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Hauptgebäude, Senatssaal, 10117 Berlin. The event will be moderated by Prof Dr Marcel Robischon, Professor of Agroecology and Head of the Department of Agroecology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU).
Modern man changed the environment
In Central Europe, the appearance of modern humans led to the disappearance of the Ice Age's dominant megafauna, in particular the mammoth. As a result, forests could increasingly spread in the formerly open grasslands. The grasslands that exist today are used almost exclusively for agriculture and grazed by domesticated animals. The original ecological balance has given way to a man-made cultural landscape. The savannahs of southern Africa have developed differently. Many large animal species have survived there since the Ice Age. The savannahs of the region are therefore considered to be comparatively natural ecosystems. In research, they serve as an important reference for analysing the fragile network of relationships between grasslands, large animals, human use and climate change. The comparative approach also makes it possible to better understand terms such as "wilderness" or "rewilding". In his lecture, Ulrich Zeller will shed light on whether the attempts to replace the "landscape gardeners of the Ice Age" with modern substitutes make ecological sense or whether the concept of wilderness in the cultivated landscape characterised by agriculture in Central Europe needs to be completely redefined.
Professor Dr Ulrich Zeller
Professor Dr Ulrich Zeller is Professor Emeritus at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He holds degrees in medicine and biosciences from the Universities of Göttingen and Berlin and was a Fellow of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Professor Zeller was Director of the Zoological Museum in Berlin and Head of the Department of Systematic Zoology at the HU.
At a glance
When: Thursday, 12 February 2026, 6 to 7:30 pm
Where: Senatssaal der HU, Hauptgebäude, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin
Programme and registration: Lecture entitled "Biodiversität im Wandel von Umwelt und Nutzung: Forschungsreisen in das südliche Afrika und ökosystematischer Vergleich" (in German). Registration is not required. Admission is free.
About the KOSMOS lectures
The KOSMOS lectures are organised by the Integrative Research Institute IRI THESys at Humboldt University. The IRI THESys is dedicated to the research field of transformations of human-environment systems from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Note on film and photo recordings
Photos and videos will be taken during the event. The material will be used exclusively for the purpose of public relations work at HU Berlin.