European Perspectives on Forest and Urban Ecosystem Restoration Shared at AIR Seminar

The Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) hosted a seminar on July 15, 2025, highlighting the ecosystem restoration efforts in Europe, particularly in forest ecosystems and urban environments. The event was held at the National Engineering Research Center for Geomatics and featured a keynote presentation by Prof. Stefan, a visiting scholar under the CAS President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI).

Prof. Stefan Zerbe is a tenured professor at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano in Italy and previously served as Vice-Rector for Research from 2012 to 2016. He also holds an honorary professorship at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Göttingen, Germany. His presentation, titled Perspective of ecosystem restoration from Central Europe with particular regard to forests and urban environments, offered an in-depth look at restoration principles and practices in Central Europe.

In his talk, Prof. Zerbe outlined key paradigms and guiding principles of ecosystem restoration, with a particular emphasis on forests and urban ecological systems. He critically examined restoration objectives and strategies, drawing on practical examples from across Central Europe to illustrate approaches to restore forest ecosystems and urban environments.

The presentation sparked a lively discussion on the varied concepts and definitions of ecosystem restoration, particular in relation to the application in China. The exchange of insights between Prof. Zerbe and AIR researchers opened new avenues for collaboration and laid the groundwork for potential international research initiatives.

Group photo. (Image by AIR)