Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection

In 1993 Prof. Dr. Michael Otto established the Foundation for Environmental Protection which operates under his name. Its very specific objective is to advocate for protecting the environment and nature, especially through projects to protect the foundation of life: water and ecosystems sustained by water such as swamps, rivers, lakes and oceans. These habitats are increasingly out of balance as a result of human activity and their biodiversity and ability to regenerate are being threatened. The Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection sees itself as a future laboratory for ecological restructuring in Germany. Focusing on major conflicts concerning land and water use, the foundation develops solutions that restore the balance between human needs and basic ecological principles. The approach combines dialog and model projects and activates political and social stakeholders to bring about systemic change. With over 30 years of experience, it is a trustworthy bridge builder between business, science, politics and nature conservation. This impacts the following projects, for example.

The initiative toMOORow is committed to protecting and restoring wet moors, which make a significant contribution to climate protection as well as providing a habitat for unique plant and animal species. The toMOORow initiative comprises three fields of activity: the practical demonstration of peatland rewetting as a nature-based solution to the climate crisis and species extinction, the advocacy of suitable environmental and economic framework conditions for peatland rewetting in the environmental and agricultural policies of the federal states, the federal government and the EU, and the activation of commercial enterprises for the sustainable use of wet peatlands through added value from paludiculture and the use of carbon certificates.

The project is committed to promoting biological diversity in conventional agriculture in order to strike a balance between the growing global demand for agricultural products and the preservation of biodiversity. To this end, ten agricultural demonstration farms typical of their region are being used to test measures that serve nature conservation while also being practical and economically viable. The F.R.A.N.Z. project is jointly coordinated by the Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection and the German Farmers' Association, and is supported by other partners both scientifically and through regional biodiversity consultants.

The nationwide educational program AQUA-AGENTS has been enabling children to learn about water as a resource from an ecological, economic and social perspective – and have fun doing it – since 2010. With the AQUA AGENTS kit in the classroom and through extracurricular activities – at a body of water or a sewage treatment plant, for example – children can soak up knowledge, discover water locations and ultimately develop their own activities to protect water as a resource. The multi-award-winning initiative, carried out in collaboration with partners, focuses on the educational principles to encourage sustainable development. Ultimately, education is the key to advancing future-proof and sustainable action so that future generations can also find an environment worth living in.