Between Data, Forests, and Vision
Where Nature Meets Innovation
The Future Forest Biodiversity Residency at Schloss Blankenburg
What happens when start-ups, researchers, and forest enthusiasts move into a castle for four days?
Not a typical seminar. Not a classic conference.
But a “third place” somewhere between prototype, campfire, and forest lab.
The first Future Forest Biodiversity Residency, organized by the Future Forest Initiative, created just that: a space for radical openness, collaborative exploration, and new alliances to protect our biodiversity.
What Was the Biodiversity Residency?
The residency was part of an innovative program aimed at developing practical solutions for ecosystem restoration.
Among the participants: a network of NatureTech start-ups, forest practitioners, researchers, and environmental experts. Together, they worked on impact driven biodiversity metrics, with a focus on implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law. For four days, Schloss Blankenburg in the Harz Mountains became a living lab for bold ideas. Between soil sensors, audio analysis, and spontaneous conversations in the castle garden, something rare was born: a true innovation community.
The Power of Place: Why the Harz Was the Perfect Lab
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg described the “third place” as a space beyond work and home .
That’s exactly what the Bio Residency was.No day was like the other. People worked from sofas, the park, the forest. Theory met muddy hands.The location itself: a dying forest marked by drought and bark beetles.
So how do we measure what biodiversity means? And how do we translate that into action?
Hands-on Science: What We Built, Tested, and Learned
In interdisciplinary teams, participants researched, laughed, questioned, and experimented.
They used the residency to test their technologies under real-world conditions.
From wildlife cameras and digital microphones for bioacoustic measurements, to soil sampling and eDNA analysis to assess organic carbon in the soil the methods were as diverse as the people.
These were complemented by remote sensing data and digital tools that help track ecological change in scalable and comparable ways.The goal to develop measurable indicators that are both scientifically robust and practically applicable such as the Common Forest Bird Index.
At the same time, the groundwork was laid for a more unified European approach to biodiversity metrics, helping to make them more effective across borders.
Beyond Metrics: What Will Truly Last
The residency left behind more than just data.
It sparked connections that went far deeper than LinkedIn, and planted the seeds for real collaboration.
The shared realization: we need new formats, new spaces, and new alliances to truly protect nature and to connect policy, technology, and practice.These moments of radical openness fostered not only innovation, but also trust.Participants left with a sense of purpose and with the people to carry that purpose forward.
Because lasting change starts with relationships that are built in places where science meets soul.
The Journey Continues: What’s Coming in 2025
This week, we’re diving into Phase 2 of our Biodiversity Residency deepening collaboration, knowledge exchange, and advancing biodiversity metrics. As the journey continues, all paths will meet again at the Future Forest Forum 2025.
If you want to learn more about our Amearena project. or even become part of it apply to join the second phase of our Biodiversity Residency in the Sauerland.
Join us at Schloss Blankenburg from September 5–6, 2025, to build powerful alliances and drive the regeneration of our planet. 🎟️ Get your ticket here
