In her master’s thesis, Julia Möbius analyzed how young people perceive and use the Berlin city forest. The result: They have hardly discovered the forest as a recreational area for themselves. On site, she interviewed 800 Berlin residents aged between 14 and 25 about their expectations of forests and thus created a comprehensive basis for planning future design concepts for forest areas.
The second prize-winning thesis was written by Sebastian Heinz. The master’s graduate dealt with the socio-economic consequences of climate change and the associated uncertain environmental conditions. During a research stay in Hangzhou, China, he conducted an economic experiment with students and farmers to investigate how people living in river basins react to social dilemmas. In his work, Sebastian Heinz showed that fairness and trust contribute to the successful organization of unequally distributed access to water.
“Since 2009, the Audi Environmental Foundation has been promoting innovative ideas for environmental protection, as well as scientists and their research into sustainable resource management. With the SRM Award, we are honoring two young researchers who are concerned with the forest and the important resource of water – and are thus contributing to greater sustainability,” says Rüdiger Recknagel, Chief Executive of the Audi Environmental Foundation.