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The Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt is one of the most important institutions of its kind in Europe. The research focuses on evolution, biodiversity and ecology; the mission is to analyze the role of the biosphere in the earth‘s system and to understand the human impact on the biosphere in order to provide a solid scientific base for natural protection strategies, a sustainable ecosystem and biodiversity management. Senckenberg‘s mission is to study both the marine and terrestrial environments as well as fossil and modern ecosystems. Thus, it becomes possible to learn from the past dynamics of the earth’s history with well-documented mass extinctions, greenhouse worlds and other extreme events to better understand present day “global change“ phenomena. Today, Senckenberg is active world wide and coordinates major international research programs such as “Census of the Diversity of Abyssal Marine Life” (CeDAMar) and the UNESCO International Geoscience Program “Devonian land-sea interaction: evolution of ecosystems and climate“. Moreover, Senckenberg is the scientific and operational manager of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Messel“, world-famous for its outstanding fossils providing a fascinating insight into a 47 million-year-old forest and lake ecosystem under green house conditions. The Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum are part of the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft which was founded by the citizens of Frankfurt in 1817. Because of its long tradition in international re search expeditions, it now houses a collection of over 22 million animals and plants both fossilized and preserved. The collection is gradually being captured in a database and can be considered an “archive of nature and natural dynamics“ for the more than four billion years of the earth‘s history.
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