Botany-News-2026-b | Senckenberg Nature Research

We sail through the Strait of Magellan beneath a fantastically clear southern starry sky, untouched by any light pollution.

Participants await the sunrise over the fjords of the Magallanes region.

Cultural studies without a PowerPoint presentation: Prof. Ricardo Rozzi explains the components, patterns and ecological processes of the Magellanic region in the ‘lecture theatre of nature’.

A visit to the Omora Ethnobotanical Park, where an educational trail explains ecological relationships and the complex relationship between humans and nature. (9.5.2026)

On the fifth day, we make our way through the autumnal southern beech forest up to Cerro Bandera, the local mountain of Puerto Williams. (10.5.2026)

There is already snow near the tree line.

Awe-struck contemplation of the magnificent landscape…

… and the microcosm of mosses and lichens at our feet.

The programme also includes routine sampling for subsequent analysis.

As well as recording impressions in writing and documenting observations.

At the Beagle Channel, the gradient is being studied from the low-water mark into the terrestrial zone.

On 12 May, the programme begins with a session on bioethics in one of the classrooms at the Cape Horn International Centre (CHIC).

Followed by today’s keynote lecture at the 4th International CHIC Conference, “Centinelas del CAMBIO Climático” …

… And field studies on lichen diversity in the Magellanic ‘rainforest’.

The start of a varied day: from Wittgenstein and the epistemological foundations of biological nomenclature …

… zu Einblicken in die fast erloschene Kultur der einheimischen Yagan im Museo Yagán Usi, das zu einem wesentlichen Teil auf die Sammlungen des Priesters und Anthropologen Martin Gusinde zurückgeht.

Winter is beginning in the Southern Hemisphere, but not even a full-blown snowstorm can slow the participants down. (May 14, 2026)

A playful introduction to the Yagán language. The last native speaker died in 2022.

The language is now taught at the local school. Meanwhile, the summer school is experimenting with sentence structure.

Heavy snow flurries on the day of departure from Puerto Williams. (15.2.)

Shortly after midday, the sky clears again and the flight can go ahead as planned.

The panorama of Torres del Paine in glorious, albeit stormy, weather. (16.2.)

On the penultimate day, the itinerary included a visit to one of the four historic estancias bordering Torres del Paine National Park, which are now just as much a part of nature conservation as they are of preserving gaucho culture. (17.5.)

Herding cattle on horseback and with herding dogs.

Guanacos share the landscape with cattle …

… as do rheas.

Natural History Museum Frankfurt

Natural History Museum Dresden

Natural History Museum Görlitz

Contrast

NEWS from the Dept. Botany and Molecular Evolution 2026

First Chilean-German Summer School 2026
Field trip report by Christian Printzen

NEWS from the Dept. Botany and Molecular Evolution 2026

First Chilean-German Summer School 2026 Field trip report by Christian Printzen

First Chilean-German Summer School 2026
Field trip report by Christian Printzen