{"id":17426,"date":"2026-04-09T14:42:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vostel.de\/blog\/?p=17426"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:42:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:42:35","slug":"volunteering-in-climate-nature-conservation-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vostel.de\/blog\/en\/volunteering-in-climate-nature-conservation-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering in Climate and Nature Conservation: What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands of people in Germany volunteer for climate and nature every day: they plant trees, get involved in environmental education, clear garbage from parks and forests or support local environmental protection projects. Together, they show that everyone can make a contribution to climate and nature conservation. Would you like to get active too, but don’t know how? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you will find out what the situation is like for climate and nature in Germany, which organizations are involved and what you can actually do as a volunteer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contents:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Climate & nature conservation in Germany<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. How organizations and volunteers protect the climate and nature<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What you should look out for when volunteering in climate and nature conservation<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Find your volunteer position in climate and nature conservation at vostel.de<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. FAQ – Frequently asked questions about volunteering in climate and nature conservation<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Climate & nature conservation in Germany<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Climate and nature conservation in Germany covers various areas, which we will look at in more detail below to get a picture of the current situation and the challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Germany’s forests <\/strong>in transition<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    One third of Germany’s land area, i.e. around 11.5 million hectares, is covered by forest (Bundeswaldinventur<\/a> 2024, BMEL<\/a>). The forest area has increased slightly since 2012, but the condition of many trees is worrying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The extreme drought summers between 2018 and 2020 hit the forest hard. Between January 2018 and April 2021 alone, more than 500,000 hectares of older forest area were lost according to DLR analysis, which is around five percent of the total German forest area(Wikipedia\/BWI<\/a>). Spruce, long the most common tree species, has suffered massively due to bark beetle infestation and drought, reducing its area share by 17 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Forest conversion shows first successes<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    The good news: The transition to more species-rich mixed forests is making progress. According to the fourth Bundeswaldinventur (BMEL, 2024)<\/a>, mixed forests now cover 79 percent of Germany\u2019s forest area, an increase of three percentage points since 2012. The area covered by deciduous trees has increased by seven percent over the same period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In addition, the amount of deadwood has increased by a third, which is particularly important for nature conservation and biodiversity. 77 percent of forests now have two or more layers. 91 percent of the young, renewable forest is the result of natural regeneration, i.e. without separate sowing or planting, and is significantly more natural than older stands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Germany’s moors: drained, but not lost<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Peatlands are important carbon reservoirs and habitats for highly specialized animal and plant species. Although they only cover three percent of the world’s land area, they store twice as much carbon as all of the world’s forests combined (NABU<\/a>). In Germany, the situation is critical:<\/p>\n\n\n\n