Dr. Markus Rösler

Naturschutzbund NABU, Bundesfachausschuss Streuobst und Bundesfachausschuss Großschutzgebiete (working groups on national level, being activ as well on european level concerning traditional orchards and large scale protected areas)

Today’s Date: 23 July 2008

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

- growing up at the border of large scale traditional orchards ("Streuobstwiesen" = orchards with trees with high trunks - look to www.Streuobst.de) with ten thousands of different trees, with many different species of apples, pears, cherries, plums and eating them, different birds (woodpeckers...), the flowering of the trees in the spring and the self-made cider in the autumn.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Yes: under an old cherry-tree in these "Streuobstwiesen" - it`s cultivated land, but for me as child it was the favorite place to go outside.

Now? No answer given

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is and why?

Okapi and Lynx Lynx and Aquila chrysaetos.
Okapi lives very hidden, very peaceful animal, symbol of being modest.
Lynx lynx prefers large scale areas without streets, middle mountains, "wild" forests, symbol of being independent.
Aquila has the overview over landscape, symbol for calmness, looking to the world from above, little bit a symbol of being able to see/understand, what really is important in the world.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

- Danger of using nuclear power - no place on the world for the waste over thousands of years and the danger to misuse it by military or terrorists.

5. If you could give one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Try to imagine or to look on the earth from the moon or the mars - and you should understand, what really is important.