Vita

  • 1995: Habilitation in "Geobotany and Landscape Ecology", Universities of Kiel and Lüneburg, Germany
  • 1990: Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.), Institute of Botany, University of Kiel, Germany
  • 1985-1990: Study of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kiel, minor subject during PhD study
  • 1984: Diploma in Biology, Universities of Göttingen and Kiel, Germany
    1976: Abitur, Fichte-Gymnasium, Krefeld, Germany
  • Academic positions
  • Since 1997: Professor of Ecology (Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation), Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Lüneburg, Germany
  • 1994-1997: Assistant Professor of Botany, Faculty of Cultural Studies, University of Lüneburg, Germany
  • 1992-1994: Assistant Lecturer, Department of Ecology, University of Osnabrück, Germany
  • 1986-1992: Research Associate, Department of Vegetation Ecology, University of Kiel, Germany

Teaching

Ecology, Vegetation ecology, Botany

Research Interests

  • Forest ecology and dynamics                                                                                    
  • Nutrient balance and dynamics of ecoystems (of heathlands and forests)
  • Relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
  • Forms of land use and their influences on vegetation 

Projects

  1. TreeDiversity Interactions (TreeDi): The role of tree-tree interactions in local neighbourhoods in Chinese subtropical forests - International Research Training Group funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)
    Werner Härdtle (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , Andreas Fichtner (Project manager, academic) , (Project staff) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic)

    Project: Research

  2. Minderung der Barrierewirkung von Agrarflächen mittels halboffener Verbundkorridore
    Werner Härdtle (Project manager, academic) , Thorsten Aßmann (Project manager, academic) , (Partner) , Swantje Grabener (Project staff) , Simon Hein (Project staff)

    Project: Research

  3. Securing the Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity of Extensively Managed Cultural Landscapes (Ökokult): - Subproject 1: Ecosystem Functioning and Services of Cultural Landscapes
    Vicky Temperton (Project manager, academic) , Werner Härdtle (Project manager, academic) , Thorsten Aßmann (Project manager, academic) , David Walmsley (Coordination) , Andreas Schuldt (Project staff)

    Project: Research

  4. Effects of woody species diversity and composition on individual plant growth and demography
    Werner Härdtle (Project manager, academic) , Andreas Fichtner (Project manager, academic)

    Project: Research

  5. TR_Experiment Stickstoffeintrag
    Werner Härdtle (Project manager, academic)

    Project: Transfer (R&D project)

Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. Biodiversität, Ökosystemfunktionen und Naturschutz
    Werner Härdtle (Author) , 2024 Berlin, Heidelberg , 911 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesBookResearch

  2. Halboffene Verbundkorridore: Ökologische Funktion, Leitbilder und Praxis-Leitfaden
    Thorsten Aßmann (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Peter Finck (Author) , Diethart Matthies (Author) , Goddert von Oheimb (Author) , Uwe Riecken (Author) , Eliane Travers (Author) , Karin Ullrich (Author) , Estève Boutaud (Author) , Dorothea Irmgard Ilse Nolte (Author) , 2016 Münster , 296 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearch

  3. Die Waldgesellschaften Luxemburgs: Vegetation, Standort, Vorkommen und Gefährdung
    Thomas Niemeyer (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Christian Ries (Author) , 2010 Luxembourg , 122 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  4. Flora und Vegetation im nordöstlichen Niedersachsen: Sonderheft aus Anlass der 56. Jahrestagung der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft vom 09. bis 12. Juni 2006 in Lüneburg
    Werner Härdtle (Editor) , Kurt Horst (Editor) , Johannes Prüter (Editor) , 2006 Lüneburg , 173 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesConference proceedingsResearch

  5. Halboffene Weidelandschaft Höltigbaum: Perspektiven für den Erhalt und die naturverträgliche Nutzung von Offenlandlebensräumen ; Ergebnisse und Erfahrungen aus dem gleichnamigen Erprobungs- und Entwicklungsvorhaben (E+E) des Bundesamtes für Naturschutz
    Werner Härdtle (Author) , S. Baumung (Author) , Inge Eischeid (Author) , Peter Finck (Author) , Heiko Grell (Author) , Ulrich Mierwald (Author) , U. Ricken (Author) , Jutta Sandkühler (Author) , Goddert Oheimb (Author) , 2006 Bonn , 280 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearch

Journal contributions

  1. Proposing a social-ecological framework for successful grassland restoration in Germany—an overview and insights from the Grassworks project
    Vicky Temperton (Author) , Manuel Pacheco Romero (Author) , Joern Fischer (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Lukas Kuhn (Author) , Jacqueline Loos (Author) , Berta Martín-López (Author) , Ioana A. Pătru-Dușe (Author) , Philipp Laeseke (Author) , Regina Neudert (Author) , Markus Bauer (Author) , Volker Beckmann (Author) , Konrad Gray (Author) , Johannes Kollmann (Author) , Christin Juno Laschke (Author) , Michaela Meyer (Author) , Maraja Riechers (Author) , Moritz Ptacek (Author) , Desirée Seifert (Author) , Annika Schmidt (Author) , Line Sturm (Author) , Jan Thiele (Author) , Sabine Tischew (Author) , Liselotte Unseld (Author) , Terese Venus (Author) , Miriam Wiesmeier (Author) , Anita Kirmer (Author) , Lotte Marie Lutz (Author) , Alina Twerski (Author) , Miguel A. Cebrián-Piqueras (Author) , Felix May (Author) , 01.09.2025 , in: Restoration Ecology, 33, 7 , 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Untersuchungen zur Mortalität von Empetrum nigrum (L.) und Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull in Küstenheiden auf der Insel Sylt
    Ramona Isabel Ressel (Author) , Rainer Borcherding (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Andreas Fichtner (Author) , 23.06.2025 , in: Kieler Notizen zur Pflanzenkunde, 2024/2025, 48 , p. 39-66 , 28 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. How to promote spider diversity of heathlands: impact of management intensity
    Vicky Temperton (Author) , David Walmsley (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Jelena Daniels (Author) , Estève Boutaud (Author) , Dragan Matevski (Author) , 01.04.2025 , in: Biodiversity and Conservation, 34 , p. 1057-1070 , 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Interactive effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on a globally rare forest geophyte
    Werner Härdtle (Author) , Andreas Fichtner (Author) , Bettina Ohse (Author) , Doris Jansen (Author) , 01.03.2025 , in: Plant Biology, 27, 2 , p. 297-309 , 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Tree diversity increases forest temperature buffering via enhancing canopy density and structural diversity
    Andreas Fichtner (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Florian Schnabel (Author) , Rémy Beugnon (Author) , Bo Yang (Author) , Ronnie Richter (Author) , Nico Eisenhauer (Author) , Yuanyuan Huang (Author) , Xiaojuan Liu (Author) , Christian Wirth (Author) , Simone Cesarz (Author) , María Dolores Perles-García (Author) , Georg Hähn (Author) , Matthias Kunz (Author) , Nadia Castro-Izaguirre (Author) , Pascal A. Niklaus (Author) , Goddert von Oheimb (Author) , Bernhard Schmid (Author) , Stefan Trogisch (Author) , Manfred Wendisch (Author) , Keping Ma (Author) , Helge Bruelheide (Author) , 01.03.2025 , in: Ecology Letters, 28, 3 , p. 1-11 , 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. Nachbarschafts-Artenvielfalt kann trockenheitsbedingte Zuwachseinbußen bei Bäumen mindern
    Werner Härdtle (Author) , Andreas Fichtner (Author) , 23.08.2024 München , p. 119-131 , 13 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologiesArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  2. Forest Ecosystems: A functional and biodiversity perspective
    Andreas Fichtner (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , 01.01.2021 Cham , p. 383-405 , 23 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologiesContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  3. Land use change and the future of biodiversity
    Andreas Fichtner (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Carsten Hobohm (Author) , Carl Beierkuhnlein (Author) , Christine Börtitz (Author) , V. Ralph Clark (Author) , Nadja El Balti (Author) , Scott Franklin (Author) , Thomas Gaens (Author) , Andreas Skriver Hansen (Author) , Monika Janišová (Author) , Jan Jansen (Author) , Martin Lindner (Author) , Michaela Moro-Richter (Author) , Volker Müller-Benedict (Author) , Konrad Ott (Author) , Karl Christoph Reinmuth (Author) , Nils M. van Rooijen (Author) , Matthias Sandberg (Author) , Joop H.J. Schaminée (Author) , Cindy Q. Tang (Author) , Hans-Christoph Vahle (Author) , Sula E. Vanderplank (Author) , 01.01.2021 Cham , p. 451-483 , 33 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologiesContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  4. Fragmentierung und lineare Lebensraumstrukturen - eine entomologische Perspektive
    Thorsten Aßmann (Author) , Swantje Grabener (Author) , Werner Härdtle (Author) , Claudia Drees (Author) , Peter Finck (Author) , Uwe Riecken (Author) , Karin Ullrich (Author) , Estève Boutaud (Author) , Jörn Buse (Author) , 01.01.2020 Bonn , p. 49-66 , 18 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologiesContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  5. Introduction to the Assessment - Characteristics of the Region
    Werner Härdtle (Author) , Markus Quante (Author) , Franciscus Colijn (Author) , Jan P. Bakker (Author) , Hartmut Heinrich (Author) , Christiana Lefebvre (Author) , Ingeborg Nöhren (Author) , Jørgen E. Olesen (Author) , Thomas Pohlmann (Author) , Horst Sterr (Author) , Jürgen Sündermann (Author) , Merja Helena Tölle (Author) , 01.09.2016 1. ed. Cham , p. 1-52 , 52 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologiesContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

Press / Media

  1. Fitnessprogramm für die Heide
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

Prizes

  1. Most Cited Researcher of the Year 2010 der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (2. Platz)
    Werner Härdtle (Recipient) ,

    Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointmentsResearch

  2. Most Cited Researcher of the Year 2009 der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (3. Platz)
    Werner Härdtle (Recipient) ,

    Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointmentsResearch

  3. Most Cited Researcher of the Year 2008 der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (3. Platz)
    Werner Härdtle (Recipient) ,

    Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointmentsResearch

Courses

Andreas Fichtner, Werner Härdtle, Johannes Prüter
Die Freilandübung vermittelt Grundkenntnisse zur Ökologie und den lebensraumtypischen Arten wichtiger Ökosysteme. Geobotanische Methoden zur Beurteilung von standortökologischen Zusammenhängen werden vorgestellt. Darüber hinaus werden am Beispiel ausgewählter FFH-Lebensraumtypen regionale Naturschutzmaßnahmen und Renaturierungsansätze vorgestellt und diskutiert.
Next appointment:
Saturday, 2026-05-30 at 08:00
Room: extern
Andreas Fichtner, Werner Härdtle, Johannes Prüter
Diese Veranstaltung beleuchtet die Herausforderungen und Chancen des Naturschutzes im Kontext globaler Umweltveränderungen. Schwerpunkte sind der Schutz von Küstenökosystemen und die Erhaltung historischer Kulturlandschaften. Die Studierenden erwerben Arten- und Lebensraumkenntnisse und entwickeln praxisnahe Naturschutzstrategien in Zusammenarbeit mit Akteuren aus der Praxis.
Next appointment:
Friday, 2026-06-26 at 09:00
Room: extern