Professor Emeritus Dr Dr h. c. Wolfgang Haber, often referred to as the ‘father of landscape ecology in Germany’, passed away on 13 August 2026, shortly before his 101st birthday. For more than half a century, Wolfgang Haber had provided scientific support for nature conservation and environmental protection in Germany and helped shape these fields internationally; he was involved in the establishment of the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden National Parks, as well as in the development of biotope mapping. 

Wolfgang Haber, born on 13 September 1925 in Datteln (Westphalia), studied botany, zoology, chemistry and geography at the universities of Münster, Munich, Basel, Stuttgart and Hohenheim. After completing his doctoral thesis on soil respiration at the University of Münster, he began working there in 1957 as a research assistant and, from 1962, as a curator at the Westphalian Museum of Natural History in Münster. In 1966, he became a professor and holder of the Chair of Landscape Ecology at the Technical University of Munich in Freising-Weihenstephan, introducing previously neglected scientific and ecological content into what was then the ‘Landscape Management’ degree programme. In 1976, the first Federal Nature Conservation Act was passed, in which both landscape planning and regulations on human intervention were, for the first time at a national level, standardised as comprehensive approaches to nature conservation, in contrast to the previous focus on protected areas.

Through his teaching and research, Professor Haber carried out significant pioneering work on the ecological foundations of nature conservation, land and landscape management, and landscape planning. “His persistent approach was unassuming and modest, yet crowned with success and thus ultimately sustainable,” said Prof. Dr Beate Jessel, former President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and a former student of Prof. Haber. He said of himself: “I am not someone who espouses polarising views or creates enemies, even when I express clear opinions; rather, I strive to build bridges and foster partnerships.” – He was a bridge-builder: between nature conservation and agriculture, and also between landscape architecture and landscape ecology – a division that Prof. Haber always rejected.

His exceptional professional competence and scientific expertise were also sought after and valued in the political sphere; for example, from 1981 onwards as a member of the Federal Government’s Council of Experts on Environmental Issues, of which he was spokesperson from 1985 to 1990. From 1990 to 1996, he was also President of the International Association of Ecology (Intecol), the umbrella organisation for national professional associations in the field of ecology.

Wolfgang Haber established the study of landscape ecology at the Technical University of Munich as part of the then-new degree programme in Land Management (now: Landscape Architecture and Landscape Planning), and through his pioneering research and his inspiring teaching style, he shaped entire generations of landscape planners, landscape architects and conservationists.

His outstanding achievements were recognised on numerous occasions with prestigious awards. In 2008, the bdla conferred upon him honorary membership of the association, which he regarded as a “significant honour” “for my efforts not to separate science from design when dealing with landscape. Landscape, however interesting and important it may be from a scientific perspective, is based on creative human endeavour.’

“With foresight, integrity and tireless dedication, Prof. Haber championed the protection and sustainable development of our environment. He was a visionary, a voice of warning and a bridge-builder between disciplines,” said Prof. em. Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Professor of Soil Science at TUM, in honour of Prof. Dr Wolfgang Haber on the occasion of his 100th birthday in the commemorative volume *Sustainable Hope in the Face of Uncomfortable Truths* (2025). 

The profession has lost a pioneer of landscape ecology and nature conservation in Germany, an outstanding scientist and a wonderful person.

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