Dr. rer. nat. Somidh Saha

Group Leader
KIT-Junior Research Group/Nachwuchsgruppe
Sylvanus
Assessing the dilemma between increasing resilience and maintaining sustainability under climate change in social-ecological systems: a comparative study between natural and built ecosystems
“Sylvanus….., the spirit of the unreclaimed woodland fringing the settlement, he had some of the menaces of the unknown. As clearings pushed back the forest, he evolved into a god of woodland pastures, of boundaries, and of villas, parks, and gardens. He never enjoyed a state cult or temple, but the simple ritual of his private worship at a sacred grove or tree had a universal appeal.” - Encyclopedia Britannica. To our context of research, Sylvanus has a paradoxical allegory, and he resembles the existence of resilient forests, and at the same time, an ever-increasing demand of services from forests which humans think shall be fulfilled through sustainability.
(Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, Museum Capitolini-Rome, Wikimedia Commons)