Willkommen bei den Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz

Der vorliegende Bericht stellt den Zustand und die Veränderungen der Biodiversität in der Schweiz übersichtlich und differenziert dar. Gestützt auf Daten, Studien und Expertenwissen beschreibt er, wie sich die biologische Vielfalt in den verschiedenen Lebensräumen entwickelt hat. Der Fokus liegt auf den Veränderungen in den letzten 15 Jahren. Der Bericht zeigt zudem, welche Faktoren die Biodiversität derzeit am stärksten beeinflussen und welche Ereignisse in Politik und Gesellschaft dafür wichtig waren. Und er legt dar, wie wir die Weichen stellen können, damit kommende Generationen eine reichhaltige und funktionsfähige Biodiversität als Lebensgrundlage vorfinden.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming science and is therefore profoundly reshaping the work of Early Career Researchers. Against this backdrop, the publication Impact of AI on Early Career Researchers: Challenges, Opportunities, and Responsibilities, developed by members of the Swiss Young Academy, namely Emmanuel Senft, Sabrina H. Kessler, Pamela Delgado, Devi Bühler, and Alexandre Bovet, offers a timely interdisciplinary reflection on these changes. The booklet examines both the opportunities and risks of AI across five key areas – research, teaching, science communication, policymaking, and sustainability – while also addressing critical issues such as research integrity, data privacy, misinformation, governance, and environmental impact. It further highlights the responsibilities of Early Career Researchers and higher education institutions in promoting AI literacy, transparency, ethical standards, and responsible use of AI in science.

Science-society dialogue is crucial for addressing pressing societal challenges. One important avenue for strengthening this link, in an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective, is teaching formats that encourage students to engage in the public sphere. However, an illustrative collection of best practices in Swiss higher education has been lacking so far. This practice-driven report draws on a non-exhaustive stocktake of existing courses in Switzerland and participatory workshops among lecturers. It features illustrative examples from Swiss higher education institutions and introduces a new typology of science-society teaching formats, offering educators a structured way to design and analyze courses across six dimensions. In addition, the publication discusses both the opportunities and challenges of implementing such teaching formats. To further advance science-society education, the report identifies three priority areas for action.