Hans Hurni died on 27 September 2026 at the age of 75. His passing was met with dismay in geography and in national and international circles of development- and sustainability-oriented research and practice. Scholars, practitioners, and local communities from all over the world expressed gratitude for his work and impact.
“Hans’ immense knowledge, unwavering commitment, and passion for sustainability, natural resources, and the well-being of communities were genuinely inspiring.”
“Through his scholarship, leadership, and mentorship, Hans touched the lives of many and left an enduring mark.”
Hans Hurni studied geography in Bern, graduating in 1975. He went on to earn his teaching qualification (1978), his PhD (1980), and his habilitation (1991). During these years, however, his life was centred not in Bern but rather in Ethiopia. After his first degree, he lived, worked and researched there for more than ten years. It was in Ethiopia that he laid the foundations for his research and for his commitment to development. During his work in the Simien Mountains National Park, two themes emerged that shaped his career: the tension between conservation and utilization of natural resources, and the concern for mountain regions and communities.
“Hans had the rare ability to combine intellectual rigor with deep empathy and practical wisdom.”
His close contact with the realities of local life – including during the severe famine of 1984 – deepened his conviction that development research must always be connected to development practice. He believed it must also strive for greater justice, both within and between generations. Working towards sustainability in practical terms thus became a guiding theme of his work, long before the term became mainstream. His ability to turn visions into practice led to a long-term national monitoring and implementation programme on soil conservation in Ethiopia whose effects and impacts continue to this day. With his engagement in, and presidency of, the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation, he expressed his commitment to interlink scales of sustainability efforts from the local to the global.
“Hans was far more than a director and pioneering scholar; he was a true friend, a guiding light, and a mentor.”
In the late 1980s, Hans Hurni founded a research group at the Institute of Geography of the University of Bern (GIUB), which later became the Institute's Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) – and, in 2010, a university centre of the same name. For Hans Hurni and the interdisciplinary team of CDE, research was never an end in itself but was always guided by questions of development relevance, and it never lost the link between people's actual lives and contexts and global demands. This integrative attitude – together with strong personal and institutional partnerships – made it possible to launch long-term research, implementation, and advisory programmes in sustainable development. These programmes called for wide-ranging cooperation between academic fields, between North and South, and between science, society, and policies. Hans Hurni made this cooperation possible and helped it grow through his exceptional personal qualities, his high level of scientific and methodological expertise, and his strategic foresight.
“What a good person, what a leader and an educator, a face of friendship and kindness.”
This work reached a peak with the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research North-South (NCCR North-South), which brought together leading Swiss research institutions in the field of development-oriented research and partnered with a broad range of institutions in nine regions representing 42 countries on four continents. Judiciously directed by Hans Hurni the 15 years of the NCCR North-South not only resulted in cutting-edge research results and a broad range of practical, educational, and institutional impacts, but also advanced inter- and transdisciplinary methodologies and highlighted the importance of true inter-contextual research partnerships.
“Hans was truly a kind and great mentor for all of us in breaking our own silos to other disciplines.”
“To this day, I rarely give a lecture without drawing upon the invaluable resources and expertise of Hans.”
Hans Hurni wrote more than 200 scientific publications. Some of them continue to set the course of sustainability research today, and together they represent an integrative and engaged approach to geography and development-oriented research. Yet his most important legacy is the countless people and institutions who, under his guidance or alongside him, made decisive progress towards a fairer and more sustainable world. They include scientists, students of all levels, development experts, technicians, local communities, farmers, decision-makers, and institutions. After becoming emeritus in 2016, Hans Hurni wisely avoided clinging to leadership and influence, and instead retired to his ancestral home in the Simmental and committed himself to his young family.
“Let’s celebrate his extraordinary life dedicated to science, knowledge, and people he cared so deeply about.”
“Now, more than ever, his reflections and contributions are very much needed.”
As his colleague and friend, I am proud and grateful to have walked a long section of this path with Hans Hurni.
Urs Wiesmann
Quotes from partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
