Spotlight

In this section, you'll find our contributions to current debates for a sustainable future from a sound scientific perspective as well as glimpses behind the scenes.

Latest stories and interviews

20 October 2026

Female farmers in Myanmar standing in a field of cut grass

The overlooked crisis: deforestation in Myanmar

Amid the civil war, other crises in Myanmar are easily overlooked. For example, the ongoing devastation of its forests. Now, a nationwide CDE study reveals where deforestation has occurred and, for the first time, maps forest degradation across the country between 2000 and 2023. There is more at stake than the conservation of forests.

7 October 2026

After a day’s work, migrant workers living in a labour camp at a Thai-owned orange plantation on the Bolaven plateau prepare to work overtime.

The jobs are there. Why aren’t local workers being hired?

Laos has promoted international commercial agricultural investments as a promising way of creating jobs in rural areas. But these opportunities haven’t materialized as anticipated. A CDE study asks why – and investigates how to minimize the gap between investor and worker expectations.

28 July 2026

Ingrid Teich

“Restoring land means restoring hope – by putting people at the centre”

Land degradation is often described using data, maps, and global indicators. Ahead of UNCCD COP17, happening in August 2026, Ingrid Teich, CDE/WOCAT scientist and international expert on land degradation neutrality, explains why it’s so important to communicate clearly what land degradation means for people and their lives.

13 July 2026

A view of the centre of Bolligen in 2060, showing what it might look like if measures to improve climate resilience were introduced now. The house facades and roofs are covered in greenery, and many have solar panels installed. Two farm fields in the background appear to be dry – or have been harvested. The forest in the background appears drier than it did in 2025, but is still green.

How can we make Bern’s surrounding landscapes fit for climate change?

What will the landscapes around Bern look like in 2060 if climate change pushes the local annual average temperature up by 2.3 °C? As part of the WSL project “KLANG”, Elena Siegrist co-developed various future scenarios. In this contribution, she takes you on a walk through Bolligen in the year 2060.