Anita Kirmer

Prof. Dr. Anita Kirmer is Acting Professor of Vegetation Science at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Anhalt), Department 1: Agriculture, Nutritional Science and Landscape Development, Bernburg campus, Germany. Since 2019 she has also been a Privatdozentin (private lecturer) at TU Berlin. Her career combines research, teaching and applied restoration practice focused on biodiversity enhancement in farmland, ecological restoration of grasslands and post-mining landscapes, and climate-adapted land management.

Education & Career Path

• 1994 – Diploma Biology, University of Hohenheim
• 2003 – Dr. rer. nat. (Geobotany), Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
• 2017 – Habilitation & Venia legendi in Applied Biodiversity Research, TU Berlin
• 2021-present – Acting Professor of Vegetation Science, Hochschule Anhalt

Research Focus

Prof. Kirmer’s work centres on restoring biodiversity in degraded ecosystems, especially:

• Long-term experiments on species-rich field margins and wildflower strips in intensive farmland.
• Developing best-practice methods for restoring open habitats (grasslands, fringes, post-mining slopes).
• Climate-change adaptation strategies in viticulture and grassland management.
• Knowledge transfer between science and practice for green-sector professionals.

Research Funding & Projects

She currently leads or co-leads numerous large, externally funded projects:

• AgriRestore (DFG, 2024-2029) – ecosystem restoration across scales for biodiversity & climate resilience.
• Grassworks (BMBF, 2021-2024) – multi-region assessment of successful grassland restoration concepts.
• LIFE VineAdapt (EU LIFE, 2020-2025) – sustainable viticulture adapting to climate change.
• TEAM#UP & TRAIN#ER (Erasmus+, 2022-2027) – vocational excellence in ecological restoration training.
• Further projects funded by DBU, ELER, BMBF, EU Interreg, etc.

Scientific Output & Recognition

Prof. Kirmer has authored >100 peer-reviewed publications, co-edited international handbooks (e.g., Guidelines for Native Seed Production and Grassland Restoration, Cambridge Scholars), and published practical guides widely used by practitioners. She is active in the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and the Ecological Society of Germany (GfÖ).

Laboratories & Collaborations

She heads activities within the KAT Competence Center LIFE SCIENCES at Hochschule Anhalt and collaborates with >30 national and international partners (e.g., TU München, Leuphana Lüneburg, Thünen Institute, Universities of Alicante & Greifswald, NINA Norway, Czech Academy of Sciences).