Dr Frauke Fischer will present the Department of Biological Sciences seminar with a talk on sustainability/green economies, entitled, "Conservation, Chocolate, CEOs –  how to bring it all together". 

Background

Dr. Frauke Fischer is a wildlife biologist by training. Her scientific research focussed mostly on the eco-ethology of the kob antelope (Kobus kob kob). After completing her PhD on kobs Frauke became the director of the Tropical Biology Research Station run by the University of Würzburg in the Comoé NP (Côte d’Ivoire). After the outbreak of the civil war in Côte d’Ivoire in 2002 Frauke moved back to Würzburg and established the teaching program on international conservation at the University of Würzburg. Frauke worked on conservation projects in countries like Tanzania, Brazil and others.

In 2003 she founded auf! - the first business consultancy focussing on biodiversity issues on the corporate level. auf! provides scientific expertise on biodiversity, climate change and sustainability. Together with her colleagues Frauke designs and evaluates projects in the fields of biodiversity conservation, climate protection, and CSR – for both the private and public sector.

In 2015 Frauke and Arno founded PERÚ PURO a small start-up company that imports and brings to market organic fair-traded coca from a small cocoa farmer cooperative from Peru.

Frauke was awarded with the Ford Motor Company Conservation Award in 2001 and the Sustainability Award of the University of Würzburg for the “Plastic Summer School” in 2018.

PERÚ PURO has been nominated for the German Sustainability Prize 2020 and won the silver and bronze medals for both of their Chuncho Gold chocolates at the European Chocolate Awards 2019. PERÚ PURO has been nominated for a German award on biodiversity-friendly value chains in 2019.

Frauke is the author of more than 80 scientific papers and two books: “Planet 3.0” and “The Palm Oil Compass”.