Josef Settele, leading biodiversity researcher, dies

Prominent biodiversity researcher Josef “Sepp” Settele has passed away unexpectedly on October 9, 2026. A leading figure in global nature and climate protection, Settele held significant roles within the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Settele served as the head of the Department of Nature Conservation Research at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Halle and was an extraordinary professor at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. His research focused on insect ecology, land use, and socio-ecological systems. He notably led the long-term butterfly monitoring program in Germany.

His international contributions included serving as a lead author for assessments on pollination and biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific, as well as co-chairing the IPBES Global Assessment. In recognition of his work, a genus of moths found in the Philippines was named ‘Setteleia’ in his honor in 2021.