Heinz Sielmann Stiftung

Heinz Sielmann Stiftung, known in English as the Heinz Sielmann Foundation, is a German charitable organization based in Duderstadt in Lower Saxony. It combines practical nature conservation with public education, especially programs designed to help children and young people develop a constructive, experience-based relationship with the natural world. Its official motto, “Diversity is our nature,” expresses the foundation’s emphasis on biological diversity and the protection of habitats that support varied plant and animal life. The foundation began its work in 1996 at the Herbigshagen property near Duderstadt, in the Eichsfeld area. The site became the organization’s principal educational and visitor location. From its early years, the foundation worked with schools in Lower Saxony and served as a regional environmental education center. Its educational approach is based not only on classroom instruction but also on direct encounters with landscapes, animals, plants, and ecological relationships. This approach reflects the influence of Heinz Sielmann, the German wildlife filmmaker and naturalist whose films brought animal behavior and environmental themes to a broad audience. A major part of the foundation’s work is the protection and restoration of habitats. It operates and supports biotope and animal-sanctuary projects in Germany, and it acquires or manages larger landscapes when ownership or long-term stewardship can help safeguard biodiversity. The foundation also acts as a grant-making organization, supporting nature and environmental projects that fall outside government programs. Its principal geographic focus is Germany, although projects outside the country may be considered when they have a direct connection to nature conservation or environmental protection. The Herbigshagen estate serves simultaneously as a conservation site, an educational venue, and a memorial to Heinz Sielmann. The nature adventure house was reopened in 2019 with the exhibition “Diversity Needs Diversity,” which explains ecological interdependence through interactive displays, including mosaic elements and a media installation. Another exhibition, “Heinz Sielmann: A Life in Film,” presents his career and work, while a trophy room documents his films and awards. The estate also contains the Franz von Assisi Chapel. Heinz Sielmann’s urn was interred there in 2006, and the urn of his wife, Inge Sielmann, was placed there in 2019. The foundation’s public-facing activities also include awards intended to recognize achievements in conservation, biodiversity, and environmental filmmaking. These include the Heinz Sielmann Honorary Prize, the German Biodiversity Award, the Heinz Sielmann Film Prize, and the Heinz Sielmann Youth Film Prize. Through these awards, the organization extends its mission beyond land management and education by recognizing people who contribute to ecological awareness and the protection of nature. Unlike a commercial consumer brand, Heinz Sielmann Stiftung does not primarily offer physical products. Its identifiable offerings are conservation projects, educational programs, visitor exhibitions, grants, awards, and stewardship of the Heinz Sielmann archive of nature photographs and films. The foundation’s brand is therefore positioned around credible environmental action, biodiversity, experiential learning, and the cultural preservation of wildlife filmmaking. It remains an active German charitable foundation with a national conservation focus and a limited capacity to support suitable international initiatives.

The Heinz Sielmann Stiftung was established in 1996 and began its work at the Herbigshagen property near Duderstadt in Lower Saxony. The location became the institutional center of the foundation’s activities and provided a practical setting for combining habitat conservation, public interpretation, and environmental education. From its early period, the foundation worked with schools in Lower Saxony and operated as a regional environmental education center. Its programs were designed to introduce students to nature through direct experience and to encourage a positive, informed relationship with the environment. The foundation’s mission developed around two connected objectives. The first is practical conservation: protecting biodiversity, supporting biotopes and animal sanctuaries, preserving landscapes, and maintaining the ecological conditions required by diverse species. The second is public engagement: explaining the importance of nature protection, offering educational experiences, and encouraging individuals to participate in the defense of ecological diversity. The organization also provides financial support for selected nature and environmental projects, particularly initiatives that are not covered by government programs. Its core activity is in Germany, although it may support projects outside Germany when they are directly connected to environmental or nature-conservation objectives. In 2003, the foundation acquired the Herbigshagen property. Ownership gave it a stronger basis for long-term management of the estate and for the continued development of educational and visitor facilities. The site is more than an administrative base: it functions as a landscape for conservation work, a destination for environmental learning, and a place commemorating Heinz Sielmann’s contribution to nature filmmaking. Sielmann’s influence is reflected in the organization’s emphasis on communicating the richness of animal and plant life to broad audiences. The estate also became a memorial site. Heinz Sielmann’s urn was interred in the Franz von Assisi Chapel in 2006. Inge Sielmann’s urn was placed there in 2019. The foundation preserves and presents elements of the Sielmann legacy through exhibitions and through its care of the Heinz Sielmann archive of nature photographs and films. This archival role complements the foundation’s fieldwork by preserving visual records that have helped shape public understanding of wildlife and natural habitats. The nature adventure house at Herbigshagen was reopened in 2019. Its exhibition “Diversity Needs Diversity” used interactive displays and media to explain the connections among organisms, habitats, and ecological systems. A separate exhibition, “Heinz Sielmann: A Life in Film,” presents the filmmaker’s professional life and work, while a trophy room displays his films and awards. Together, these facilities connect contemporary conservation education with the history of wildlife observation and documentary filmmaking. The foundation also established a group of awards recognizing conservation and environmental communication. These include the Heinz Sielmann Honorary Prize, the German Biodiversity Award, the Heinz Sielmann Film Prize, and the Heinz Sielmann Youth Film Prize. The awards extend the foundation’s mission by highlighting people and projects that make notable contributions to biodiversity protection, ecological awareness, or nature film. Today, Heinz Sielmann Stiftung remains an active German charitable foundation. Its work spans landscape and habitat conservation, animal protection, environmental education, grant support, public exhibitions, awards, and archive preservation. The organization’s distinctive identity lies in combining on-the-ground conservation with personal encounters with nature and the communication legacy of one of Germany’s best-known wildlife filmmakers.

• 2019

  Nature adventure house reopens

  [1]The Heinz Sielmann Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The facility reopened with the interactive “Diversity Needs Diversity” exhibition, which explains ecological relationships through hands-on and media-based interpretation.

• 2019

  Inge Sielmann memorialized at Herbigshagen

  [1]The Heinz Sielmann Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The urn of Inge Sielmann was placed at the Franz von Assisi Chapel.

• 2006

  Heinz Sielmann memorialized at Herbigshagen

  [1]The Heinz Sielmann Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The founder’s urn was interred at the Franz von Assisi Chapel on the foundation’s estate.

• 2003

  Herbigshagen property acquired

  [1]The Heinz Sielmann Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation acquired the Herbigshagen estate, providing a permanent base for its nature-conservation, educational, and visitor programs.

• 1996

  Foundation begins activities at Herbigshagen

  [1]The Heinz Sielmann Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The Heinz Sielmann Stiftung started its work at the Herbigshagen property near Duderstadt, which became the base for its conservation and environmental education activities.

A conservation-focused German charitable foundation that links practical habitat protection with experiential environmental education, biodiversity advocacy, recognition of ecological achievement, and preservation of Heinz Sielmann's nature-film heritage.

• Environmental education and visitor center · 1996

  Herbigshagen Nature Experience Center

  The Herbigshagen estate is the foundation’s principal public site. It combines conservation landscapes, educational activities, visitor interpretation, and memorial elements connected with Heinz and Inge Sielmann. The site is used to introduce children, young people, and other visitors to ecological relationships through direct encounters with nature.

• Nature conservation · 1996

  Biotope and Habitat Conservation Projects

  The foundation operates and supports projects involving biotopes, animal sanctuaries, landscapes, and habitat protection in Germany. It may acquire or manage larger areas when long-term stewardship can help preserve biodiversity and ecological stability. The work focuses on maintaining varied fauna and flora and protecting the conditions on which they depend.

• Environmental education · 1996

  Environmental Education Programs

  These programs use personal experience and engagement with natural environments to develop awareness of conservation issues. The foundation has worked with schools in Lower Saxony and operated as a regional environmental education center, with particular attention to children and young people.

• Cultural and archival preservation

  Heinz Sielmann Nature Archive

  The foundation preserves the archive of Heinz Sielmann’s nature photographs and films. This activity safeguards material documenting wildlife, natural environments, and the filmmaker’s contribution to public understanding of nature. The archive is also reflected in exhibitions at Herbigshagen.

• Awards and recognition

  Environmental and Biodiversity Awards

  The foundation confers several awards recognizing contributions to conservation and environmental communication, including the Heinz Sielmann Honorary Prize, German Biodiversity Award, Heinz Sielmann Film Prize, and Heinz Sielmann Youth Film Prize.

1. 1The Heinz Sielmann Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Heinz Sielmann Stiftung official websitesielmann-stiftung.de