About
Patrick T. Augenstein is a geographer, political ecologist, and filmmaker. He focuses on researching and communicating the lessons of ecosystem restoration for more than a decade. He worked in more than 25 countries with distinct socio-ecological settings across the globe. This includes investigations into the rehabilitation of agricultural lands on the Loess Plateau in China, water catchment regenerations surrounding Port Elizabeth in South Africa, reforestation efforts in North Korea, quarry rehabilitation in Kenya, as well as restoration initiatives in Rwanda.
Currently, he is a senior scientist at the Development Geography Department – Bonn University, Germany, contributing to the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center (228) “Future Rural Africa”. He obtained a Ph.D. with summa cum laude at the artec – Sustainability Research Center of Bremen University, Germany.
While holding the position of the Science Research Director at the Environmental Education Media Project in China, the organization received the Communications Award from the Society of Ecological Restoration. Numerous of his films on ecosystem restoration were nominated and won at international film festivals.
Together with UNCCD, UNEP, ILRI and IUCN – among other multinational organizations – he produced and directed films like: Miyun - Watershed Restoration for China’s Capital (2013), The Promise of the Commons (2014), Forest for the Future (2015), The re-discovery of humanity – ecosystem restoration & migration (2016), When the skies ran dry (2018), The End of Famine (2019), and Rejuvenating Rangelands (2021). He is the founder of > SEE-International, a multi-media production house with a special focus on all topics surrounding ecosystem restoration.
Research focus
- restoration ecology & political ecology
- repeat photography & documentary film
Awards
- 2013 Society for Ecological Restoration Communication Award (EEMP) Washington D.C., United States
- 2011 Hope in a Changing Climate (EEMP) – Best Documentary Film at Green Screen Festival Vancouver, Canada
- 2010 Hope in a Changing Climate (EEMP) – Best Documentary Film in the category: Ecosystem at the International Wildlife Film Festival, Montana, USA
Memberships
- Documentary Film-AG (Doc-AG)
- European Documentary Film Network (EDFN)
- Geographical Society of Bonn
- Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR)
- Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
