Duration: 1.8.1996 to 31.7.1999 and 1.11.1999 to 30.4.2003

As part of a co-operation with the Environmental Research Centre Leipzig-Halle GmbH (UFZ), Ecosystem Analysis Section, three computer tools were developed in the project "Workbench for Modelling and Simulation of the Extinction of Small Populations" (WESP), which contribute in particular to transferring findings from theoretical ecological research into practical application. The three tools were "christened" Pop-X, Meta-X and WESP-Tool in the WESP project. These application-oriented computer tools each support the aspects of modelling, simulation and analysis of biological animal population models with different emphasis and are therefore intended for different user groups or for processing different population structures. The Meta-X tool will be distributed by Springer-Verlag from mid-2001.

In a continuation of the co-operation between the UFZ and OFFIS, the SimWild project was launched at the end of 1999. The specific project content of SimWild is defined by two main areas: Firstly, the creation of a simulation tool AniTraX (similar to Pop-X and Meta-X) to research questions relating to the mortality of wildlife species caused by anthropogenic disturbance (e.g. road traffic or poaching). In line with the basic project objectives, this tool is intended to enable the use of a basic model created by the UFZ in practical nature conservation, particularly by species conservation officers or landscape planners. On the other hand, a software tool AniInfo, which is conceptually superordinate to the simulation tools, is being developed in SimWild. This is used to manage different simulation tools and to transfer simulation results into a software component that is intended to support objective decision-making.