History

The Research Center Mining Landscapes was founded on April 12, 2000 by decision of the BTU Senat. Prof. Dr. R. F. Hüttl was appointed the scientific head of the research center on July 31, 2000. The statutes of the research center were published on August 07, 2000. On November 20, 2002 the advisory board of the research center has been constituted.

As the research area "Development and evaluation of disturbed landscapes" became one of the most important research areas of the university the formation of a central research facility was necessary. In the year of the research center's establishment about 30% of all third-party funds of the BTU Cottbus flowed into research activities on the development of mining landscapes.

From 1994 to 1999 the German Research Foundation (DFG) installed the Center of Excellence "Scope of Ecological Development of Post-Mining Landscapes in the Lusatian Lignite Mining District" at the BTU Cottbus. In 2001 the first DFG financed Collaborative Research Center "Development and Evaluation of Disturbed Landscapes. Case Study Lusatian Post-Mining Landscapes" (SFB 565) at an university in the state of Brandenburg was established and integrated into the Research Center Mining Landscapes.

The Research Center Mining Landscapes aims to initiate and coordinate research projects in mining landscapes and comparable disturbed landscapes. The Research Center Mining Landscapes was established to facilitate research activities across disciplines and faculties on topics of scientific, technical and socio-economic relevance.

New statutes have been published on June 02, 2005. The new name of the center is now "Research Center Landscape Development and Mining Landscapes".

Since July 2007 the FZLB is coordinating the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (SFB/TRR 38) "Structures and Processes of the initial ecosystem development phase in an artificial water catchment" which is carried out together with  TU München and  ETH Zurich. The first funding period of this research centre is provided by the DFG until June 2011.