Dr. Maria Furtwängler
Prosperity and security: A slightly different view of nature
Lecture on January 23, 2026
Our prosperity depends directly on stable ecosystems. But are we really aware of how fragile they are? Nature is not something we can take for granted; it needs protection, care, and a clear political framework. Healthy soils, functioning water cycles, and biological diversity ensure food security, health, and economic development—and for 96% of people in Germany, they are a central part of their quality of life.
Looking at my own homeland in particular, it becomes clear to me how much intact landscapes also shape our personal well-being. At the same time, these foundations are coming under increasing pressure from species loss, climate change, and degraded land. This raises the question for many: How can we protect nature without slowing down economic momentum?
True sustainability can only be achieved when both aspects are considered together. Innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and responsible resource conservation can provide new impetus. This requires alliances that combine ecological responsibility and economic strength. Our current indicators of prosperity are insufficient. Nature is systemically important.
Dr. Maria Furtwängler
Maria Furtwängler is an actress, producer, and co-founder of the MaLisa Foundation.
Since 2002, Furtwängler has portrayed Chief Inspector Charlotte Lindholm in Tatort, making her one of the most successful investigators on German television.
Most recently, she played the leading role in the drama Bis zur Wahrheit, which she co-produced with NORDFILM for NDR. For this performance, she was awarded the 2025 German Television Award as Best Actress. The TV broadcast of Bis zur Wahrheit in November became the year’s most successful Wednesday-evening premiere on Das Erste.
Furtwängler also appeared in the comedy series German Genius, nominated for the 2024 Grimme Award, and in the Tatort episode Geisterfahrt, nominated for the 2024 German Crime Film Award. In addition, she went on an investigative journey for an ARD documentary on dramatic insect decline, which was broadcast in autumn 2024 as part of Erlebnis Erde on Das Erste.
In 2017, Maria Furtwängler founded the production company Atalante Film with the aim of developing high-quality, entertaining films and series that reflect a broader range of female perspectives and lived realities while addressing the defining issues of our time. Atalante Film places particular emphasis on diversity and gender equality, as well as on climate change and its consequences.
Alongside her numerous awards for acting, Furtwängler has also received recognition for her social and civic engagement, including the 2024 CARE Millennium Award for her commitment to gender equality and to addressing the impacts of climate change.
In 2016, together with her daughter Elisabeth, she founded the MaLisa Foundation, which advocates for a free and equitable society that uses its resources in an ecologically sustainable and socially just way, with a focus on protecting biodiversity and preserving our natural life-support systems. On the international stage, the foundation is committed to ending violence against women and girls. In Germany, it also champions social diversity, the dismantling of restrictive gender roles, and climate and species protection, with a strong focus on visibility in audiovisual media.
With a data-driven, evidence-based approach, the foundation collaborates with partners in the audiovisual industry and with film schools to advance diversity as well as climate and gender justice on-screen and behind the scenes. Over the years, its data-informed work has heightened awareness and brought about significant practical change.
Furtwängler drew inspiration from the work of the Geena Davis Institute in the United States. Together with Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Prommer and other researchers in Germany, she conducted the first representative studies on diversity in German television, film, streaming, and social media, as well as on the portrayal of gender-based violence in German television. The foundation’s most recent study examines how topics related to climate change and biodiversity are depicted on television and how they are perceived by audiences. Another study, currently being planned with Dr. Maya Götz, will explore contemporary images of men and women on social-media platforms and their significance in the context of identity formation and value systems.
In 2024, Furtwängler and the MaLisa Foundation initiated DLD Nature, an international innovation conference in Munich that brought together leaders from politics, science, and business to discuss the theme of nature. Furtwängler also speaks regularly at conferences and congresses.
Furtwängler holds a doctorate in medicine and serves as President of the Board of Trustees for the aid organization German Doctors.
