Schneider is Scientific Director of ISOE and Professor of Social Ecology and Transdisciplinarity at the Goethe University Frankfurt. She is also spokesperson for the Research Activity “Ecosystem Services and Climate” at the Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research and deputy chair of the Hessian Climate Council. The Swiss sustainability researcher received her venia docendi from the University of Bern in 2016 with a habilitation on the topic of transdisciplinary and transformative research for sustainable governance of natural resources with a view to intergenerational equity, where she also headed the Land Resources Cluster of the Center for Development and Environment (CDE) until 2020. Her research focuses on learning and action for sustainability transformations, transdisciplinary research and science policy.

About Ecornet

Ecornet is a network of eight independent, non-profit environmental and sustainability research institutes in Germany. Their common mission is to help shape societal change towards sustainability and to provide a scientific basis for such a transformation. Ever since they were founded, the Ecornet institutes have specialized in tackling complex problems in a practical manner across the boundaries of scientific disciplines. In 2011, they joined forces to establish Ecornet with the aim to broaden their competencies and to contribute them to research. The members of the Ecornet are

• Ecologic Institute
• ifeu – Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg gGmbH 
• Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW)
• ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research
• IZT – Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment
• Oeko-Institut
• Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU)
• Wuppertal Institute 

www.ecornet.eu 

Press contact:

Dr. Nicola Schuldt-Baumgart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-30
schuldt-baumgart(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de 

Humans have fundamentally changed the ecological foundations of life on planet Earth through their activities such as agriculture, forestry, urbanization, as well as energy and resource consumption. Industrial activities around the world have increasingly transformed the global ecosystem into a system that appears to be optimized for the production of specific goods and services such as fuels, food and fabric fibres. For many decades, this has certainly led to greater prosperity and health for many people. However, the natural foundations of life on earth have been strained beyond measure. Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) are therefore calling for fundamental change, but to date it remains uncertain how this can be achieved.

In this context, sustainability researcher Lisen Schultz asks the following question: How can the scientific findings necessary for change find their way into implementation? And related thereto she asks the question of how research findings can change practical development paths towards sustainability and regeneration? Lisen Schultz does research at the Stockholm Resilience Centre on topics like “Learning for sustainability” and “The co-production of knowledge”. In the ISOE lecture, she will present experimental ways in which influential actors can be reached for sustainable action. Here, Schultz will present examples and explain what lessons can be learnt when dealing with complex socio-ecological systems.

About the ISOE Lecture

The lecture  organized by ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research that takes place each winter term, is dedicated to current issues in sustainability research and specific examples from science and research. The “ISOE Lecture Sustainable Science” aims to offer food for thought on how transitions to sustainable development can succeed and what role universities and science are playing in this context. This is particularly aimed at students and young scientists but also the interested general public. For more information on the ISOE Lecture, please go to: www.isoe.de/en/teaching/isoe-lecture 

ISOE Lecture WS 2023/2024

“Bringing ecology to decision-makers – a comparison of approaches”
Lisen Schultz
Deputy Director Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden

Date and time: 8 February 2024, 18:15 – 19:45
Location: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Campus Westend. Casino Room 1.811
Organiser: ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research in cooperation with the Department of Industrial and Organisational Sociology, Environmental Sociology, FB 03, Goethe University
Join the discussion: #ISOE_Lecture
Note: The lecture will be held in English.

Scientific contact:

PD Dr. Diana Hummel
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-33
hummel(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

The research project is looking for solutions to capture the water during heavy rainfall and then drain it away so that it can be reused. One prerequisite for this is that the existing methods and instruments for flash flood forecasting and risk management are improved. To this end, the researchers are investigating the interactions between land use, hydraulic engineering measures and climate change. Vulnerability analyses are also being carried out in order to specifically identify weak points. The knowledge thus gained can then be used to derive measures to protect the population.

Research contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

In December 2023, around 30 project partners and Jordanian experts met in the capital Amman to exchange current research findings and develop scenarios for integrated modeling and vulnerability analysis. The CapTain Rain research team also held additional meetings with project partners and stakeholders and organized an additional workshop in Wadi Musa. Here, the focus was on common planning goals for the Wadi Musa region and on suitable measures with the ability to reduce damages caused by flash floods in this area . Wadi Musa is home to the rock city of Petra, which has repeatedly had to be evacuated as a result of heavy rainfall. In 2018, twelve people lost their lives in the area of the flooded World Heritage Site. 

The proposals developed as part of the CapTain Rain project should also enable the municipality of Wadi Musa to implement measures that not only focus on the protection against flash floods, but also on the utilization of rainwater. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the CapTain Rain project as part of the “CLIENT II – International Partnerships for Sustainable Innovation” funding measure. The CLIENT II website currently highlights the success of the joint project in terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): In Jordan, CapTain Rain is particularly making a valuable contribution to SDG 13 “Climate Action”, but both SDG 6 regarding water and SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” are also being implemented.

For more information on the project please go to 
www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/captain-rain  

Scientific contact:

Dr. Katja Brinkmann 
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-42
katja.brinkmann(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

The transdisciplinary research project SLInBio, led by ISOE and dedicated to the conservation of insect diversity in the city, makes use of this potential: “The interplay of scientific findings and artistic-aesthetic perspectives can not only create new spaces for hitherto unfamiliar experiences and for the emergence of new thought patterns,” explains Schneider, “Communication between different disciplines can also generate new knowledge and urgently needed new narratives that can be used to win people over for the protection of insect diversity.” 

Promoting access to knowledge about the necessary coexistence of insects and humans

To support this communication, the ISOE research team of SLInBio is offering the “Insectopolis” project grant, which is aimed at artists based in the Rhine-Main region. The grant is embedded in a transdisciplinary setting and aims to promote the co-productive process between the arts and the sciences. The funded artistic work is to be implemented in a public space in the city of Frankfurt am Main. The thematic focus is on the topic of insect biodiversity.

“We are looking forward to receiving applications and project proposals that have the potential to reflect on the existing relationships between humans and insects,” says Nina Queissner, who is accompanying the “Insectopolis” project as artistic curator. “Essentially, the aim is to use an aesthetic experience to sensitize viewers to the fact that the coexistence of humans and insects is an essential prerequisite for life and survival in the Anthropocene.” 

Application deadline for “Insectopolis” on January 31, 2024

The proposals that can be submitted until January 31, 2024, should reflect the diverse relationships between humans and insects as well as their entangled habitats and joint living conditions in the city. “Insectopolis” will be realized between April and July 2024 in close cooperation with ISOE researchers and partner institutions such as Palmengarten Frankfurt am Main or Senckenberg Natural History Museum. 

The selected artist will receive a remuneration of 5,000 Euro for the conceptualization, for investigative work in cooperation with the researchers as well as for the implementation including exhibition rights. In addition, a material costs budget of 4,500 Euro will be made available for the realization of the artwork in a public space. 

More detailed information on the conditions of participation and application process can be found at www.isoe.de/en/insectopolis. 

For more about the SLInBio project please go to www.insektenvielfalt-frankfurt.org. 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Florian Dirk Schneider
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-71
florian.schneider(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  
 

The data showed that agricultural activity in the vicinity of nature reserves negatively impacts insect diversity in protected areas: If there is a high proportion of arable land in the vicinity of protected areas, a low insect diversity can be observed. In the same vein, the number of agrochemicals to which the insects are exposed scales with the proportion of arable land. Scientific analysis of the data has also shown that the negative influences of agricultural land situated in the vicinity of an observation site cannot be compensated for, even when it comes to larger nature conservation areas.

Key factor for reversing the trend of insect decline: local dialogues

In the recently published article “Recommendations for effective insect conservation in nature protected areas based on a transdisciplinary project in Germany”, Sebastian Köthe and other authors describe how the negative effects of fertilizers and synthetic pesticides can be avoided through more environmentally friendly land use in the vicinity of protected areas and how insect diversity can be sustained. At the same time, they advocate the cooperative development of solutions involving all stakeholders in order to compensate for possible agricultural yield losses and to offer mediation. As well as proposing measures to improve the effectiveness of protected areas, the scientists emphasize the importance of joint discussions about insect conservation and potential conflicts of interest between all stakeholders involved.

The authors see communication between stakeholders in agriculture and nature conservation, taking into account their joint commitment to insect conservation, as a key factor in reversing this trend. The DINA researchers therefore believe that suitable consulting and funding opportunities are needed to carry out local dialog processes geared towards developing consensual solutions with the aim to counter insect mortality in nature conservation areas. 

The involvement of interest groups at local level could significantly facilitate conservation management. Included herein are environmental education and agroecological training for practitioners to improve the knowledge about effective insect conservation in stakeholders and the local population. “To enable broad societal support, biodiversity and its conservation should be established as part of education for sustainable development,” the authors conclude.

About the study 

The study “Recommendations for effective insect conservation in nature protected areas based on a transdisciplinary project in Germany” was published in the open access journal Environmental Sciences Europe volume 35, Article number: 102 (2023) and was produced as part of the research project “DINA – Diversity of insects in nature conservation areas”. From 2019 to 2023 and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), nine partner institutes led by NABU have conducted research on insect diversity in nature reserves as part of this transdisciplinary project. Flying insects were recorded and documented by the Entomological Association Krefeld and NABU volunteers at representative locations using malaise traps. The evaluation using modern molecular methods of species identification via DNA analyses (metabarcoding) was carried out by the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Bonn. Vegetation analyses were carried out by the University of Kassel and trace substance analyses were done by the University of Koblenz-Landau. The IÖR (Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development) analyzed geodata around the study sites. The social science analyses were carried out by IZNE (International Centre for Sustainable Development) at Hochschule Bonn Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research conducted dialog workshops in three nature conservation areas in Germany.

For more information please go to www.dina-insektenforschung.de 

Recommendations for effective insect conservation in nature protected areas based on a transdisciplinary project in Germany. Sebastian Köthe, Nikita Bakanov, Carsten A. Brühl, Lisa Eichler, Thomas Fickel, Birgit Gemeinholzer, Thomas Hörren, Aleksandra Jurewicz, Alexandra Lux, Gotthard Meinel, Roland Mühlethaler, Livia Schäffler, Christoph Scherber, Florian D. Schneider, Martin Sorg, Stephanie J. Swenson, Wiltrud Terlau, Angela Turck & Gerlind U. C. Lehmann (2023). Environmental Sciences Europe volume 35 (102). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-023-00813-5  

Scientific contact:

Dr. Florian Dirk Schneider
Research Scientist ISOE
Tel. +49 (0)69 707 6919-71
florian.schneider(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de  

Dr. Sebastian Köthe
Data Scientist NABU
Tel. +49 (0)172 160 7894
Sebastian.Koethe(at)NABU.de

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Societal effects are obvious and intended in TD research as it investigates complex, real-world issues. The aim is to obtain practical and applicable knowledge that societies need in order to make processes and situations more sustainable. To this end, the knowledge and perspectives of different scientific disciplines and stakeholders are drawn upon and systematically integrated into the research process. The societal effects that can thus be achieved include changes to communication processes or to infrastructures. Such effects can for example be initiated in real-world laboratories.

A research mode with social and scientific impacts 

But how does TD research affect science? Based on the qualitative interviews, Theiler and Marg came to the conclusion that transdisciplinary research also has the potential to bring about changes in science. Effects can be seen in three areas: In their study, the two researchers were able to identify positive changes in the understanding of scientific problems, as well as improvements in the quality of scientific findings and, in addition, an increased reflexivity among the interviewees towards their scientific work. 
The interplay of socio-political and scientific-analytical research and decision-making processes, as is typical of the transdisciplinary research mode, can therefore not only produce applicable knowledge for practice, but also new insights for science. For Theiler and Marg, the fact that TD research can simultaneously sharpen the view and thinking of researchers in relation to their own discipline as well as the entire scientific system presents an added value for science that emphasizes the attractiveness of this research mode for science. 

Publication

Marg, Oskar/Lena Theiler (2023): Effects of transdisciplinary research on scientific knowledge and reflexivity. Research Evaluation, rvad033 
https://academic.oup.com/rev/advance-article/doi/10.1093/reseval/rvad033/7335870 

Scientific contact:

Lena Theiler 
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-56
lena.theiler(at)isoe.de 

Dr. Oskar Marg 
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-26
oskar.marg(at)isoe.de 

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  
 

It has become apparent, however, that particularly small to medium-sized municipalities are currently struggeling to cope with the wide range of necessary climate adaptation measures.

While climate protection is now well established in many municipalities, the same can often not be said of municipal climate adaptation – if only because knowledge of concrete solutions or support services is lacking among municipal actors. In order to get cities and municipalities ready to create the conditions for effective climate adaptation and to implement adequate measures, the KomKlAn research project is looking at how to offer support on the path to climate resilience.

Municipalities as central actors in climate adaptation

The aim of the research project is to improve the knowledge base on municipal climate adaptation in Germany and to strengthen municipal climate adaptation activities. To this end, the research team is conducting a representative survey of municipalities in order to determine the current status of municipal adaptation to climate change and to be able to better and regularly record climate adaptation activities at the municipal level in the future. A special focus is on small and medium-sized municipalities.

In addition, municipalities should be enabled to determine and evaluate their own adaptation progress. For this purpose, the research team first identifies suitable indicators for measuring climate adaptation progress and, based thereon, develops an online scoring tool that is intended to enable municipalities to independently collect and evaluate data and information on their status and progress. In order to enable a user-friendly design of the tool, the development and testing is carried out together with selected municipalities in a transdisciplinary process.

About the project

The research project “KomKlAn – Where do municipalities stand in adapting to climate change and how do they arrive at multifunctional and transformative adaptation solutions?” is commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency. Research partners are ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research (lead), UP Transfer GmbH at the University of Potsdam, Factorial GmbH, SOKO Institute for Social Research & Communication GmbH and e-fect dialog evaluation consulting eG. 

Further information.

Scientific contact:

Dr. Thomas Friedrich
Phone +49 69 707 6919-60
thomas.friedrich(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de

Pressekontakt:

Melanie Neugart
Phone +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

The team has analysed in depth the scientific literature on this topic from 1990 to 2021. According to their analysis, the very many research papers on environmental pollution through chemicals were published in only a small number of highly specialized ecotoxicological journals, in which papers on biodiversity loss are only occasionally found. The authors conclude from this that the field is highly encapsulated and they see this as a strong contrast to publication behaviour in relation to other causes of global biodiversity loss. Research on the environmental impact of chemicals is still mostly dissociated from the assessment of biodiversity loss.

Align research activities in an interdisciplinary manner and secure data basis

The authors call for a stronger interdisciplinary focus in research so that the impacts of chemical substances on biodiversity can be better understood and mitigated. What makes the researchers optimistic here is the fact that there have been many methodological advances in ecotoxicology and ecology in recent years. For example, with the help of state-of-the-art chemical and effect-based analytics as well as big data science it is possible to detect thousands of known and unknown substances in environmental samples at the same time. In addition, there are technologies for remote environmental monitoring, for example with satellites, as well as computer models for predicting the ecological risks of chemicals and methods for determining biodiversity with the help of environmental DNA.

However, the scientists also see quite considerable challenges despite the interdisciplinary approach. For example, basic data are often lacking; each area under study has specific characteristics; the processes at ecosystem scale are complex. To meet these challenges, the researchers have made 16 recommendations. They suggest, for example, obligating industry to make relevant data public. Or they propose developing ecological test models that cover not only individual organisms but also populations, communities or even entire ecosystems.
About the research network 

The RobustNature research network is examining the robustness and resilience of nature-society systems in the developing Anthropocene and specifically the interaction of chemical pollution and biodiversity loss. To address important questions related to human-ecosystem dynamics, RobustNature has established interdisciplinary collaboration with partners from Germany and abroad. Within the research cluster, ISOE is leading the research area “Systemic Risks”, in which environmental risks and related complex societal problems are considered in a cross-cutting manner.
www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/robustnature 
www.robustnature.de/en 

Partners:

• Goethe University Frankfurt (Coordination; Faculty of Biological Sciences (15) with the faculties of Law (1), Economics & Business (2), Social Sciences (3), Educational Sciences (4), Geosciences & Geography (11), Computer Science & Mathematics (12), Medicine (16) and the profile area Sustainability & Biodiversity)
• ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research
• Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN)
• LOEWE-Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE TBG)
• Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig
• Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, Frankfurt
• Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Schmallenberg
• RWTH Aachen University
• University of Saskatchewan, Canada
• ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Stockholm University, Sweden

Original publication:

Francisco Sylvester, et al.: Better integration of chemical pollution research will further our understanding of biodiversity loss. Nature Ecology and Evolution (2023) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02117-6 

Scientific contact:

Prof. Dr. Flurina Schneider
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-0
flurina.schneider(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

“With the Insect Embassy, we are pursuing the goal of resuming diplomatic relations between humans and insects,” says ISOE biodiversity researcher Florian Dirk Schneider. The installation is intended to raise public awareness of how significant insects’ services are for the Earth’s ecosystems, how existential for humans and their comfortable way of life. “Particularly in cities, the importance of insects for safeguarding society's livelihoods is hardly visible,” says Schneider. “Worse, urban lifestyles lead to insects being driven out, excluded and fought against.” In order to bring about a change in this respect, the installation deliberately places insects at the centre of the city, even spatially. 

Diplomatic mission is the coexistence of insects and humans

In Frankfurt am Main, the Insect Embassy is created at a place where there is usually no space for insects. On Frankfurt’s Domplatz, it cuts through a space occupied entirely by humans. In the midst of the city, a place for residents and visitors to meet will be created, which at the same time opens up new perspectives on the world of insects and the necessity of coexistence. “By linking science, design and art, we want to draw attention to the existence of insects in urban space and at the same time deal with questions around the topic of how we build and live. How can a city function as a shared habitat for humans and insects?” asks Markus Holzbach, professor of material design at the HfG and director of the IMD – Institute for Materialdesign. “The Insect Embassy aims to show the fascination of the world of insects and thus promote the necessary dialogue in the shared habitat of cities.” 

On July 10, the Insect Embassy will open with a vernissage and a welcoming address by Rosemarie Heilig, Head of the Department of the Environment. “With the diplomatic representation for insects, an important contribution to the appreciation of insects in society is being created in the European financial capital Frankfurt.”

About the SLInBio research project

The Insect Embassy is an artistic installation within the framework of the research project “SLInBio – Urban lifestyles and the valorisation of biodiversity”.. Headed by ISOE - Institute for Social-Ecological Research, research institutes in Frankfurt, together with partners from the field, are investigating the connections between urban lifestyles and insect diversity. The aim is to offer citizens a variety of opportunities to experience insect diversity and participate in its research. SLInBio is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the funding measure “BiodiWert – Valuing and Securing Biodiversity in Politics, Economy and Society” as part of the BMBF’s Research Initiative for Biodiversity Conservation (FEdA). Other research partners are the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, NABU Frankfurt am Main e.V., BioFrankfurt – Das Netzwerk für Biodiversität e.V., Palmengarten der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Grünflächenamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Umweltamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, MainÄppelHaus Lohrberg Streuobstzentrum e.V.
www.insektenvielfalt-frankfurt.org 
 

The Insect Embassy – a diplomatic representation for insects in the city 

Installation by ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research and IMD – Institute for Materialdesign at the Offenbach University of Applied Sciences (HfG)

Duration: from July 10 to August 6, 2023

Location: Plane tree at Domplatz, Markt 1, Frankfurt am Main

Programme:

Vernissage at 6 p.m. on July 10,2023 at Domplatz, welcoming address by Rosemarie Heilig, Head of the Environment Department of the City of Frankfurt am Main, among others. 

Model presentation as part of the tour undertaken by Offenbach University of Applied Sciences (HfG) on July 14, 15 and 16, 2023 
www.hfg-offenbach.de/en/pages/annual-show#about
 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Florian D. Schneider
ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research
Hamburger Allee 45
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
florian.schneider(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de  

Prof. Dr. Markus Holzbach
IMD – Institute for Materialdesign
University of Art HfG Offenbach
Schlossstr. 31
63065 Offenbach am Main, Germany
holzbach(at)hfg-offenbach.de 
imd-materialdesign.com  
www.hfg-offenbach.de 

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Download press photo: 

Installation at the Domplatz in Frankfurt (computer simulation) (© IMD – Institute for Materialdesign of the HfG Offenbach)

The research project “gwTriade – Integrative Monitoring of Groundwater Quality” addresses the discrepancy between the great importance of groundwater and its quality that is often too low. gwTriade starts with improving the understanding of groundwater ecosystems and completes the existing assessment concept by offering important quality criteria. For this purpose, the manifold anthropogenic influences on groundwater are taken into account, key pollutants are identified and suitable test procedures are developed for assessing the impact of these substances on groundwater biodiversity.

Comprehensive quality assessment through joint natural and social science analysis 

The resulting monitoring procedure is based on a triad approach that combines standardized ecotoxicological bioassay procedures with chemical analysis and the recording of faunal diversity. Only the interaction of these three methods allows a comprehensive assessment of groundwater quality. The ISOE team, led by Johanna Kramm, contributes social analysis of policy frameworks and usage patterns to this integrated assessment concept. It is also responsible for the transfer of research results into practice, for example with the help of target group-specific recommendations for action in groundwater monitoring.

To this end, the ISOE researchers also address the different societal demands on groundwater protection and use and identify existing conflicts. Based on experience with other environmental conflicts, mechanisms and approaches for conflict management in the groundwater sector are derived. In a final step, the evaluation criteria developed in the project are then examined and prioritized with regard to societal objectives. The ISOE researchers are thus complementing the necessary scientific basis for measures aimed at protecting and preserving the groundwater ecosystem and its services.

About the project 

The project, led by Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the Sustainable Groundwater Management (LURCH) funding measure. In the area of research,ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research is joined by the followingproject partners:Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung (IWW), Mühlheim an der Ruhr, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), and Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung, Stuttgart. Practice partners include the NORMAN Network of reference laboratories, research centres and related organisations for monitoring of emerging environmental substances, Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (DVGW), and Umweltbundesamt (UBA). www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/gwtriade  

Scientific contact:

Dr. Johanna Kramm
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-16
kramm(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Sustainability research -- including that done by ISOE -- has been benefiting from this research mode since the 1990s. As a special feature, it involves different actors and stakeholders in the research process and can thus take various forms of knowledge into account. Through the inclusion of participants from science, civil society, politics and business, complex problems can be examined scientifically from many different angles and that way practicable solutions can be developed.

Founding of tdAcademy as a response to the increasing demand for transdisciplinary research 

Since 2020, tdAcademy, initiated by ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Zentrum Technik und Gesellschaft (ZTG) at Technische Universität Berlin and Öko-Institut, has offered a platform for transdisciplinary research and the research community. “We are pleased that with tdAcademy we were able to create a place that enables the networking of researchers and contributes to the further development, dissemination and quality assurance of transdisciplinary methods, concepts and competences,” says Alexandra Lux, who is co-spokesperson for the project together with Martina Schäfer from ZTG on 1 June 2023. Alexandra Lux is a transformation researcher at ISOE and was already project manager of “TransImpact” – a predecessor project from which the tdAcademy 2020 emerged. 

After the successful founding of the Fachgesellschaft für transdisziplinäre und partizipative Forschung e. V. (GTPF) in May, which came about largely at the initiative of tdAcademy and its group of partners, the tdAcademy 2 project team will address the growing demand for transdisciplinary research in four topic lines. “We see an increasing demand for specific process competence and knowledge concerning the interrelationships of the transdisciplinary research mode,” says Alexandra Lux. The research work of tdAcademy 2, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the Social-Ecological Research funding priority, specifically addresses this development.

tdAcademy 2: Strengthening the impact of transdisciplinary sustainability research 

The work at tdAcademy takes place, among others, in the two subject areas of societal impacts and scientific impacts – effects and interrelationships that have hardly been studied to date. In addition to impact research, another topic line also aims to systematically understand the contextual conditions for transdisciplinary research. Finally, in a fourth topic line, the team addresses new integrative research formats and the question of how these can contribute to transdisciplinary research. “Overall, the focus of the second phase of tdAcademy is to better understand what kind of interfaces arise between the topic lines and where synergies and contradictions occur. In this context, the question will be dealt with whether achieving societal impact is always at odds with scientific effectiveness,” Lux explains. The partners in the second phase of tdAcademy, i.e. ISOE, ZTG, Öko-Institut and Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are jointly investigating these interfaces. 

Participation in the community is open to all transdisciplinary researchers, and here young researchers from the global South and North are also explicitly invited to join. In order to specifically involve interested relevant actors from transdisciplinary research in the work of tdAcademy, a guest and fellowship program is available, which is financed by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. This gives participants the opportunity to help develop innovative approaches and ideas, discuss new developments in transdisciplinary research, write publications or position papers (either individually or in groups), expand their network as well as exchange experiences, and present their research to the international community.

For more information about tdAcademy, please visit: https://td-academy.org/en/home/

Scientific contact:

Dr. Alexandra Lux
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-27
lux(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

“Fire brigade” against dangerous mosquitoes 

In an article published in the journal “Biotechnology Advances”, a consortium of researchers from Frankfurt and Giessen at the Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics TBG shows a way out of this dilemma between nature and health protection with a new technology they have developed. Their common goal is to build a kind of fire brigade against tropical diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. The research team, which also includes Marion Mehring from ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, shows how the further spread of invasive mosquito species can be prevented in a targeted and environmentally friendly manner.

Efficient monitoring of the spread of mosquitoes and viruses is initially made possible by the genetic analysis of water samples, so-called “environmental DNA”. For this purpose, the team has already sequenced the genomes of various immigrant mosquitoes to develop procedures that enable reliable detection similar to a PCR test. In a second step, the new technology of “RNA interference” is used, in which the mosquito larvae in the distribution area are provided with food that contains double-stranded ribonucleic acids – RNAs for short.

Environmentally friendly technology against pathogens

These important information and function carriers, which are found in every cell of living organisms, then unfold their effect via the larvae’s intestine and switch off some of their genes that are important for survival. The advantages of this method are that the RNA molecules can be produced in such a way that they only act against the respective mosquito species and do not endanger other insect species or humans. Furthermore, no toxic residues are left in the environment during their degradation. This method does not produce genetically modified mosquitoes capable of reproducing.

The publication makes recommendations on how RNA interference, or RNAi for short, can be developed to market maturity in Europe as an innovative and environmentally friendly technology for the control of so-called vectors – pathogen-transmitting organisms. Sprays based on RNAi are also being developed against insect pests such as the Colorado potato beetle and are soon to be marketed as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional pesticides.

From market maturity to societal acceptance

However, the help of citizens is needed in order to successfully apply the new technology. ISOE-biodiversity researcher Marion Mehring therefore recommends including questions of societal acceptance in the development and implementation of the new technology: How can the risk perception and problem awareness for the control of dangerous mosquitoes be increased in the local population? How can citizens be encouraged to use the new technology themselves? The owners of gardens, for example, are in demand for the consistent control of mosquitoes – the occurrence of dangerous mosquitoes is particularly high there. 

Members of the consortium lead by Andreas Vilcinskas, head of the Bioresources section at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME in Giessen are currently researching the development of double-stranded RNAs that are particularly well suited for mosquito control and virus control. The consortium includes partner institutions such as Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Justus Liebig University Gießen, the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, the ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) in Frankfurt and the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.

Publication in Biotechnology Advances

Ruth Müller, Miklós Bálint, Kornelia Hardes, Henner Hollert, Sven Klimpel, Eileen Knorr, Judith Kochmann, Kwang-Zin Lee, Marion Mehring, Steffen U. Pauls, Greet Smets, Antje Steinbrink, Andreas Vilcinskas
“RNA interference to combat the Asian tiger mosquito in Europe: A pathway from design of an innovative vector control tool to its application”
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108167  

Scientific contact:

Dr. Marion Mehring
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-39
mehring(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de   

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de  

At the festive founding event at TU Berlin, Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), explained: “In future, transdisciplinary and participatory research will have to play a significant role within the science and innovation system in order to find solutions to major societal challenges. Today represented a milestone on the way to achieving this.” Tobias Dünow, State Secretary for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg, and Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlacke, Chair of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), also spoke. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Helga Nowotny, a pioneer of transdisciplinary research, and Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneidewind, Lord Mayor of the City of Wuppertal and co-founder of transformative research, gave inspiring keynote speeches.

Support and networking at the interface of science and society

During the subsequent panel discussion the guests discussed the following questions that are currently of concern to transdisciplinary and participatory researchers: How can research help to promote acceptance for sustainable development in society and support socio-ecological transformations? How can the need for further education and exchange between participants at the interface of science and society be met? ISOE researcher Lena Theiler emphasized that particularly young scientists who are still in the process of establishing themselves in the research field as doctoral candidates, need support and networking, which is what the professional society is suited for. 

The panelists (from left to right in the photo above) included Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneidewind, Lord Mayor of the City of Wuppertal; Oda Keppler, Head of the Sub-Department for Sustainability and Future Provision at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Dr. Steffi Ober, Initiator of the Platform Forschungswende and NABU Bundesverband; Professor Dr. Daniel Lang, Co-Speaker of tdAcademy, Leuphana University and Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis(ITAS) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT); Theres Paulsen, Head of td-net | Network for Transdisciplinary Research, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, Bern; Lena Theiler, team member in the project tdAcademy and researcher at ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research; Professor Dr. Aletta Bonn, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv).

The first general meeting of the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research (GTPF) will take place on November 22, 2023 at TU Chemnitz as part of the conference “„Partizipation in der Wissenschaft“. A call for participation in the program is online at http://www.partizipation-wissenschaft.de, and registration will be open from July.

For information on the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research please visit https://td-academy.org/tdacademy/fachgesellschaft/.

Key issues paper (in German) on the foundation of the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research:

Vernetzen, fördern, konsolidieren, stärken – zur Gründung der Gesellschaft für transdisziplinäre und partizipative Forschung. Matthias Bergmann, Daniel J. Lang, Melanie Mbah, Martina Schäfer in GAIA – Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, Issue 1/2023, p. 207ff.
 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Alexandra Lux
ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research
Hamburger Allee 45
60486 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-27
lux(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de  
 

As a result of the growing importance of transdisciplinary methods, the demand for well-founded training programs for transdisciplinary research has also increased. The MOOC “Partnering for change: Link research to societal challenges”, designed by Swiss researchers, including the Network for Transdisciplinary Research (td-net), addresses this need. Here, participants get a chance to learn about the principles, processes, and applications of transdisciplinary approaches and how to apply them. They will also identify key questions, phases and steps of transdisciplinary research and reflect on their own role. Participants will also gain insights into a variety of case studies from different subject areas. 

The course that was co-developed by Flurina Schneider, scientific director of ISOE, is aimed at students and scientists from different disciplines as well as actors from the field who work on solving specific societal challenges. 

The online course can be used in different ways: As of now, it is offered as a self-study program. For those who prefer collaborative learning and exchange, mentoring will be offered over a six-week period starting April 17, 2023. The available team of mentors are primarily from the Network for Transdisciplinary Research (td-net). The course is published free of charge on FutureLearn by the University of Basel in collaboration with the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. 

To register for the online course please use the following link.

Press contact

Dr. Nicola Schuldt-Baumgart
Phone +49 69 707 6919-30
schuldt-baumgart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de

In a three-year research project, a team led by Deike Lüdtke and Michael Kreß-Ludwig is investigating the current conflict situation of forest landscaping. First of all, this requires a comprehensive analysis of the conflict potential with the help of local case studies where the following questions will be dealt with How do different actors – for example from forestry and nature conservation – look at the question of what forests need in order to withstand climate change? In the debates about the future of the forest, for example, the type and manner of management are at stake and need to tackle the following topics: Which tree species are available, to what extent should reforestation take place? And then questions about the designation of protected areas or the implementation of fire protection are also discussed. The viewpoints and objectives of the actors involved are examined and seen from their respective perspectives.

Recognizing and solving conflicts: knowledge and method transfer

“Our goal is to identify the issues, views and dynamics that lead to conflicts and, in a next step, to constructively accompany the sometimes very difficult discussions between forestry, nature conservation and climate protection,” says ISOE researcher Kreß-Ludwig. In order to facilitate  a dialogue of mutual understanding between the different interest groups, various communication approaches are being pursued within the project and as part of case studies formats are tested that contribute to de-escalation. 

Transformation researcher Michael Kreß-Ludwig and land use expert Deike Lüdtke believe that their goal will be achieved if the actors involved are able to recognize, classify and de-escalate emerging conflicts in advance with the help of the knowledge and method transfer. “The path to effective solutions for sustainable forest management necessarily requires constructive, results-oriented dialogue,” says Lüdtke. The research project “Conflicts over the Forest of the Future – analysis and cooperative processing of forest-related negotiation processes in the context of climate change” is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) within the framework of the funding programme “Renewable Resources” based on a resolution of the German Bundestag. 

More about the project

www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/forest-of-the-future  

Scientific contact:

Dr. Deike Lüdtke
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-28
deike.luedtke(at)isoe.de 

Dr. Michael Kreß-Ludwig
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-62
kress-ludwig(at)isoe.de 

www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

Crucial for the water transformation, she says, is that the drinking water tap is not turned on for all kinds of purposes, be it in the industry, in commercial, public or residential buildings. “We have to get to the point where so-called service water can be used depending on the quality required,” says Winker. Service water is obtained from rainwater or from only slightly polluted household water and is suitable for example for flushing toilets. “Municipalities can accelerate the water transformation if they promote the consistent use of service water in public and domestic buildings as well as in trade and industry.” To achieve consistency, we need apartments with piping systems that allow service water to be treated and used separately from drinking water. It is technically feasible and already being done in new construction areas and should become standard, also in existing buildings. “The transformation of water infrastructures in existing buildings is certainly a challenge for municipalities, but implementable in the long term,” says Winker.

Sustainable water use through the transformation of infrastructures in existing buildings

Forcing the use of service water in new building areas alone is not an option for the water researcher, because this would not constitute a sufficient contribution to change. However, Martina Winker also knows: “A transformation to service water systems in existing buildings faces many hurdles and resistance, because it sensitively targets the status quo.” Conventionally, all wastewater from households is piped together to a central sewage treatment plant, regardless of whether it is heavily contaminated toilet water or slightly polluted water from the kitchen or bathroom. At the treatment plants it is purified at great expense before it is discharged into the water bodies. “A sustainable water supply means turning away from the costly follow-up treatment of wastewater. Not only is this saving drinking water, but it can also be less energy-intensive to separate different water flows and qualities that are already in the building and to treat them in a way that is adapted to the structural situation,” says Winker. 

In several research projects, Winker has determined the potential and environmental effects of the use of service water and found a high level of acceptance among users. “The preconditions for the transformation of water infrastructures are already in place, and the alternative solutions have long been technologically feasible, even in existing buildings. What is missing are municipalities that take courageous decisions and bring innovation to a wider public.” In a recent study, Martina Winker and her colleague at ISOE Engelbert Schramm looked at the need for research and development that could accompany and promote such decisions. This includes further studies concerning pipeline systems that keep the costs and effort involved in conversion as low as possible, or studies on environmental performances. Winker and Schramm also see the need for information tools that enable political decision-makers in the municipalities to identify good windows of opportunity for the conversion of existing buildings. To obtain a good basis for decision-making, they also recommend for municipalities to draw up a water management master plan concerning the operational water supply for their municipality or city.

Publication (available in German only)

Schramm, Engelbert/Martina Winker (2023): Transformation der Wasserinfrastruktur im Siedlungsbestand als Herausforderung. Pfade, Instrumente und Entwicklungsbedarf.  [Transformation of water infrastructure in existing settlements as a challenge. Pathways, instruments and development needs] ISOE-Materialien Soziale Ökologie, 68. Frankfurt am Main: ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Martina Winker
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-53
winker(at)isoe.de  
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

The study is based on extensive data collected as part of the “Biodiversity Exploratories” project, which has study regions in Northern, Central, and Southern Germany. “In the study, we examined a total of eleven different ecosystem benefits, ranging from timber or fodder production to recreational value and CO2 storage,” explains Margot Neyret. She adds, “We modeled a wide range of scenarios and identified the landscapes in which all services are provided at high levels, and equitably across the stakeholder groups.” 

Sustainable land use through participatory planning

“The diverse ecosystem services provided by landscapes are valued very differently by local groups,” explains Sophie Peter, postdoctoral researcher at ISOE. She continues, “This became evident from workshops and interviews that we carried out with 14 different groups, including people from tourism, agriculture, and nature conservation organizations, as well as local residents. We incorporated these different interests into our model and also realized that we had to consider them in a historical context. For a long time, our cultural landscapes in Germany were only oriented toward satisfying the demands of agriculture and forestry. Over time, more and more stakeholders have been added, increasing the complexity of designing land use concepts at the local level.”

Results of the model showed that a moderate increase in (mixed) forest areas and the de-intensification of grassland management emerges as the “ideal” scenario for the areas studied. In contrast, the more comprehensive changes that some are proposing, reduce many of the current benefits the landscape provides and disproportionately disadvantage individual stakeholder groups, according to the modeling. “We were surprised to find that the current landscape is already close to optimal when measured against the multiple benefits it provides for the local community . Only small adjustments are needed to produce the best possible landscape that compromises between the needs of all stakeholders,” reports Neyret, and she continues, “This can be explained in part by the fact that the regions we studied have a long history of balancing biodiversity protection with local economic interests.” Peter adds, “Our study provides decision-makers with an important tool for future land-use planning. By integrating the views of entire rural communities we show how important it is to represent  the diverse interests of society when searching for solutions to the major land use sustainability challenges we face.”

Link:

Neyret, M., Peter, S., Le Provost, G. et al. Landscape management strategies for multifunctionality and social equity. Nat Sustain (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01045-w

Scientific contact:

Sophie Peter
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-66
sophie.peter@isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart@isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

This transformation is a complex challenge because it affects the production of plastics and bioplastics as well as global consumption and sustainable consumption patterns. “The necessary transformations in dealing with plastics require cooperation between science and social actors at all levels,” says ISOE researcher Carolin Völker. This idea also underlies the anthology “Living in the Plastic Age,” published by Campus Verlag. “Plastics now permeate all areas of society, polluting ecosystems and nature. That’s why the problems with them need to be looked at from different angles,” the scientists write in the foreword to the English-language compendium, which brings together research results from various disciplines.

Interdisciplinary research results presented in an anthology 

 “Living in the Plastic Age” includes problem descriptions from political and environmental sciences, psychology, sociology, ecotoxicology environmental sciences and  addresses various questions like for instance: How is the European plastics strategy to be evaluated and what public discourses does it trigger? How can a circular economy for waste prevention succeed and what challenges arise from chemicals in plastic packaging in this context? Are behavioral changes part of a sustainable solution in dealing with plastic? How do societal risk perceptions of microplastics match up with scientific evidence on the risks?

The anthology offers different approaches and perspectives on plastics to a broad readership and thus ties in with a lecture series that was organized by the editors in the summer semester of 2019 at Goethe University Frankfurt with international speakers from the humanities, social and natural sciences. From 2016 to 2021 human geographer Johanna Kramm and ecotoxicologist Carolin Völker led the PlastX research group which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The research group established a broad network of plastics researchers and developed an inter- and transdisciplinary approach towards the topic of plastics in the environment as a systemic risk.

Living in the Plastic Age. Perspectives from Humanities, Social Sciences and Environmental Sciences is available as in print and digitally as an open access publication. Review copies for journalists can be ordered from the publisher by email, indicating the medium. Contact: Inga Hoffmann, hoffmann(at)campus.de

Kramm, Johanna/Carolin Völker (eds.) (2023): Living in the Plastic Age. Perspectives from Humanities, Social Sciences and Environmental Sciences.  Frankfurt/New York: Campus Verlag

Introduction: Living in the Plastic Age
Johanna Kramm, Carolin Völker

Explaining Agenda-Setting of the European Plastics Strategy. A Multiple Streams Analysis
Paula Florides, Johanna Kramm

Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment
Maren Heß, Carolin Völker, Nicole Brennholt, Pia Maria Herrling, Henner Hollert, Natascha Ivleva, Jutta Kerpen, Christian Laforsch, Martin Löder, Sabrina Schiwy, Markus Schmitz, Stephan Wagner, Thorsten Hüffer

Risk Perception: The Case of Microplastics. A Discussion of Environmental Risk Perception Focused on the Microplastic Issue
Marcos Felipe-Rodriguez, Gisela Böhm, Rouven Doran

Everyday Life with Plastics: How to Put Environmental Concern into Practice(s)
Immanuel Stieß, Luca Raschewski, Georg Sunderer

Using Citizen Science to Understand Plastic Pollution: Implications for Science and Participants
Marine Isabel Severin, Alexander Hooyberg, Gert Everaert, Ana Isabel Catarino

Behavior Change as Part of the Solution for Plastic Pollution
Maja Grünzner, Sabine Pahl

Chemicals in Plastics: Risk Assessment, Human Health Consequences, and Regulation
Jane Muncke, Lisa Zimmermann

Circularity in the Plastic Age: Policymaking and Industry Action in the European Union
Sandra Eckert

Plastivores and the Persistence of Synthetic Futures
Kim De Wolff

Scientific contact:

Dr. Johanna Kramm
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-16
kramm(at)isoe.de  

PD Dr. Carolin Völker
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-59
voelker(at)isoe.de

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de

In order to do so, the professor of sociology and human geography drew on metaphors, methods and contents from quantum physics and focused on the relationship between individual change, collective change and systemic change. By simultaneously addressing the practical, political and personal aspects of transformation, Karen O’Brien encouraged reflection on how each of us can bring about a quantum of social-ecological change and why this matters more than many think.

At the University of Oslo, Karen O’Brien investigates the effects of climate change and their connections with globalization processes. She is particularly interested in the importance of transdisciplinary and integrated approaches and how these can contribute to the study of global change while leading to a better understanding of the way societies create change and the way they respond to it. Karen O’Brien has been prominently involved in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Global Change Programs, as well as in the transition to Future Earth, a ten-year research initiative on global change.

Quantum Social Change for a Thriving World: You Matter More than You Think

Karen O’Brien
Professor of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo, Norway

Date and time: 02 February 2023, 18:00–19:30 
Location: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Westend Campus, Casino Room 1.811
Host: ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research in cooperation with the field of study dealing with Industrial and Organizational Sociology, Environmental Sociology, FB 03, Goethe University
Join the discussion: #ISOE_Lecture
Note: The video recording of the event is available here. 

About the ISOE Lecture

The lecture series of ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research takes place every winter semester and is dedicated to current questions of sustainability research as well as concrete examples from science and research. The series aims to give students and young scientists in particular, but also interested members of the public, food for thought on how transitions to sustainable development can succeed and what role universities and science can play in this. 
More information on the ISOE Lecture.

Scientific contact:

PD Dr. Diana Hummel
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-33
hummel(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de

A first evaluation of the data set has now been published in the journal “Biodiversity and Conservation”. “With the new data, we can show for the first time that agricultural activity in the vicinity of nature reserves has a negative impact on insect diversity in protected areas,” says ISOE researcher Florian Dirk Schneider. “We have seen that with regard to the wider surroundings of protected areas, there is a correlation between a high proportion of arable land and low insect diversity,” says NABU expert Sebastian Köthe. The number of pesticides to which insects are exposed also depends on the proportion of agricultural land. The scientific analysis of the data also showed: “Even large nature conservation areas in the vicinity of an observation site cannot compensate for the negative influences of agricultural land”.

Close cooperation between science, nature conservation and agriculture necessary

But what could be the solutions? “In German nature conservation areas we find a variety of situations. Therefore, solutions cannot be one fits all,” says Schneider. In the series of dialogue meetings that ISOE conducted with farmers and nature conservationists, it turned out that the communication of scientific data on the state of biodiversity and possible causes of harm to the insects does not automatically lead to action for insect protection. The implementation of measures often fails due to various obstacles. On the one hand, the legal framework and funding opportunities are perceived as insufficient or even obstructive by the actors involved in practice. On the other hand, it is not always possible to conclude from the data sets collected nationwide, how well local populations of insects fare and whether observed pollutant loads are problematic or not. This makes it difficult to decide on insect protection measures in agriculture and nature conservation. 

“We see a need for more in-depth knowledge among all those involved about causes and correlations. This lack concerns, for example, knowledge on the actual harm done to insects in the local protected area by pesticides or due to other causes not related to agriculture. Data are also needed on the effectivity of proposed measures for insect protection,” reports Schneider. For the authors of the study, it is therefore clear that the collection of site-specific data on insect diversity is just as important for successful insect conservation as the development of conservation measures in cooperation with all stakeholders. The close involvement of science, agriculture and nature conservation must also include the sharing and interpretation of the data. “Where stakeholders from agriculture and nature conservation engage in constructive dialogue directly on site, there is also a willingness to act in line with common goals and a determination to promote insect diversity in the protected area,” says Schneider.

About the study 

The study “Improving insect conservation management through insect monitoring and stakeholder involvement” was published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation and was conducted in the course of the research project “DINA – Diversity of Insects in Nature Conservation Areas”. In the transdisciplinary research project that is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), nine partner institutes have been working on insect diversity in nature conservation areas under the leadership of NABU since 2019. At representative sites, flying insects were recorded and documented by the Entomologischer Verein Krefeld (EVK) and NABU volunteers using malaise traps. Evaluation using modern molecular methods of species identification via DNA analysis (metabarcoding) was conducted by the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Bonn, vegetation analysis was done by the University of Kassel, and trace substance analysis by the University of Koblenz-Landau. The IÖR (Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development) analysed geodata around the study sites. The social science analyses were done by the International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE) of the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences. ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research conducted dialogue workshops in three nature conservation areas in Germany.

For further information, please go to www.dina-insektenforschung.de/?lang=en 

Bibliographic data of the study:

Köthe, S., Schneider, F.D., Bakanov, N. et al. Improving insect conservation management through insect monitoring and stakeholder involvement. Biodivers Conserv (2022). doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02519-1    

To the NABU press release

https://www.nabu.de/modules/presseservice/index.php?popup=true&db=presseservice&show=36342

Download press photo: 

DINA_Riedensee_001.jpg

When using the press photo, please indicate the source: NABU/Sebastian Hennigs
Caption: Members of the NABU regional association „Mittleres Mecklenburg“ e.V. collecting data at the DINA site Riedensee 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Florian Dirk Schneider
Biodiversity Researcher at ISOE
Tel. +49 (0)69 707 6919-71
florian.schneider(at)isoe.de  

Dr. Sebastian Köthe
Data Scientist NABU
Tel.: +49 (0)172 160 7894
Sebastian.Koethe(at)NABU.de  

Press contact:
Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 

In the “Frankfurt Declaration”, scientists and representatives of non-governmental organizations are calling for a fundamental change in the economic system in order to protect biodiversity. Up to now, the current economic model has made unpaid use of nature’s services - nature provides food and raw materials, regulates the climate, material cycles and erosion, and offers space for recreation and education. The total economic value of these services is estimated to be in the order of up to 190 trillion US dollars per year. But in reality the price is far higher, because the use of nature’s services results in the overexploitation and destruction of natural resources i.e. the most important basis of life in general.

Responsible corporate action against biodiversity loss

The initiators and signatories of the “Frankfurt Declaration”, among them ISOE researchers, are therefore calling on science, politics, business and the public to join forces. The aim is to re-evaluate the services provided by nature and to change the way companies think and act in such a way that is compatible with nature. As the world’s fourth-largest economy with an enormous biodiversity footprint, Germany is seen as a pioneer in reorganizing global value chains and reducing environmentally harmful subsidies. The alliance expects mandatory biodiversity reporting by companies to be a concrete outcome of the conference. Policymakers must ensure that companies and financial institutions measure their biodiversity impacts and dependencies in order to be able to take appropriate countermeasures.

The “Frankfurt Declaration” also provides proposals for changing competitive conditions and for incentives and safeguards that prevent “greenwashing”, for example. Furthermore, there are ideas on deforestation-free supply chains and the suggestion to include the topic of biodiversity in the innovation agenda of the German government. Numerous ISOE researchers have joined the declaration that was initiated by the Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and other institutions. ISOE is conducting research on new concepts for the assessment and protection of biodiversity in the research unit “Biodiversity and People”. With its social-ecological biodiversity research, ISOE addresses questions on social processes, such as demographic change or changing lifestyles, which influence the use of ecosystem services as well as the perception and valuation of biodiversity.

Click her for the Frankfurt Declaration

https://frankfurter-erklaerung.eu/eng/

For more information on ISOE’s social-ecological biodiversity research please go to

www.isoe.de/en/research/research-units/fsp/biodiversity-and-people-1

Scientific contact:

Dr. Marion Mehring
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-39
mehring(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

Studies undertaken within the “NamTip” research project, in which ISOE is involved, show that the central cause of the so-called degradation of soils is overuse. This has been shown to lead to a deterioration and thinning of the grasslands. Higher-quality perennial grasses necessary for pasture management are replaced by lower-quality annual grasses. New grasses grow less because the reservoir of seeds is also increasingly depleted. If subsequently bare soil remains, a tipping point is reached at which desertification begins. This process of desertification is hardly reversible. Under certain conditions, overexploitation and the reduction of grass vegetation can also lead to an increased bush encroachment which also poses major challenges for farmers.

Tenure in drylands influences productivity of soils

At the Namibian research sites, it is evident that soil degradation has progressed at different rates. Communally owned pasture land is often more affected, in contrast to privately owned land. The reasons are for one discriminatory policies during the colonial era, the consequences of which are still felt today. Here, communal farmers were forced into so-called homelands, where, other than on privately owned farmland overcrowding and overgrazing occurred. The fact that communal farmers were restricted in their ability to move from place to place with their cattle has had a long-term negative impact on pasture quality.

Another complicating factor are more recent legal requirements that have prohibited the village communities from de-bushing. This is necessary, however, as bush encroachment severely disrupts land productivity. Dense shrubs and bushes crowd out other plants, especially grasses, which serve as a source of food for livestock, among others. Scrub encroachment is also a problem for wildlife, as it considerably restricts their natural mobility and leads to declining wildlife populations. In order to prevent large parts of the savannahs with their diverse functions for humans and animals from being irreparably destroyed, concepts for sustainable management of the grazing areas are needed. According to the ISOE scientists, such concepts are crucial, since studies show that climate change is likely to exacerbate this development in the near future due to the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, higher temperatures and changes in the availability of water. Therefore, it is expected that in Namibia the zones favourable for pasture management will continue to shift northwards and ever increasing savannah areas will lose productivity.

Knowledge transfer as key to successful transformation processes 

ISOE researchers see solutions for the ecosystem of the Namibian savannah primarily in the abandonment of soil-intensive, conventional livestock farming. National policies should be geared towards seasonally adapted grazing management and the prevention of bush encroachment so that more soil-conserving agriculture becomes the standard. The researchers also recommend management strategies involving native wildlife, which are considered more sustainable because they are better adapted to local climatic and ecological conditions. However, this type of use entails many conflicts: farmers, village communities, nature conservation and authorities all view the use of land against the backdrop of very different priorities, economic interests and values. 

In the research projects “NamTip: Understanding and managing desertification tipping points – a Namibian perspective” and “ORYCS – Wildlife management strategies in Namibia”, ISOE is therefore investigating, together with the project partners, how sustainable solutions can be locally communicated. For this to happen, it is crucial that science and researchers establish a dialogue with actors from the field. In an English-language policy brief, ISOE researchers show how results from (ideally transdisciplinary) research can be transferred to practice in order to initiate change processes.

Click here for the ISOE policy brief:

How to reach people through knowledge transfer – Sustainability and conservation research: addressing Namibian land users. Deike U. Lüdtke, Verena Rossow, Nicola Schuldt-Baumgart, Stefan Liehr (2022). ISOE Policy Brief No. 9. Frankfurt am Main: ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research. Download: www.isoe.de/fileadmin/Edit/PDF/Publ/2022/isoe-policy-brief-09-2022.pdf  

Find out more about the research projects “ORYCS – Wildlife-based management strategies in Namibia” and “NamTip: Understanding and managing desertification tipping points – a Namibian perspective”:

www.orycs.org  
www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/orycs 
www.namtip.uni-bonn.de   
www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/namtip-3  

Scientific contact:

Dr. Stefan Liehr
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-36
liehr(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

Long-term monitoring of ecosystem services

“The areas differ in climate and topography while also serving as examples of the different types of typical grassland use in Central Europe,” explains Le Provost. She continues, “We studied 150 grassland areas between 2006 and 2018, and for the first time examined 16 different ecosystem services – ranging from forage quality and numerous soil quality factors such as carbon storage or groundwater recharge, to so-called cultural ecosystem services related to our experience of nature. For example, the opportunity for birdwatching, the therapeutic sight of a lush meadow in bloom, and the wealth of acoustic stimuli provided by a species-rich grassland through birdsong and other nature sounds. We were able to demonstrate that high plant diversity has a positive effect on a very large number of these ecosystem services.”

Benefit for nature, agriculture and tourism

For the first time, the researchers also examined the significance of ecosystem services for various local stakeholders in their study, which was has just been published in the journal “Nature Ecology & Evolution.” In cooperation with the ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research local residents as well as representatives of nature conservation organizations and the agricultural and tourism industries, among others, were invited to attend workshops and surveyed for their views. “We found that, without exception, all of the groups surveyed benefited from a high level of biodiversity – from local residents to the tourism industry,” says Sophie Peter, a biodiversity expert at ISOE.

Finally, the research team was able to demonstrate the benefits of high plant diversity, not only in small plots of ground, but also across the wider agricultural environment. “The fact that the plant diversity of the surrounding area influences the provision of various ecosystem services over these wider areas is important for local decision-makers,” emphasizes Manning, who adds in summary, “Political decisions on land use are usually made on a large geographic scale. Our data show that even at these large scales, a high plant diversity offers benefits to entire rural communities.”
 

Link:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01918-5

Scientific contact:

Sophie Peter
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-66
sophie.peter@isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart@isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

In his dissertation in sociology, Lukas Sattlegger is dealing with the difficulties and potentials of packaging avoidance. From a practice-theoretical perspective, he looks at the question of how people in the food trade work and deal with packaging. For this purpose, Sattlegger conducted ethnographic research in various areas of the food trade and identified a multitude of packaging functions, especially in the realm of supermarkets, which have to be taken into account when it comes to achieving transformation towards more sustainable packaging. Professors Birgit Blättel-Mink and Thomas Scheffer (Faculty 03 – Social Sciences at Goethe University) reviewed Sattlegger’s “Analysis of the Relationship between Workers and Plastic”. Here, he shows that plastic cannot simply be abolished, but that new practices for dealing with plastic substitutes must first be developed.

Risks of plastic consumption: social and natural science perspective

Lisa Zimmermann received the main prize for her scientific study of plastic products in the field of aquatic ecotoxicology. The reviewers Carolin Völker and Jörg Oehlmann, professor at Faculty 15 – Biological Sciences, point out the comprehensive toxicological and chemical characterization of the chemical mixtures that Zimmermann was able to detect in a large number of everyday plastics. More than 1400 chemicals could be detected in the ordinary products made of conventional plastics that she examined, as well as in products made of biobased and biodegradable materials. The PlastX researcher was able to show that the majority of these components cannot be identified by chemical analysis and are therefore not taken into account in risk assessments. Her study shows that even the “organic alternatives” that are considered more sustainable contain problematic substitutes.

The Goethe University Environmental Awards were presented on 21 November 2022 in the Renate von Metzler Hall (Casino) on the Westend Campus.

More about the PlastX research group

www.isoe.de/en/research/junior-research-group-plastx

Scientific contact:

Dr. Johanna Kramm
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-16
kramm(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 
 

How could it happen that the city of Coimbatore, known for its special water tradition offering centuries-old, efficient water drainage system, is now facing such enormous problems? In the new format for science communication as part of the AQUA Hub research project, the German-Indian team provides background information on this development. Hub manager Sreya Prakash examines the first and second parts of the “HubPost” series to Coimbatore’s history and its reputation as the “Manchester of South India.” Prakash shows how the ecosystems of the vast lakescape have been destroyed by overuse since the early 1970s. “The lakes have shrunk by 50 percent and have essentially become sewage tanks,” Prakash reports in HubPost No. 2, “The Slow Death of the Lakes.”

Innovations in the water sector: Indo-German research project for technology and knowledge transfer

“The challenges that the city of Coimbatore is facing as a result from past mismanagement of water resources are exemplary for Indian metropolises,” says ISOE water researcher Stefan Liehr. Time is pressing. “Effective measures to stop urban water pollution and improve, secure and monitor water quality must be implemented as soon as possible, and not only in Coimbatore.” As one of India's hundred so-called “smart cities,” Coimbatore actually has the chance to implement exemplary solutions for innovative water supply and water disposal and thus set the course for sustainable urban development, he said.

In the course of the preceding project Smart Water Future India (SWF India), that was funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, a German-Indian research team began by first analyzing Coimbatore’s water sector and identified the need for environmental technologies and intelligent water management strategies for sustainable water supply and disposal. For the knowledge and technology transfer of the results, the concept of Water Innovation Hubs as network and project centers has now been developed at two pilot locations as part of the current “AQUA-Hub” project. In addition to Coimbatore, a center has also been opened in Solapur. The hubs link the supply of innovative water infrastructure solutions with the corresponding demand. They also enable companies and research institutes from Germany to make their innovative technologies locally known, to test pilot plants together with Indian partners and develop them further under the specific conditions in India.

The AQUA-Hub research project is funded under the “Export Initiative for Environmental Protection” (EXI) program of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). The project is led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB. Research partners are ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, the State Agency for Environmental Technology BW (UTBW) as well as Indian partners and German companies.

Link to the project on the ISOE homepage

 www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/aqua-hub/ 

Links to the first two issues of HubPost

Prakash, Sreya/Stefan Liehr/Marc Beckett/Marius Mohr (2022): Coimbatore's Lakes - An Introduction. Water Innovation Hub Coimbatore - HubPost, 1. Coimbatore, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart

Prakash, Sreya/Stefan Liehr/Marc Beckett/Marius Mohr (2022): The Slow Death of the Lakes. Water Innovation Hub Coimbatore - HubPost, 2. Coimbatore, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart

Scientific contact:

Dr. Stefan Liehr
Tel. +49 (0)69 707 6919-36
liehr(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 (0)69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de

“One example is the ecosystem in the Namibian savanna, which is increasingly under threat from the changed climate conditions and overuse of the soil”, says ecologist Deike Lüdtke. A major factor is that cattle farming as the most widespread form of land use often leads to an over-exploitation of the rangelands. New management strategies incorporating the potential benefits of using wild animals, for example in meat production or tourism, are generally considered suitable ways of mitigating such negative consequences. This is often based on the assumption that indigenous wildlife is better adapted to the local climate conditions than imported farm animals. “However, the task of communicating suitable solutions in practice is anything but trivial”, says Lüdtke. She adds, “On top of the complex dynamics between climate change, land use and the ecosystem, there’s a need to convey the scientific insights in a productive exchange with farmers and other stakeholders involved in savanna management, all of whom come with very specific motivations, experiences and lifeworlds”. 

Knowledge transfer is crucial to successful transformation processes 

The success of strategies for adapting to climate change and other challenges therefore depends on science and researchers entering into a dialogue with stakeholders from the practical side – farmers, village communities and local authorities. In a policy brief, scientists from ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research show how research results can be incorporated into practice – ideally using a transdisciplinary approach – in order to trigger change processes in the field. For this they draw on experiences gained in the ORYCS research project and on interviews with local stakeholders about forms of knowledge transfer adapted to their needs. The authors are convinced that any measures must follow the knowledge needs of on-the-ground stakeholders and be geared to their everyday life. This way, solutions for sustainable land use stand a better chance of successful implementation, also in the Namibian case study cited here. 

To the ISOE Policy Brief:

How to reach people through knowledge transfer – Sustainability and conservation research: addressing Namibian land users. Deike U. Lüdtke, Verena Rossow, Nicola Schuldt-Baumgart, Stefan Liehr (2022). ISOE Policy Brief, No. 9. Frankfurt am Main: ISOE - Institute for Social-Ecological Research Download

More on the ORYCS research project – Wildlife-based management strategies in Namibia: 

www.orycs.org  
www.isoe.de/en/nc/research/projects/project/orycs 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Stefan Liehr
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-36
liehr(at)isoe.de  
www.isoe.de

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de

Regional food production despite water scarcity

The hydroponic process, in which plants in containers without soil are supplied via a nutrient solution using recycled water, was successfully tested in the predecessor project in Hattorf, Lower Saxony. The research team led by project manager Thomas Dockhorn from the Technical University of Braunschweig and project coordinator Martina Winker from the ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research is now presenting the process at the IFAT in Munich. At the BMBF stand, the scientists will be presenting the innovation on a model scale: with the HypoWave method, an alternative to irrigation with drinking water and groundwater can be developed. The cultivation method also offers an optimised nutrient supply, as vital nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are supplied to the plants from the treated water. 

The HypoWave process at IFAT 2022

Visit the HypoWave+ research team at IFAT from 30 May to 3 June 2022 in Hall B2 at the joint stand together with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Scientists from TU Braunschweig, ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Fraunhofer IGB as well as representatives of the practice partners Integar and Huber SE will be happy to provide you with information about water reuse in hydroponic cultivation and the technical and non-technical requirements for implementing the process. 

The HypoWave+ research project

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project “HypoWave+ Implementation of a Hydroponic System as a Sustainable Innovation for Resource-Efficient Agricultural Water Reuse” within the funding measure “Water Technologies: Water Reuse” as part of the federal research program on water “Wasser: N”. Wasser: N contributes to the BMBF “Research for Sustainability” (FONA) Strategy. The funding amount comes to 2.8 million euros. The research network led by the Technical University Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, Institute for Urban Water Management (ISWW) includes the following project partners: ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Fraunhofer-Institut für Grenzflächen- und Bioverfahrenstechnik IGB, University of Hohenheim (UHOH), Wasserverband Braunschweig (AVB), Wasserverband Gifhorn (WVGF), IseBauern GmbH & Co. KG, aquatune GmbH (a Xylem brand), Ankermann GmbH & Co. KG, Huber SE, and INTEGAR – Institut für Technologien im Gartenbau GmbH.

For more information on the research project please go to: www.hypowave.de  

Visuals for your use are provided under www.flickr.com/photos/102295333@N04/albums/72157688518183561 

Scientific contact:

Dr.-Ing. Martina Winker 
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-53
winker(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  
 

Networking and education in the SCIP hub

At the heart of the project is the so-called “SCIP Hub”, a knowledge transfer center that is being set up on the campus of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET). In the hub, interdisciplinary actors from business, science, politics, and society will be interconnected to develop a master plan for the reorganization of waste management in Khulna and to implement various pilot measures in the field of plastics prevention. One of the plans is to set up an awareness center in the downtown area of Khulna to sensitize the population to the collection, separation and disposal of waste and to create awareness that waste can also be used as a resource.

Learning from pilot projects

The project will first of all be based on an examination of the existing chain of recyclable materials from a socio-economic point of view. Four pilot facilities will be used to optimize the collection of recyclable plastics and test new strategies for low-emission disposal in landfills. The recycling stores that have so far been organized rather informally, are also to be integrated into the concept and improved according to ecological standards. Furthermore, the extent to which plastics can be replaced in the long term by locally produced jute will be examined. In addition, a case study in the port of Mongla will analyze the extent to which the threat of plastic pollution in Bangladeshi ports can be contained. The findings will be evaluated in the hub and implemented locally in cooperation with the Khulna City Corporation. The long-term goal is to develop a national waste strategy that will help prevent plastic waste.

Scientific contact:

Dr. Martin Zimmermann
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-44
zimmermann(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de 

Particularly as part of so-called trigeneration systems, which combine heating, cooling and electricity generation, heat pumps can significantly lower the ecological footprint and at the same time reduce electricity and heating costs. In the European research network "TRI-HP – Trigeneration systems based on multiple renewable sources”, in which Immanuel Stieß and his team were involved, such systems were investigated. “A large part of the electricity needed to operate trigeneration heat pumps can be generated on site by photovoltaics”, says Stieß. “The use of solar energy from one’s own roof makes the operation of these heat pumps particularly energy-efficient, self-sufficient and more cost-effective than fossil-fuelled heating systems.”

Technology for next-generation heat pumps

Another advantage of these innovative heat pump systems is that they do not use synthetic refrigerants, which have a very high global warming potential. Instead, they use natural refrigerants such as propane or CO₂, which makes their operation very environmentally and climate-friendly. “In this combination, trigeneration systems represent the technology for next-generation heat pumps, a key technology on the path to greater sustainability and more independence from fossil fuels”, says Stieß.

However, the ISOE researcher also knows that technology alone is not enough to protect the climate. Technical innovations must also be known to and accepted by users and decision-makers. In four European countries, including Germany, Stieß and his colleagues investigated in a multi-stage dialog process with various stakeholders the non-technical barriers and drivers of heat pumps. Together with investors, architects, property owners and installers they explored which economic, organisational and communicative requirements and needs have to be taken into account for this technology to be implemented successfully.

Energy-efficient solutions in the heating sector are ecologically and socially necessary

“The stakeholder dialogues have shown that the greatest challenge for the installation of heat pump systems lies in existing buildings”, says Immanuel Stieß. “The reason for this is that the switch to a heat pump, like any refurbishment to improve energy efficiency in existing buildings and flats, must be planned well. This involves initial investment costs that are later compensated for by lower operating costs.” For new buildings, however, the energy expert sees a good window of opportunity to establish the energy-efficient systems. According to current plans by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, every newly installed heating system must be operated on the basis of at least 65 percent renewable energies from 2025.

Moving away from fossil fuels for heating as quickly as possible, however, is crucial not only in terms of climate targets, but also from a societal perspective. “Especially households in rented flats have to spend an even larger share of their income on energy costs due to the currently enormously rising prices for fossil fuels. This contributes significantly to the burden on low and middle income groups.”

Understanding the overall system: Training campaign for trade associations and manufacturers

In order for the heat transition to make progress, the ecological importance of heat pumps for reducing greenhouse gas emissions must first be made known to the public. But there is also a need for action at the planning level. The stakeholders surveyed in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Norway mentioned the higher effort required for successful planning and installation of innovative heat pumps as well as the associated high investment and upfront costs as a major obstacle. “There is a lack of blueprints for simplified planning that could make it easier for heating installers, planners and architects to adapt the size and performance of a system to the requirements of buildings and end-users. In addition, some of the key stakeholders still lack the expertise to deal with the complex systems,” says Stieß.

Generally, the training and further education of heating installers is of particular importance. A training campaign is necessary so that innovative heat pump systems can be routinely planned, installed, commissioned and maintained in residential buildings. The critical shortage of skilled workers, however, makes training and further education measures even more difficult and is perceived as a major hurdle by the stakeholders interviewed.

Developing standardised solutions for better market acceptance

To improve market acceptance, the ISOE researchers recommend that heat pumps become more standardised and easier to install. Compact, space-saving systems or modules that are ready-made and can be easily combined with components from other manufacturers can increase the practicability and feasibility for both new and existing buildings. According to stakeholders and end-users, the equipment must be easy to install and operate. This is why combined packages, such as a heat pump with photovoltaics, intelligent control and thermal storage, are highly valued by investors and architects alike.

For buyers interested in heat pump systems, a clear application process to obtain funding is also considered important. In addition, there is a need for new financing and business models, such as heat contracting, to improve the market dissemination of innovative heat pump systems.

For more information about the project, please go to https://www.tri-hp.eu/

Latest publication of the ISOE report:
Friedrich, Thomas/Immanuel Stieß (2021): Enhancing stakeholders' acceptance of trigeneration heating and cooling systems: Recommendations from the TRI-HP stakeholder process. Brussels: European Commission. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5500482 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Immanuel Stieß
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-19
stiess(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de
www.isoe.de

Need for a paradigm shift in the research and management of groundwater 

However, sustainable groundwater management is more than extracting less water locally. Water researcher Frick-Trzebitzky highlights the complexity of the issue. “The alarm bells should start ringing if, despite the international Water Framework Directive designed to safeguard the quality and quantity of groundwater bodies for the European Union, we see that many such bodies are in a poor state in terms of quantitative and chemical status.” The regulate research group recommends a paradigm shift in groundwater research to allow development of new, sustainable management strategies. “So far, the focus has been very much on local groundwater reserves and in-situ solutions that are, unfortunately, often doomed to fail”, says Frick-Trzebitzky. “We researchers must concentrate far more on the processes behind what is visibly occurring at the local level. In other words, we need to redirect our gaze to the supraregional impacts on groundwater, so-called telecoupling.” 

Telecoupling: groundwater problems arise not only regionally

Delving deeper into the causes of local or regional groundwater problems, we find that the pressure on aquifers originates not only in local abstraction in the so-called hotspot regions of Europe. “Supraregional long-distance effects contribute significantly to the over-use and contamination of groundwater, and vegetable growing in the southern regions of Europe is a good example”, says Robert Luetkemeier, who heads the research group together with Frick-Trzebitzky. While the water is withdrawn and polluted from pesticide and nutrient inputs locally, the vegetables are predominantly destined for and consumed in distant regions. “To understand and solve the groundwater problem in southern Spain, you have to think about it from the other end”. By ‘other end’ we mean exports, including to German supermarkets. The groundwater problem may well occur at local level, but it is caused supraregionally”, says the ISOE researcher. 

Catchment areas are too narrow a perspective 

In an article published in the journal ‘Water’, the research group has shown possible scientific and economic starting points for the paradigm shift: to date, we manage groundwater bodies as parts of river catchments, which form regional management units in terms of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). “The conventional perspective on catchment areas fails to address the complex interactions affecting groundwater resources”, says Robert Luetkemeier, and gives some examples. “For one thing, interbasin water transfers cross the hydrological boundaries of a management unit. And then there are external influences on the regional sources.” These include aspects such as seasonal peaks in water demand caused by visiting tourists, or the so-called virtual water used for the regional cultivation of vegetables for export.

Sustainable groundwater management: making what is hidden visible

The real impacts on groundwater (including remote influences that often come with a time delay) are key to establishing a sustainable form of management. Understanding them requires research, business and politics to also look at the supposedly ‘invisible’ relationships. “Groundwater frequently becomes ‘visible’ only when a crisis looms, for instance via a rising number of applications for well drilling, the first signs of drought damage in forests, or the drying up of extraction wells belonging to water suppliers”, cautions water researcher Luetkemeier. Continuous monitoring of groundwater bodies is therefore vital. In concrete terms, the EU Groundwater Directive should in future also include criteria for evaluating the ecological state of groundwater bodies. One area that Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky, Robert Luetkemeier and their ‘regulate’ team are working on is the form that such criteria might take.

To the publication in the journal “Water”:

Lütkemeier, Robert/Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky/Dženeta Hodžic/Anna Jäger/David Kuhn/Linda Söller (2021): Telecoupled Groundwaters: New Ways to Investigate Increasingly De-Localized Resources. Water 13 (20), 2906

About the research group regulate 

The junior research group “regulate – regulation of groundwater in telecoupled social-ecological systems” is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the program “Research for Sustainable Development (FONA)”. The regulate project is part of the funding measure “SOEF – Social-ecological Research” in the funding area “Junior Research Groups in Social-Ecological Research”.

For more information on the project, see www.regulate-project.eu  

The ‘Regulate’ research group on Twitter: @regulateproject 

Scientific contact:

Dr. Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-55
frick(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de  

Press contact:

Melanie Neugart
Tel. +49 69 707 6919-51
neugart(at)isoe.de 
www.isoe.de