(Number of projects = 37)
Ecosystems are frequently subject to strong (local) utilization pressure for instance due to intensive agriculture. At the same time, ecosystems are influenced by global processes like climate change. The question arises, how conflicts that are based on different demands on the ecosystem services can be avoided or reduced. This research project investigates the dynamics of land use changes and their impacts on ecosystem services and biodiversity.
This research project investigates normative conflicts which potentially arise when using biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The research project investigates the relationship between natural and societal processes. The resulting social-ecological dynamics are considered in particular in the context of the Anthropocene discourse.
The research project develops inter- and transdisciplinary concepts and methods that enable a dialogue on biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as on the impacts of human interventions on ecosystems and on the role of climate change.
In cooperation with the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), ISOE is investigating what reduced biodiversity means for the provision of ecosystem services to society.
The research project will develop a transfer program for Geisenheim University (HGU) that will strengthen biodiverse and multifunctional viticulture in the Rheingau. Together with regional actors, new and innovative formats of knowledge transfer will be used to develop solution strategies for a much needed system change in agriculture. Here, viticulture and the cultural landscape shaped by it is going to serve as an example.
Food packaging is one of the main sources of plastic waste; it has short utilization cycles, frequently ends up in the environment, and is rarely reused or recycled. The project “Repack-network: sustainable food packaging” monitors, supports, and evaluates fourteen research projects that deal with relevant measures in the area of food packaging. In this context, ISOE is particularly investigating the possible societal impact of the projects and is responsible for the area of consumer acceptance and behavioral change.
In the transport sector there is growing pressure for action to make substantial contributions to climate protection goals. Against this background, the research association transform-R aims to sensitize actors in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region to the mobility transition and to identify new options for action. In four large-scale real-world laboratories, social innovations and new organisational processes in the field of sustainable mobility are to be tested over several years. The basis is a guiding concept developed jointly with all actors in the region.
The project ENABLElocal develops participatory dialog formats to promote the exchange of biodiversity monitoring data. By fostering the exchange between local actors from nature conservation and land-use management and also national, European and global monitoring initiatives, the projectaims to promote evidence-based decisions in applied biodiversity conservation.
The ChemKom research project investigates the strategic science communication of organizations on the risks of perpetuity chemicals (PFAS). In addition to the communication of selected organizations, the internal scientific assessment of these risks, media reporting and public reception are also being evaluated. In addition, a specific dialogue format will be developed and tested for communicating the risks of PFAS.
The aim of the gwTriade project is to develop an integrated assessment concept for groundwater ecosystems based on an ecotoxicological characterisation, chemical analysis and the monitoring of faunal diversity. Through the social-ecological analysis, the criteria for groundwater assessment developed in the project will be tested and prioritised with a view to to societal objectives.
This research project investigates the influence of social transformation processes – for example demographic change, digitalization or changes in values and norms – on cultural landscapes and their biodiversity. As a result, possible development paths of cultural landscapes can be identified. These paths are developed jointly with the local population.
The project is aiming to improve the knowledge base with regard to municipal climate adaptation in Germany, to strengthen municipal climate adaptation activities, and to identify leverage points for municipal climate adaptation activities that can be used to advance effective transformation processes towards climate resilient municipalities.
Drought and aridity, fires and pests: Climate change is threatening Germany’s forests. To make them resilient for the future, the German government is promoting forest conversion from conifers to mixed and deciduous forests. But what exactly should this “forest of the future” look like and who will be allowed to use it? There is a great deal of controversy about this. After all, the forest plays a variety of roles: For recreation, timber production, hunting, as a place for wind power or for climate protection.
The research project MORE STEP investigates processes of change in the ecosystem of the Eastern Mongolian steppe and their possible consequences for nature and society. The mobility of wild and domesticated herd animals plays a major role in the integrity of the ecosystem. Therefore, the first project phase (2019–2023) focused on societal transformations and anthropogenic effects on mobility in the steppe ecosystem. From 2023 onwards, the second phase of the project has been aiming to identify the role of climate change in the mobility of wildlife and herders while also examining the forthcoming obstacles these groups in the Mongolian steppe are facing due to climate change.
The junior research group ‘regulate’, led by ISOE, investigates current challenges to Europe’s groundwater management against the background of acute drought conditions, ongoing pollution, increasing conflicts and complex institutional settings. The team of researchers from natural and social sciences develops strategies for sustainable management of groundwater on different governance levels.
Neuartige Online-Messsysteme erlauben mittlerweile direkt in der Kanalisation ein kontinuierliches und flächenhaftes Monitoring von Parametern wie Temperatur oder pH-Wert des Abwassers. Im Forschungsprojekt LiveSewer werden Abwasser-Echtzeitdaten mithilfe von KI-gestützter Mustererkennung (Machine Learning) verarbeitet und ausgewertet mit dem Ziel, gezielte Überwachungs- oder Steuerungsroutinen anzustoßen (z. B. eine automatische Probenahme auslösen oder betriebliche Reaktionen aktivieren).
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth. Currently, most of the phosphorus fertilizers used in agriculture are imported. However, wastewater remains unused as an important source of phosphorus, although the potential for the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater is great and the necessary technology is available. The BMBF project P-Net is investigating possibilities for establishing regional networks to process precipitated phosphorus with the aim to produce phosphorus fertilizers such as struvite. This process is a sustainable method of phosphorus recycling which also makes an important contribution to the regionalization of resource cycles.
Although the principle of transdisciplinary research has been successfully applied for several decades, especially in sustainability research, there are so far only a few structures or expert organisations that could ensure the consolidation of its scientific standards. And, it is precisely because of the complex methodological, conceptual, and communicative challenges, that there is a special need for structures and places for the bundling and further development of knowledge about transdisciplinarity and for strengthening the community of those who explore and teach transdisciplinarily and fund such research. The platform tdAcademy closes this gap.
The transfer project AquaticPollutantsTransNet accompanies 18 projects funded by the European Union that address risks to human health and the environment from pollutants and pathogens in water resources. The aim is to promote the transfer of knowledge from research results to the public and administrative sectors, politics, industry and business.
The project team is developing an application platform for an automated forecasting of the daily water demand in the city of Hamburg at the level of individual supply zones. The aim is to generate reliable predictions for the development of water demand based on the forecast of the German Weather Service (DWD) and other influencing factors. The platform is used to optimize the operational management of Hamburger Wasserwerke GmbH (HWW).
The GreeN-H2 Namibia project is investigating the feasibility of producing, converting and transporting green hydrogen in Namibia. The aim is to identify and analyse the potentials, but also social and ecological risks as well as transformation barriers concerning a green hydrogen development in Namibia. The project results should facilitate the development of recommendations for action and enable a sustainable and socially just hydrogen value chain.