(Number of projects = 31)
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
How can train stations in municipalities be designed in such a way that they become attractive interfaces for sustainable multimodal mobility and at the same time can be experienced as diverse, lively places to stay? This is what ISOE is investigating on behalf of the German Centre for Rail Transport Research at the Federal Railway Authority and in cooperation with designated partners. The aim is to develop a modular catalogue of measures for the design of railway stations.
The research project SLInBio is investigating how the perception and valorization of insects can be increased in Frankfurt am Main and what contribution cities can make to the conservation of insect diversity. Therefore, social-ecological interactions between lifestyles and everyday practices of city dwellers and urban insect diversity are being analyzed.
The three-year research project aims to investigate what kind of knowledge needs and barriers exist among municipal decision-makers and how the latter can then be addressed by means of better knowledge transfer. The intention is to support climate adaptation in Hessian municipalities.
We are currently observing a dramatic decline of biodiversity. The common focus on maintaining the status quo poses the risk of protecting landscape areas that are too small in the medium term. Superordinate ecosystem functions, which represent the natural basis of life for humans, animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, meadows, waters, and forests, are thereby lost from sight. Using an interdisciplinary approach, RobustNature identifies the characteristics that determine the robustness of ecosystems and guarantee their functionality in the event of disturbances by means of dynamic compensation.
The joint project CapTain Rain aims to develop appropriate climate services for assessing and forecasting flash floods and to identify measures for the adaption to climate change and the mitigation of disaster damages. This includes measures to collect and drain water during heavy rainfall events.
The SynVer*Z synthesis and networking project accompanies almost 50 research projects dealing with the transformation of cities towards sustainability. ISOE examines their effectiveness and supports them in the development of impact potentials.
Regional competitions over the resource water are not uncommon. Due to climate change, urbanization and pollution of water resources, these conflicts of use could intensify in the coming decades. Even in Germany that is rich in water, conflicts of use are becoming more frequent. This is why new concepts and processes for water reuse are needed.
The volume of commuter traffic has increased steadily in recent years – bringing with it the known consequences for ecology, health and quality of life. The CommuterLab research project examines how to bring about a more agreeable and environment friendly form of commuting between the city and the surrounding region, taking into consideration the strong changes currently affecting the basic social and technological parameters.
Environmental, social and societal policies are closely linked. On the one hand, environmental policy measures frequently face resistance because they may entail or exacerbate actual or presumed social hardships. On the other hand, environmental burdens such as traffic noise or air pollution hit many already disadvantaged groups particularly hard. Ambitious environmental policies can therefore only succeed if their societal benefits are recognized and appreciated, and if conflicting goals are identified at an early stage and addressed within the framework of appropriate policy mixes.
Das Forschungsprojekt NamTip untersucht, wie ökologische und soziale Faktoren die Desertifikation – oder Wüstenbildung – in Trockengebieten beeinflussen. Ziel ist es, sogenannte Kipppunkte und die damit zusammenhängenden Folgen für Mensch und Umwelt frühzeitig zu erkennen. Am Beispiel der namibischen Savanne werden Desertifikationsprozesse, die zu einem Umkippen des Savannenökosystems führen können, erforscht und geeignete Maßnahmen identifiziert, um einer Wüstenbildung wirkungsvoll zu begegnen.
For the Indian cities of Coimbatore and Solapur, the establishment of Water Innovation Hubs as network and project centres contributes to sustainable local development and the consolidation of Indo-German cooperation in the water sector. Demonstration projects integrated in these hubs promote technology transfer in a very concrete way, as the exemplary piloting of smart water quality monitoring systems in the two cities shows. This way, partnership-based cooperation in combination with innovative, digital technology can make a sustainable contribution to improving water security in India.
This explorative project investigates if and in what way Frankfurt’s city dwellers and local neighborhood actors have made more use of hybrid services for supply, mobility, leisure, and exchange since the start of the Corona pandemic. Here, we are talking about everyday practices that might have newly developed in areas such as shopping, getting around, or recreation where digital and physical activities are closely linked. In this project we will investigate whether and to what extent these hybrid practices can contribute to greater participation, an improved quality of life and ecological sustainability.
What kind of food is consumed and where and how it is grown has significant consequences for both human and planetary health. With the PlaNE project, we aim to develop practical approaches to help municipalities integrate the planetary health approach into their own strategies for sustainable transformation of local food systems.
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.
