Dr. Ulf Stein

Dr. Ulf Stein

Diplom-Ingenieur (Landscape Planning)

Coordinator Water Studies
Senior Fellow

Team
Topics

Dr. Ulf Stein is a Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute in Berlin, where he coordinates the Institute's work in the field of water. He joined Ecologic Institute in 2011, drawing on more than 10 years of professional experience in academic research and knowledge dissemination. His work focuses on the assessment and improvement of European Union (EU) and German water policies and the sustainable management of water resources, particularly with regard to environmental planning, climate change adaptation, aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as governance. Ulf Stein is a native German speaker, fluent in English and has knowledge of Spanish, Danish and Russian.

Ulf Stein has managed and participated in more than 20 projects including large-scale research projects for various European and national institutions. In addition, he was a member of the European Topic Centre on Inland Coastal and Marine waters (ETC-ICM) as well as the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (ETC-BD) for several years. Ulf Stein is an experienced and passionate GIS analyst. Over the last decade, he has performed various geospatial analyses and supported the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive.

His current activities include the following projects:

Nature’s Integration in Cities’ Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies (NICHES): Ulf Stein coordinates this three-year BiodivERsA and Water JPI project aimed at demonstrating that nature-based solutions can be utilized to sustainably transform cities by improving water retention capacities and mitigating the negative impacts of combined sewer overflow events on aquatic ecosystems.

Drought and Water-Use Conflicts in Germany (WADKlim): Ulf Stein coordinates this three-year Umweltbundesamt (UBA) project that provides an overview of the current water availability in Germany, as well as its future development under changing climatic conditions. It predicts emerging conflicts of use and develops possible solution strategies.

Sustainable Management of the Landscape Water Balance to Increase Climate Resilience (KliMaWerk): Within this BMBF project spanning three years, Ulf Stein investigates integrated measures and strategies to increase the hydrological and ecological resilience of landscapes affected by weather extremes. He leads a work package that co-creates coupled climate and land-use scenarios with stakeholders in the Lippe catchment.

 

Before joining Ecologic Institute, Dr. Ulf Stein worked as a junior researcher at the University of Kassel (Germany) for four years. He conducted research on several projects for the German Federal Environment Agency and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) on practical issues of river restoration and flood protection. During this time, Dr. Ulf Stein also lectured at the University of Kassel in the subject areas of freshwater ecology, water resource management and geographic information systems (GIS), while mentoring students.

Prior to that, from 2002 to 2006, he worked as a landscape planner within the field of impact assessment, site investigation and nature management at the landscape architecture firm Faktorgruen.

In addition to his work for Ecologic Institute, Dr. Ulf Stein completed his PhD at the University of Kassel on the reference conditions of small siliceous mountain streams. His dissertation research was carried out at the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park.

Dr. Ulf Stein studied landscape planning and nature conservation at Leibniz University Hannover (Germany), the University of Guelph (Canada) and the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) with a focus on nature conservation, planning, and environmental management.

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Recent content by Dr. Ulf Stein

Event:Digital Event
 
Three years have already flown away, and it is time to look back at our achievements. The final conference of the NICHES project took place online on 24 March 2025. This one-day event provided an overview of the project's innovative work, focusing on the progress toward advancing nature-based transformations of urban water systems. Together with renowned international experts in panel discussions and keynote speeches, we discussed approaches to NBS implementation and governance.

Bringing Forward Nature-Based-Solutions in Major Cities

NICHES Final Conference


online

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Publication:Conference Paper
 
Cover of the conference documentation "Zukunftsaufgabe naturnaher Landschaftswasserhaushalt"
The symposium "The future task of a near-natural landscape water balance" of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) was organized by Ecologic Institute and took place on 18 April 2024, in Bonn. This publication summarises the most important contents of the conference as well as the research and implementation needs identified.

Zukunftsaufgabe naturnaher Landschaftswasserhaushalt

Ergebnisdokumentation zur BfN-Fachtagung am 18. April 2024

Year

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Event:Workshop
 
On 3 December 2024, the Ecologic Institute in Berlin hosted the workshop 'Transformation of urban stormwater management through nature-based solutions: Future Paths for Berlin'. This half-day event brought together experts from urban development, water management, nature conservation and representatives from authorities and agencies to discuss innovative approaches to sustainable rainwater management.

Transformation of Berlin's Rainwater Management through NbS

Transition pathways for Berlin


Berlin, Germany

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Project
 
Ecologic Institute is working together with Biota and the Michael Succow Foundation to identify concrete and practical conflicts of interest in the restoration of peatlands. In addition, Ecologic Institute supports the identification of needs and deficits, the evaluation and development of legally compliant solutions and guidelines for dealing with these conflicting objectives as well as the development of practical guidance manuals.

Mitigate Conflicts of Interest Between Nature Conservation and Climate Protection in Peatland Protection

Development of Guidelines

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Project
 
On behalf of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz – BfN), Ecologic Institute, together with other project partners, is supporting the planning and implementation of the national restoration plans. Ecologic Institute actively contributes to the content of the work, in particular through its expertise in the assessment of ecosystem conditions and the development of measures for the protection and restoration of inland and coastal ecosystems.

Supporting the National Implementation of Nature Restoration Targets

Technical analyses and development of measures for inland and coastal areas as well as coordination of the overall project

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Project
 
The aim of the project is to support German federal and state activities in the development of guidelines for dealing with water scarcity. The focus is on two aspects: the management of acute water scarcity and the strategic, forward-looking authorization of water withdrawals. By analyzing the legal framework, data and forecasts, scientifically sound indicators and prioritization approaches are developed. Special emphasis is placed on the involvement of relevant stakeholders in order to ensure acceptance and practicability.

Guidelines for Dealing with Water Scarcity

A national strategy for the future

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
The increasing frequency of floods and droughts highlights the urgent need for climate-resilient landscapes. This is where the European research project SpongeWorks comes in, demonstrating sustainable "sponge" measures in river basins across Greece, France, and the Netherlands/Germany. By restoring rivers, wetlands, and implementing innovative agricultural practices, landscapes are becoming better equipped to retain and release water in a controlled way. With 28 partners involved, the project aims to inspire other regions by sharing success stories and tools to promote "sponge landscapes" across Europe.

Implementing Nature-based Solutions for Water Retention and Climate Resilience in Europe (SpongeWorks)

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Publication:Report
 
Cover page of the final report titled 'Auswirkung des Klimawandels auf die Wasserverfügbarkeit – Anpassung an Trockenheit und Dürre in Deutschland (WADKlim)' (Impact of Climate Change on Water Availability – Adaptation to Drought and Dryness in Germany). The report is part of the 'TEXTE 143/2024' series and is published by the Umweltbundesamt (German Environment Agency).
The final report of the WADKlim project outlines how climate change affects water availability in Germany and what measures must be taken to meet these challenges. Combining analysis of scientific literature, modeling and the development of practical solutions, the report offers valuable ideas for dealing with water scarcity and water use conflicts. The implementation of further measures, such as water retention in the countryside, will be crucial to mitigating the effects of climate change in Germany.

Auswirkung des Klimawandels auf die Wasserverfügbarkeit – Anpassung an Trockenheit und Dürre in Deutschland (WADKlim)

Abschlussbericht

Year

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Publication:Book
 
Cover of the report titled 'Sustainable development in the European Union: Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context, 2024 edition' by Eurostat. The design features shades of blue with a colorful hot air balloon graphic in the lower half. The balloon consists of vertical stripes in various colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The title of the report is in white text at the top left.
The 2024 overview brochure accompanies Eurostat's eighth regular report monitoring progress towards the SDGs in an EU context. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The brochure is available for download.

Sustainable Development in the European Union – 2024 Overview

Overview of Progress Towards the SDGs in an EU Context

Year

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