In the course of an environmental research and development project of the Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB), the Federal Environment Agency established in 2012 the "Fish Protection and Downstream Fish Migration" forum. During the five workshops organised by this forum, over 200 representatives from the government, fishery and environmental organisations, energy industry, engineering offices, and research institutions held a discussion about Fish Protection and Downstream Fish Migration. During this discussion, the interests and positions about the status of knowledge and technology, the need for action, and research on the subject of population protection were developed and illustrated.

How can policy shape consumer behaviour towards more sustainable choices? In a lecture at this year's Science Event in Vienna, Katharina Umpfenbach discussed the contribution of recent scientific findings of behavioural economics, sociology and psychology to this debate. Hosted by Austria's Umweltbundesamt and ORF the Science event brought together scientists and practitioners working in local initiatives to explore how societal transformation towards sustainability could be achieved. The presentation slides are available for download.

On 26 November 2014 Rodrigo Vidaurre and Lucas Porsch held a presentation and prepared a workshop on the issue of "Establishing an Environmental Monograph System for Veterinary Medicinal Products". Further documents are available for download.

From an environmental perspective, a key question concerning the current revision of the Veterinary Medicinal Products Directive (Directive 2001/82/EC) is its requirements to generate and make public data on the environmental behaviour of veterinary drugs. The latest proposal of the EU Commission contains some minor improvements on the availability of environmental information for generic veterinary products - however, other very significant information gaps are not addressed

Environmental laws and measures not only have impacts on the environment, but also induce different kinds of benefits and costs for citizens and the economy. For a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of new policies and measures, both environmental and economic costs and benefits need to be analysed and, if appropriate, monetised.

Monica Ridgway; Beáta Vargová (2014): Supporting the Transition to a Post-carbon Society – POCACITO Poster Series. Poster. Berlin: Ecologic Institute.

From 24 to 28 November 2014, Ecologic Institute implemented a study trip for 8 members of the South African Energy Committee. Participants were able to meet and discuss with representatives from ministries, think tanks, NGOs and business representatives in Berlin and Hamburg. Both national policies and examples of local and regional implementation of the German energy policy were highlighted while taking into consideration opportunities and challenges for South Africa.

When and why were environmental think tanks founded in Germany? How is the system for environmental consulting organized in Germany today? What is the daily work of an environmental think tank? Susanne Langsdorf, researcher at Ecologic Institute, presented the system in which environmental research and consultancy is organised in Germany and the daily work of an environmental think tank to students.

On 19 November 2014, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the European research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)" at the 4th Annual General Meeting of the European Network for Environmental Crime (EnviCrimeNet) in The Hague (Netherlands). Ecologic Institute is the coordinator of the EFFACE project. The presentation slides are available for download.

Inefficient use of fertilisers leads to the accumulation of nutrients in areas of intense agricultural activities and can cause serious environmental problems in these areas and beyond. Within the project "Resource Efficiency in Practice – Closing Mineral Cycles", the most promising and cost-effective measures at the regional and farm levels were identified to increase the resource efficiency and use of nutrients (N, P, K) and help close mineral cycles, particularly in saturated areas in Europe. The findings have been translated into relevant practical measures for the farming community in these areas.

Christiane Gerstetter and Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf spoke on regulatory cooperation and investment protection in the stakeholder forum "TTIP re:negotiate" in Berlin on 17 November 2014. The event was co-organized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC (USA).

The relationship between biodiversity and human wellbeing is multifaceted and assumes diverse forms across and within populations. In developing countries, for example, biodiversity and natural resources often constitute the basis of people’s livelihoods and thus their material wellbeing. Many individuals also feel a cultural, spiritual, or religious relationship with nature and assign it an inherent value. This study explores these diverse perceptions of biodiversity and its value. The findings serve to advance discussions on how development cooperation can more effectively integrate these views and therewith improve biodiversity and nature conservation. The study is available for download.

On 14 November 2014 the workshop "model examples for prevention and management of marine litter in the Baltic and North" was held at Ecologic Institute in Berlin. Stefanie Schmidt presented "Governance schemes and measures for the prevention of marine litter -case study Germany," which were analyzed in the context of CLEANSEA. Following her presentation, she discussed with participating stakeholders from government, industry, academia and environmental organizations, the strengths and weaknesses of the existing approach and considered need and options for action. The presentation slides are available for download.