This guest article by Christoph Heinrich, published in the Table.Forum Biodiversity (Table.Media), outlines the central importance of biological diversity for the functioning of ecosystems and for human livelihoods.

On 17 and 18 November 2025, the closing event of the project "Natural Climate Adaptation!" commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Environment Ministry took place in Berlin. The event was organised in cooperation with the 14th KlimAdapt network meeting.

At the Fachsymposium Stadtgrün – Zukunft städtischer grüner Infrastrukturen (Symposium on urban greenery – The future of urban green infrastructure; 12–13 November 2025) Flora Dicke and Jenny Tröltzsch presented insights from the AMAREX project in the form of a scientific poster. The event brought together experts from municipalities, research institutions and planning practice to discuss innovative approaches for climate-resilient urban green spaces and water management, with a special focus on competition for urban space.

From 12 to 14 November 2025, Hannah Brunkhorst took part in the Participatory Science Conference (PartWiss) in Leipzig, where innovative projects and approaches were presented under the motto "Researching together – Impulses from citizen science, participatory, and transdisciplinary research". At the end of the first day of the PartWiss 2025 conference, participants gathered for a large poster session. A total of 30 posters were presented, providing interesting insights into various projects in the fields of citizen science, participatory and transdisciplinary research.

During the first day of the PartWiss 2025 conference, Doris Knoblauch delivered a presentation on the Europe-wide citizen science project, 'Plastic Pirates – Go Europe', during the thematic session, 'Participatory Approaches to Shaping the Science-Policy Interface'. During her presentation, she explored the intersection of natural and social science methods within the project. Using studies of the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts as an example, she showed how school classes in Kiel, St. Peter-Ording, Rostock and Flensburg had collected data on plastic pollution, before discussing the causes, responsibilities and possible solutions in focus groups.

At this year's DWA Conference on River Basin Management, Dr. Benjamin Kupilas explored how landscapes can be designed to store water more effectively, buffer extreme events, and simultaneously support biodiversity. His talk highlighted the importance of restoring natural hydrological processes as a cornerstone of climate mitigation and adaptation, nature conservation, and resilient regional development.

At the MoorNet Final Conference 2025, results and approaches from the research and development project were presented. The event also offered space to discuss further developments and to identify additional needs for action. Key topics included overcoming implementation barriers, funding issues, and the need for communication strategies and networking concepts to strengthen and accelerate the rewetting of peatlands.

Melting sea ice, new shipping routes and growing geopolitical tensions are changing the Arctic – a region where the consequences of climate change are particularly evident. Arne Riedel, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, spoke about the ecological, political and security developments in this sensitive region of the world in an interview with Axel Dorloff (rbb Inforadio / Wissenswerte).

The 26th Arctic Dialogue took place on 6 November 2025 at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) in Berlin. The programme comprised several panels and discussion formats addressing the impacts of climate change on the Arctic, including Arctic landscapes, pollution, and biodiversity, complemented by a roundtable discussion among ministries and institutions. Arne Riedel and Gregory Fuchs represented Ecologic Institute at the 26th Arctic Dialogue.

This poster summarises key findings from the socio-economic assessment of blue-green infrastructure measures conducted within the AMAREX project. The analysis covers 21 decentralised measures such as infiltration swales, tree pits, and green or retention roofs.

This report evaluates the focus of Bread for the World on climate policy between 2023 and 2025. It examines how the organisation strengthens the rights and needs of vulnerable population groups within the context of international climate policy, demonstrating how climate justice can be effectively integrated into development cooperation. The report assesses this work against the following criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, development impact and sustainability.

Against the backdrop of the new German Bioeconomy Strategy (BMEL & BMBF 2020), this study outlines how a monitoring system needs to be designed to assess whether the transformation towards a bio-based economy is progressing in line with sustainability goals and the protection of natural systems. The report is aimed at policymakers, public authorities and the expert community, summarising the key findings and recommendations from several years of project work.

On 23 September 2025, experts from policy, finance, research, and civil society gathered in Berlin for the technical workshop “Opportunities and Limits of Nature-based Solutions”, hosted by the Fair Finance Institute. The event aimed to highlight and critically discuss the risks and potentials of nature-based solutions (NbS). The focus was on how financing for NbS can be made more effective and equitable, tapping the potential to deliver on sustainable development worldwide, protect biodiversity, and empower people in countries of the Global South. Ecologic Institute’s McKenna Davis opened the event with a keynote address entitled “Nature-based Solutions: More than just green? What counts, what works, and what is missing.” The event was organised with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and support from GLS Bank and Engagement Global as part of an ongoing project.

As part of the expert dialogue "Second-Hand Instead of New – Calculating and Communicating CO₂ Savings Potential", taking place online on September 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment invited participants to explore current approaches to quantifying CO₂ savings in the context of waste prevention.

Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, gave a presentation on 10 September 2025 on the implementation of the 'ecocide' provision of the Environmental Crime Directive in Germany. This took place as part of a webinar organized by Europe Calling and Stop Ecocide Germany on environmental criminal law and 'ecocide'. He provided an overview of the provisions of the new Environmental Crime Directive on the ecocide-like consequences of environmental crimes, highlighted the need for implementation in Germany, and presented proposals for implementation close to the directive and an alternative implementation that already addresses the risk of serious consequences. The presentation was based on a legal opinion he had written for Stop Ecocide Germany.