The Federal Republic of Germany is bound to a number of environmental agreements. The current government has stated in their coalition agreement that it acknowledges their commitments to EU biodiversity. What exactly does that mean for the daily activities in Parliament, in the committees, the group meetings, and in the preparation of new legislation? This event provided an overview on these topics.

Which invasive species can be found in Berlin and Brandenburg? Have you ever wondered what they taste like? Come try it out at our final event of the series Biodiversity - local/global and learn more about these organisms from Prof. Dr. Jasmin Joschi from Potsdam University and Peter Becker from NewTritionInk. 
 

In many regions, the non-native introduction of animal- and plant species is increasing and is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Why is this so and what can be done about it? In this 8th event of the series Biodiversity - local/global, Katrin Schneider, from KORINA - UfU e.V. Halle, took a closer look at this problem.

 


Just weeds - or is it more? Plants in parks, on roadsides, on rooftops and facades contribute to climate change adaptation and biodiversity in Berlin. In the seventh event of the series Biodiversity - Local / Global, Reinhard Schubert of the Senate Department for Urban Development and Environment, Berlin, looks at the possibilities for climate adaptation and the local biodiversity in our capital.

<p>Ecologic Institute offers legal support to the client to ensure that provisions of international and European law are met if data concerning the release of pollutants from diffuse sources is collected for the German and European Pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTR).</p>

Mainstreaming of climate change in different policy areas is a priority for the European Union (EU), reflected in the requirement that 20% of EU funds in the 2014 to 2020 programming period should be climate related. Different EU funds need to mainstream climate actions, including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development can support climate change mitigation and adaptation in agriculture and land management through funding of targeted activities under Rural Development Programmes (RDPs).

Ten ELEEP Members traveled to the Pacific Northwest of the United States to find out how communities use planning, policies, investments, and other measures to establish low-carbon, sustainable transportation systems. This tour took a broad perspective, moving beyond a focus on transportation systems in isolation to consider the larger economic development, urban/rural, and social implications of transit and transportation planning.

Ecologic Institute's Ulf Stein presented first insights of the INTERREG IVb project DROP during the International Conference on Regional Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARR 2014) in Bremen. DROP is trying to enhance the preparedness and resilience of northwestern European regions to periods of drought and water scarcity. In his conclusions he developed messages for the domains of natural science, policy and water management. The presentation slides are available for download.

Ecologic Institute created an informative flyer in five languages that presented the EU-funded DEMEAU project. The project aimed to address challenges in water supply and wastewater treatment by promoting advanced technologies such as Managed Aquifer Recharge, Hybrid Ceramic Membrane Filtration, Hybrid Advanced Oxidation Processes, and Bioassays. With a strong consortium of research institutions, SMEs, and water suppliers from five EU countries, DEMEAU focused on innovation and partnership to effectively combat emerging pollutants.