Projects

Project:Horizon Europe
 
With the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, Member States are now required to restore ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, while ensuring that restoration is practical, socially grounded and compatible with viable farming systems. The Horizon Europe project BALANCE supports this challenge by demonstrating how farming systems can be nature-positive while remaining economically viable and embedded in local realities.

Biodiversity and Landscape Restoration through Agricultural Systems for Nature Conservation and Resilient Farm Economies (BALANCE)

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The AF4VALUE project addresses these barriers by developing and testing approaches that can strengthen agroforestry value chains and improve the economic viability of agroforestry for farmers and rural communities. The project focuses on practical innovation, business models, financial incentives, certification-related technologies and policy conditions that can support the agroecological transition.

Innovations in Value Chains to Promote Farming Viability through Agroforestry (AF4VALUE)

Supporting agroforestry value chains and Living Labs for the agroecological transition

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The project “Development of an Evaluation Framework for Restoration Measures under the Nature Restoration Regulation” aims to develop a nationwide, modular approach for assessing the effectiveness of restoration measures. This evaluation framework is intended to ensure that targets are achieved, progress is tracked transparently, and measures can be adapted where necessary.

Restoration Measures under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation

Development of an Evaluation Framework

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On behalf of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Ecologic Institute supported the conceptual development and organisation of the European Networking Workshop on Urban Nature, held in Bonn on 5–6 May 2026. The workshop aimed to bring together key actors from across Europe to exchange experiences on promoting urban biodiversity and implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

International Networking Workshop on Urban Nature

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The workshop aims to support the member states of the Alpine Convention in jointly developing a draft that describes the synergies between their national restoration plans. In addition, ideas for concrete cross-border projects will be collected that can be incorporated into the plans. This will create a basis for strengthening cooperation and nature conservation measures throughout the Alpine region.

Synergies for Nature Restoration in the Alpine Region

Organisation, implementation and follow-up of an international online workshop

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How can nature conservation measures be designed to increase the resilience of ecosystems to climate change? This is the focus of a research project funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and led by the Ecologic Institute. The project aims to develop a scientifically sound and practical concept for assessing and promoting the climate resilience of ecosystems in Germany. The results are intended to provide strategic impetus for a climate-resilient approach to nature conservation.

Climate Resilience of Ecosystems

Concepts, assessments and recommendations for action

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The project analyses the development of environmental crime in Germany between 2013 and 2024, based on data from the Police Crime Statistics (PKS) and the law enforcement statistics of the Federal Statistical Office. The analysis provides both an overview of long-term trends and an in-depth assessment of individual categories of environmental offences.

Evaluation of Statistics on the Development of Environmental Crimes in Germany

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The central question of the FairNature project is how nature-based solutions can be delivered at wide geographical scales in a just manner. The project aims to co-develop a framework that supports NbS practitioners at multiple governance levels in achieving just scaling that fosters transformative change, biodiversity protection, and societal well-being.

Developing NbS Scaling Approaches to Achieve Just Transformative Change (Fair Nature)

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The research project analyses the need for integrated strategies in order to ensure sustainable development and preserve the basis of life. The project focuses on analysing the challenges and interactions between the three crisis areas and the question of how measures can be designed to create synergies between climate protection, biodiversity conservation and the reduction of environmental pollution. More crises are being added, e.g. land degradation and food security.

Challenges for International Climate Protection in the Face of the Global Triple Crisis

Climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution

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The aim of this project is to prepare a report that will serve as the basis for the evaluation report on the Federal Action Plan on Nature-based Solution for Climate and Biodiversity (ANK) to be submitted by the Federal Government in 2025. In March 2023, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) published the Federal Action Plan on Nature-based Solution for Climate and Biodiversity (ANK) with the aim of significantly improving ecosystems in Germany. It specifically counteracts the dual crisis of global heating and biodiversity loss.

Report to Support the Evaluation of Natural Climate Protection Action Programme (ANK) in 2025

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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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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: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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Ecologic Institute supports the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) in preparing the ratification of the so-called BBNJ Agreement and the related German implementing laws. The BBNJ Agreement of June 2023 is a UN treaty and the first multilateral legal framework for the protection of biodiversity on the high seas. Ecologic Institute identifies the obligations for Germany and which of them require new legislation, and drafts legal proposals for implementing provisions.

Implementing Legislation for the BBNJ Agreement

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Oeko-Institut and Ecologic Institute are jointly supporting the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz – BfN) in the necessary further development of environmental legislation at federal level in line with the objectives of the new NBS 2030 and the EU-BDS. The aim of this project is to identify existing deficits in national biodiversity protection and to develop proposals for improvement.

Legal Options for Biodiversity Protection

Implementation of the National Strategy on Biodiversity 2030 (NBS 2030)

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This project supports the European Commission (EC) in enhancing the integration of environmental, biodiversity, and climate goals in the EU budget post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). It provides insights and concrete recommendations for effective, efficient, coherent, and measurable external funding strategies, ensuring that these priorities are mainstreamed throughout budgetary processes to maximize their policy impact. The project's results will feed into the EC's proposal for the post-2027 MFF, expected by mid-2025.

Mainstreaming Climate and Biodiversity Objectives in EU International Funding Programmes in the Post-2027 Period

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The overall project objective is to support mapping and assessing ecosystems, habitats and species as well as protected areas to compile the best possible evidence and data needed to map and assess ecosystem condition across the EU, at country level and for individual ecosystem types, habitats and species. The integrated analysis will build on direct measurement data, data from Member State reporting, and through indirect evidence to help develop analyses on trends in ecosystem condition.

Framework Contract on Integrated Assessment of Condition and Pressures on Ecosystems

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Brandenburg's cabinet adopted a peatland protection program in March 2023, building on the National Peatland Protection Strategy and the 2021 "Climate Protection through Peatland Protection" initiative. The project aims to develop recommendations for communication on peatland protection in Brandenburg, examining the current communication landscape. The Ecologic Institute is commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Climate Protection of the State of Brandenburg.

Communication Concept Implementation of Peatland Protection in Brandenburg

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This project for The Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) aims to convey in an effective and accessible way that our actions today have an impact on the future, especially on nature and the livelihoods of future generations. Through carefully designed visualizations that are based on scientific research, we want to show how the climate crisis is affecting nature and the German landscape, and how climate protection and adaptation can prevent damage, mitigate the effects of the biodiversity crisis and ultimately improve our lives.

The Impacts of Climate Change in Germany

Research and Visualization

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The German agriculture sector faces significant climate-related challenges due to extreme weather events along with shifts in temperature patterns, impacting crop yields and biodiversity and exacerbating water scarcity and water quality deterioration. The Panda Fördergesellschaft (on behalf of WWF) is commissioning Ecologic Institute to create a handbook, "Water Stewardship in German Agriculture," aiming to offer practical solutions to enhance water retention, quality, and biodiversity. The handbook will include an overview of Germany's water situation, legal framework, specific measures with contextualised examples, and ways to promote collective action.

Water Stewardship in German Agriculture

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
The project's ambition is to contribute to the systemic transformation needed for a nature-positive economy through collaborative multi-stakeholder research and innovation to provide clarity and guidance for policy, industry and society.

GoNaturePositive!

Co-creating a Nature-Positive World

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Ecologic Institute is member of the European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC-BE) which works with the European Environment Agency (EEA) under a Framework Partnership Agreement for the period from 2023-2026. The ETC BE is a Consortium of 24 European organisations with expertise in the topic area of terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Biodiversity and ecosystems is one of five strategic work areas in the EEA-Eionet Strategy 2021-2030.

European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC-BE) 2023-2026

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The project is targeted at postgraduate students, professionals and managers from developing countries and provides them with a wide range of skills in environmental management. It combines lecture series and interactive workshops to deepen the understanding of sustainable approaches such as ecosystem-based management (EBM), nature-based solutions (NbS) and restoration measures and to promote practical skills. The events on Vilm Island (May 30 to October 23, 2024) as well as previous formats, such as the 88th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV course focusing on water resource management (October 2023 in Dresden), played a central role in knowledge transfer. The aim is to equip future decision-makers with the necessary tools to effectively tackle complex environmental and societal challenges.

Knowledge Transfer and Competence Building: Education for sustainable environmental management

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This project aims to support the European Commission in implementing the new EU Forest Strategy for 2030. It provides expert guidance on the implementation of the strategy and its outcomes, with a focus on forest science and societal aspects related to the role of healthy and resilient forests.

Implementing the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030

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Ecologic Institute's task is to analyse the governance frameworks that influence Arctic ecosystems and to identify where adaptive management strategies could strengthen resilience. For this purpose, Ecologic Institute brings together the research results of YESSS that are relevant for governance, and investigates local, regional, and international legal and policy frameworks, including those shaped by the Svalbard Treaty and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Year-round EcoSystem Study on Svalbard (YESSS)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
Healthy wetlands are acknowledged for being among the most effective sinks for carbon and for providing other valuable ecosystem services. In contrast, human-impacted wetlands represent a major source of greenhouse gases (GHG). Important research questions on the GHG abatement potential of wetland restoration and on management and restoration actions to maintain and promote the mitigation and adaptation capacity of European wetlands are still to be answered due to major data and knowledge gaps. The RESTORE4Cs project (a 3-year Research and Innovation Action funded by the EU) aims to fill this gap by assessing the role of restoration action in wetlands climate change mitigation capacity and for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services using an integrative socio-ecological systems approach.

Modelling Restoration of Wetlands for Carbon Pathways, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity, Co-benefits (RESTORE4Cs)

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This project supports the EU Commission by undertaking a series of assignments that are to be requested by the Commission during the next phases of the legislative process of the proposed NRL. In this context, the project handles requests from the European Commission, for example to discuss further details of measures to be considered in the negotiations on this legislation.

Analytical and Technical Support During the Negotiations Process for the Nature Restoration Law

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The project "Climate Adaptation Naturally Nature-based Solutions for Municipalities" aims to communicate the potential of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in cities and municipalities in a targeted manner and to support cities and municipalities in the implementation of such solutions with the help of practice-oriented applications. The project primarily addresses climate adaptation managers in the municipalities, but also representatives from urban planning and development, green space offices and nature conservation authorities, education and culture, water and wastewater management.

Climate Adaptation Naturally!

Nature-based solutions for communities

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In addition to the protection of still intact peatlands, the restoration and sustainable management of previously drained peatland soils are important contributions for protecting biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change. In order to address these needs in a more targeted manner, the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) published the first National Peatland Protection Strategy in September 2021. Together with DUENE e.V., partner in Greifswald Moor Centrum, Ecologic Institute supports the implementation of the National Peatland Protection Strategy.

Implementation of the National Peatland Protection Strategy (MoorNet)

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The EU-funded project assists the European Commission in identifying relevant tree-planting initiatives that can be counted towards the 3-billion-tree target. It also engages key stakeholders in the initiative, provides guidance on available funding instruments, and analyses challenges faced by stakeholders in implementing tree-planting projects across the EU.

Implementing the 3 Billion Trees Pledge

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To meet global climate objectives, it is essential to reduce emissions from deforestation. So-called "jurisdictional REDD+" aims to reduce deforestation by monitoring and rewarding deforestation at the regional scale. To help decision-makers and stakeholders better understand the potential advantages of jurisdictional approaches, Ecologic Institute is developing a paper-based game to illustrate the key concepts. The game will be supported by teaching materials and event organisation, in collaboration with the client Environmental Defense Fund.

Reducing Deforestation at the Regional Scale: the Jurisdictional REDD+ Game

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This project will 1) identify good examples, new and innovative interventions to contribute to biodiversity and climate objectives of the CAP; 2) assess CAP Strategic Plan interventions that correspond to the biodiversity and climate ambitions in the four CAP Strategic Plans of Germany, France, Spain and Poland; 3) analyze whether these interventions correspond to the scientific evidence and whether they are relevant and sufficient; 4) consider co-benefits and trade-offs between different policy objectives.

Innovative Agricultural Interventions to Reach EU Biodiversity and Climate Objectives

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
project logog
Effective marine environmental management and biodiversity conservation (including protection and restoration) are fundamental to achieving the transformation to a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive low-carbon sustainable ocean economy. MarineSABRES' simple SES approach aims to show how we can protect and maintain the natural structure and processes of marine ecosystems while simultaneously delivering the societal goods and benefits that people rely on. The approach specifically aims to improve uptake of EBM and strengthen interventions and measures for the conservation of coastal and marine areas.

Marine Systems Approaches for Biodiversity Resilience and Ecosystem Sustainability (HEU Marine SABRES)

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The UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration offers the opportunity to link thematic areas that were previously treated rather separately, as well as to clarify their interdependencies and to create synergies. This includes, for example, linking the topic of ecosystem restoration with different topics in the areas of biodiversity and climate. To illustrate these linkages, Ecologic Institute is preparing a total of 10 policy papers for the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). These papers are intended to support key German actors in implementing the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration as part of the overarching GIZ project "Supporting the Design and Implementation of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration" (DEER).

Strategic Support for the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration

Preparation of 10 Policy Papers on ecosystem restoration

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Ecologic Institute and the University of Geisenheim will analyse the extent to which measures for strengthening biodiversity have been integrated in the application of urban development funding by German municipalities, and what good practice examples exist. Based on this research, municipalities will be informed about measures that are eligible for urban development funding which are effective in conserving or promoting biodiversity.

Using Urban Development Funding to Promote Biodiversity (BioVibeS)

Recommendations for municipalities to consider biodiversity in the context of urban development funding

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NICHES project logo: Project name in capital letters. in the letters you can see a skyline, above it green and blue horizon
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are recognised as cost-effective tools to alleviate pressure during high rainfall events while producing wider societal and environmental benefits, but uptake is limited in practice due to lacking evidence. The NICHES project – Nature's Integration in Cities' Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies – aims to fill this gap by adopting a holistic social-ecological-technical systems (SETS) approach to explore the potential of urban NBS as an alternative to the costly renewal of grey wastewater systems. Five global cities – Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Sheffield, and Rotterdam – will be utilized to co-create knowledge and develop a shared understanding of restorative NBS that can be applied to avoid storm-water run-off and negative impacts for aquatic biodiversity.

Nature's Integration in Cities' Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies (NICHES)

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The main element of this project was the implementation of the international expert workshop "Fostering applied research on the synergies between biodiversity and climate", which took place online between 8 and 9 June 2022. With around 30 leading scientists, 10 presentations of case studies and interactive break-out groups, this workshop enabled lively discussions and insights on opportunities for participatory research for the biodiversity-climate nexus.

Promoting Research and Application to Exploit Synergies between Biodiversity and Climate Protection

Preparation and implementation of a scoping workshop

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What are possible alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides without promoting the renaissance of genetic engineering? This brief study intends to provide an overview of the current state of science on possible alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides and to be understandable for non-experts.

Alternatives to Synthetic Chemical Pesticides

A scientific basis

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The DÁVGI project aims to provide a basis for the exchange of knowledge and expertise to improve collaboration between Indigenous rights holders, environmental and other non-governmental organizations, local stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers, in order to strengthen the conservation and restoration of biocultural diversity in the Arctic. Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, this project is a combined effort of the Saami Council, Ecologic Institute, and IASS.

Co-Creation for Biocultural Diversity in the Arctic (Dávgi)

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