This article describes the project "Drought and Water Use Conflicts in Germany (WADKlim)" its approach and the context in Germany. The project provides a nationwide overview of current water availability and its future development under climate change conditions. It analyzes emerging conflicts of use and develops possible solution strategies. For example, a concept for regional water advisory councils to strengthen intersectoral coordination will be designed. In addition, the potential of water reuse for irrigation in urban areas will be investigated. The project is funded by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

According to a recent EEA report co-authored by Ecologic Institute, water stress has become a serious problem across Europe and climate change is likely to raise the challenge. The report "Water resources across Europe – confronting water stress: an updated assessment" calls for a shift from crisis management to risk management to prevent irreversible negative consequences for nature and society. The report emphasizes the need for greater water use efficiency and improved ecosystem resilience, as water resources become insufficient to meet the joint demand of humans and nature.

This report gives a European overview of the main drivers and pressures that are at the core of key water management challenges putting European water bodies most at risk of not achieving key environmental objectives.

Coasts and seas both are characterized by intense social-ecological interactions, recently the industrial appropriation of coasts worldwide and oceans as a waste disposal site for port industries and land-based production facilities. In September, White Horse Press' transdisciplinary history journal Global Environment published a special issue dedicated to Coastal Cities and their struggle for coping mechanism to the recent crisis. The special issue was edited by Ecologic Institute and starts with an introductory chapter on the more-than-ever-growing need to consider different ideas, narratives and power relations of coastal and maritime actors and groups in order to shape a coastal management that is ecologically and socially sustainable.

This fact sheet examines the functional elements of a fish protection system and explains when a rake is a fish protection rake. The fact sheet "Wann ist ein Rechen ein Fischschutzrechen? (When is a rake a fish protection rake?)" is available for download.

In 2014, the "Forum Fischschutz und Fischabstieg" was able to develop a common understanding of the size of a screen up to which functioning mechanical fish protection and descent systems, including the necessary cleaning technology, can be implemented. The objective of the research underlying this Fact Sheet 04 was to verify whether the statement of the "Forum Fischschutz und Fischabstieg" is confirmed in the actual operation of existing fish protection screens. Fact Sheet 04 "Technische Funktionsfähigkeit großer Fischschutzrechen in der Praxis bestätigt (Technical functionality of large fish protection screens confirmed in practice)" is available for download.

This report documents the project work and results of the R&D project "Information Platform for the restoration of rivers", which was jointly carried out by Ecologic Institute, Planungsbüro Zumbroich and the Institute of Aquatic Ecology and Fish Biology, Jena (IGF Jena) from 2017 to 2020. The aim of the project was to create an online information platform about river restoration (Part I of the project report) and the analysis of German restoration projects in regard to their monitoring (Part II of the project report). The report is available for download.

Plastic waste, plastic parts and microplastics can be found everywhere in the environment. Plastic particles are also detected in living organisms. But what exactly is the situation? To find out, the German Ministry of Research is funding the research priority "Plastics in the Environment" with around 40 million euros. Some of the results of the 20 funded research projects are presented in this video. Further results of the research projects as well as information on the activities of the research focus are available on the website.

This study by Ecologic Institute analyses the potential of areas of law beyond the water law to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. Germany has so far failed to achieve the various objectives of the Water Framework Directive. According to the thesis on which the study is based, reason for this is not only the lack of financial, personnel and organisational prerequisites, but also the lack of integration of water protection concerns into other areas of law beyond water law. The study is available for download.

The "Plastic Pirates" are a citizen science project to research litter pollution in German rivers. Throughout Germany, young people are integrated into the scientific research process by collecting data on litter pollution at rivers. The data is then analyzed by scientists and published in scientific journals.

Drinking water protection in North Rhine-Westphalia is based on mandatory requirements as well as voluntary measures agreed on between farmers and water suppliers. A study conducted by Ecologic Institute and HYDOR Consult for the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) evaluated the outcomes of drinking water protection within the framework of the cooperative water protection model in NRW. The results were summarised in two articles in the journal “Korrespondenz Wasserwirtschaft”.

The current issue of the journal KW Korrespondenz Wasserwirtschaft (03/2021) focuses on plastics in the environment. The thematic issue contains articles from the collaborative projects PLASTRAT, RUSEKU, SubμTrack, MikroPlaTaS and PlastikBudget.

How can the overexploitation of groundwater resources by irrigated agriculture be better managed? Dr. Josselin Rouillard together with colleagues from California, Spain and France, addresses this question in a new scientific article published in Water Resources Research. The research focused on how users and public authorities can work collaboratively and adopt collective rules to regulate access to, and use of, groundwater in agriculture.

How much and what kind of waste is found on European riverbanks? Are microplastics floating in our river towards the open sea? What measures could reduce the presence of single-use plastic items in the environment? These are just some of the questions that young people are exploring together with scientists in the citizen science project "Plastic Pirates - Go Europe!". The aim of the project is a wide-ranging, scientific survey of litter pollution along European watercourses and the identification of potential litter hotspots.

As part of its work within the ETC-ICM, Ecologic Institute has contributed as lead author to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report examining the multiple pressures that agriculture put on Europe's water. The report shows that that a wider uptake of sustainable agricultural practices such as organic farming, agroecological approaches and nature-based solutions is necessary to protect the water environment. To achieve this, ambitious measures to promote sustainable agriculture must be adopted in the upcoming EU common agricultural policy 2021-2027.