The 2022 overview brochure accompanies Eurostat's sixth regular report monitoring progress towards the SDGs in an EU context. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The brochure is available for download.

The 2022 publication is Eurostat's sixth regular report monitoring progress towards the SDGs in an EU context. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The publication is available for download.

This article explores how (in)coherence in policies and responsibilities affects coordination at process and outcome level. It presents a rigorous comparative study of cross-sectoral coordination in six river basins worldwide. The authors, among them Ecologic Institute's Dr. Ulf Stein, observe that coherence can favor coordination at the process level, but it remains difficult to establish causality. Coherence of policies and responsibilities does not change the relationship between process-level and outcome-level coordination.

The guidance document on Barrier Removal for River Restoration has been developed by the European Commission, with the support of Eleftheria Kampa (Ecologic Institute) as advisor. The guidance was developed to assist Member States in identifying and prioritising barriers that could be removed to help achieve the target of the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 to restore 25 000 km of rivers to be free-flowing. The guidance document is available for download.

This publication provides a quantitative overview of the development and status of environmental crime in Germany between 2010 and 2019, based on data from the police crime statistics ("Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik") and the Federal Statistical Office's criminal prosecution statistics ("Strafverfolgungsstatistik"). The report provides both, an overview of general trends and an in-depth account of individual environmental offences. In addition, the publication contains data on administrative offences relating to trafficking of protected species. The report was prepared by a team from Ecologic Institute on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency.

Cleveringa, J., Kampa, E., 2021. Intercomparison of ecological potential for Transitional and Coastal waters (TraC). Amersfoort, Berlin: Arcadis, Ecologic Institute.

Wolfram, G., Konecny, R., Kampa, E., 2021. Intercomparison of ecological potential for Lakes and Reservoirs. Vienna, Berlin: Environment Agency, DWS Hydro-Ökologie, Ecologic Institute.

The report "Intercomparison of Ecological Potential for Rivers" reviews and intercompares the methods used in European countries to define the ecological potential of river heavily modified water bodies. The report has been developed as part of an intercomparison exercise, which took place in the Water Framework Directive Common Implementation Strategy (WFD CIS) in 2019-2021. The report presents and summarises the information provided by European countries on the application of steps of CIS Guidance no. 37 "Steps for defining and assessing ecological potential for improving comparability of Heavily Modified Water Bodies" in the 3rd River Basin Management Plans.

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.