The study "Control of land use – nature conversation strategies, policies and instruments" is now available for download. The study analyses the legal basis and the conceptual design of nature conversation strategies, policies and instruments for reducing or managing land use in Germany. In addition, implementation deficits of these instruments are identified.

Kemper, Melanie and Mascha Schacht 2015: Konzept Online-Informationsangebot "Umweltverträglicher Pflanzenschutz" – www.uba.de/pflanzenschutz-im-garten-startseite, Berlin, February 2015, unpublished.

This final report contains the interim results of a project on communication strategies for reducing agriculture-related entry of veterinary pharmaceuticals into the environment.

Residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals may enter water and soil via manure and dung. Veterinarians can reduce this environmental impact through their practices. These teaching materials were designed for further veterinary training. They consist of lecture slides and accompanying background material. The teaching materials are available to teachers and learners for free use.

Residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals may enter water and soil via manure and dung. Farmers can reduce this environmental impact through their practices. These teaching materials have been designed for advanced learners in agriculture. They consist of presentation slides and accompanying background material. The slides are designed for a 90-minute lecture. The teaching materials are available for teachers and learners to use freely.

This publication provides a quantitative overview of the development and status of environmental crime in Germany between 2004 and 2016, 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.

The problem of historical contamination remains an important gap in European policymaking on soils. Political commitment is required to address the issue of historical contamination systematically by providing a common EU framework to guide and facilitate activities at the national level, where in turn establishing and implementing national strategies for managing soil contamination is important. Finally, improving knowledge, sharing, and availability of existing information, and engaging stakeholders in the process of remediating soil contamination is recommended by the authors, lead by Ana Frelih-Larsen and Sophie Ittner of Ecologic Institute. The RECARE policy brief is available for download.

Despite the extensive loss of productive soils and the valuable ecosystem services that soils provide, the awareness of the magnitude and negative implications of these processes remain relatively low. In this RECARE policy brief, Ecologic Institute's Sandra Naumann and Ana Frelih-Larsen together with Gundula Prokop from the Austrian Environment Agency illustrate the scale of the problem and identify ready-made solutions and steps policy makers and practitioners can take across different levels, from city planning to national and European level. The RECARE policy brief is available for download.

This infographic illustrates the basic principle of an extended indicator of land use and land-use change: worsening and improvements in land use are tracked and balanced against each other.

This infographic shows a procedure how to approach the operationalization of the LDN concept and which questions have to be answered in this way. It builds on the findings of 14 UNCCD pilot studies (Global Mechanism of the UNCCD 2016a) and interprets them further. It visualizes seven strategic steps.

This portal provides information on how veterinary medicines enter the environment, explains their environmental impact and points out ways to reduce the number of entries. It is aimed at farmers and veterinarians in the livestock sector, in particular for cattle, pigs and poultry. Particular attention is paid to disease prevention measures, as veterinary medicinal products which do not need to be administered cannot enter the environment.

Care and hygiene help to minimise the direct entry of veterinary medicines into the environment. Carry-over of veterinary medicines is an unnecessary waste, can endanger the health of operators and have no therapeutic benefits for animals. Carry-over antibiotics can contribute to the development of resistance in humans, animals and the environment. This infographic illustrates five ways to reduce the carry-over of veterinary medicines in the barn.

This brochure is aimed at farmers. It provides information on how veterinary medicines enter the environment and explains their environmental impact. It also identifies ways in which environmental aspects can be taken into account in the application of veterinary medicinal products and the use of fertilisers containing veterinary medicinal products. Precautionary health measures are of particular importance. Veterinary medicines that do not need to be administered in the first place cannot harm the environment.

The infographic illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of four different cleaning methods for nipple drinks in pigsties with drawings. Dirt, heat and moisture in pipes and on drinking troughs provide ideal conditions for the propagation of germs in the so-called biofilm. Pathogens that have reached the drinking trough with saliva or nasal secretions from animals can survive there and can be transmitted to new animal groups.

Wunder, Stephanie; Timo Kaphengst; Ana Frelih-Larsen (2017): Implementing land degradation neutrality (SDG 15.3) at national level: general approach, indicator selection and experiences from Germany. In: Ginzky, H. et. al. (eds.): International Year Book of Soil Law and Policy, 191-219.