Research
Sustainable Research:
There is need for action in science to implement climate protection and environmental and resource conservation in the research process. In order to drive the process towards sustainable research, sustainability aspects in the research process and possible reduction potentials as well as alternative approaches should be taken into account. According to the DFG's catalogue of guiding questions emission and ressource consumption of the following topics should be considered:
- Travel considerations
- Methodology and design
- Computing power
- Equipment procurement and operation of equipment
Selected Research Projects dealing with Sustainability:
SDG 2 - No hunger
ENOUGH - Sealing a sustainable and environmentally friendly food system
The EU Farm to Fork Strategy, at the heart of the European Green Deal, aims to develop a holistic strategy to transform the European food sector into a fair, healthy, environmentally friendly and resilient system. Systematic scientific, technological, economic and social support is required on the road to success. The EU-funded ENOUGH project will contribute to this goal by creating new knowledge, technologies, tools and methods that will enable the sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The project also aims to increase the sustainability of food systems and provide selected innovative technological, ready-to-use solutions for EU companies to ensure robust and sustainable food supply chains in the future. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso
RTG 2654 – Sustainable Food Systems
Agriculture and food play a central role in many of the global challenges such as poverty, hunger, obesity, climate change and loss of biodiversity. It is clear that the global sustainability goals cannot be achieved without serious changes in the production and consumption of food. Which changes are helpful and how these can be implemented politically and socially are open questions that are to be comprehensively researched in the new RTG, both in industrialized and in developing and emerging countries. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Meike Wollni
SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production
WOOD LCC - Life cycle cost calculation (LCC) with innovative software for specifying the service life of timber components
WoodLCC enables a robust and precise life cycle cost calculation (LCC) based on novel models for the detailed determination of the service life of timber components and buildings. A holistic approach to the integration of life cycle data into LCC analysis tools will be used. The result will be the WoodLCC data platform. more Contact: Philip Bester van Niekerk
Agricultural systems of the future: NOcsPS - Agriculture 4.0 without chemical-synthetic crop protection
The aim of the research is to develop an innovative and sustainable agricultural system. NOcsPS can form a bridge between the established systems and represent an independent alternative between conventional and organic farming in the future. In addition, this innovative system has the potential to inspire organic farming with regard to alternative fertilization strategies and cultivation measures as well as conventional farming in the direction of reduction to csPSM with optimized fertilization. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Achim Spiller
SDG 13 - Climate action
TRUESOIL - True SOC sequestration: understanding trade-offs and dynamic interactions between SOC stocks and GHG emissions for climate-smart agrisoil management
The main objective is to assess interactions between management practices aimed at increasing organic carbon in agricultural soils and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the future impact of a reduction in precipitation on the interactions between organic carbon storage and greenhouse gases will be investigated. In this context, the role of different abiotic and biotic factors in organic carbon storage and the extent to which these factors influence greenhouse gas emissions, in particular N2O, in different soil types and climatic zones will be determined. more Contact: Dr. Ana Meijide
SDG 14 - Life below water
BIOcean5D - Marine Biodiversity Assessment and Prediction across spatial, temporal and human scales
Marine biodiversity is of fundamental importance for the health of the planet and humans, yet we still know far too little about it. BIOcean5D seeks to explore marine life and its changes in 5 dimensions: 3-dimensional space, time and human impact. Ultimately, we hope that by measuring, monitoring and understanding marine biodiversity and involving citizens in our research, we will be able to provide information for the sustainable management and long-term conservation of our marine ecosystems. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Christoph Bleidorn
SDG 15 - Life on land
ECOBOOST - Boosting functional biodiversity to maximize ecosystem services for Mediterranean crop production
The current agricultural methods used to cultivate crops are often unsustainable and lead to a loss of biodiversity. In particular, pest control in the Mediterranean region still relies heavily on the use of chemical pesticides. The ECOBOOST consortium, consisting of ten international partners in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Germany, is researching agricultural measures to increase functional biodiversity and promote ecosystem services for the cultivation of solanaceous crops. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Michael Rostás
PathFinder – Towards an Integrated Consistent European LULUCE Monitoring and Policy Pathway Assessment Framework
Forests are playing an increasingly important role in the sustainability debate, especially in the context of climate change, biodiversity conservation and the bioeconomy. In order to make evidence-based decisions in forest-related policy processes, reliable information is needed. At national level, national forest inventories cover this need for information. In its “European Forest Strategy”, the European Commission calls for their expansion in the direction of European forest monitoring. The EU Horizon project “Pathfinder”, led by the Norwegian bioeconomy institute NIBIO, is dedicated to this task. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleinn
INFORMA - Science-Based Integrated Forest Mitigation Management
Forests are the largest terrestrial carbon sink. This service is threatened by the increase in natural disturbances, which are becoming more frequent with climate change. At the same time, knowledge about the effects of forest management on biogeochemical and biophysical processes is limited. INFORMA aims to expand this knowledge and identify ways of managing and protecting forests more sustainably and preserving their biodiversity. more Contact: Dr. Michael Kirchner
ClimbForest - Climate Mitigation and Bioeconomy pathways for sustainable Forestry
This project uses the latest data from various forest research stations and satellites to support the planning and management of Europe's new and existing forests. New tools, interactive maps and best practice guidelines will be developed. By working closely with the forestry sector and policy makers, CLIMB-FOREST aims to ensure that Europe's forests are resilient to climate change. more Contact: Dr. Anne Klosterhalfen
RECONNECT - Reconnecting fragmented and contested landscapes
RECONNECT focuses in particular on the decoupling of nature conservation from society's other socio-ecological demands on landscapes. This fragmentation, contestation and disconnection can be caused by institutional, ecological and social factors. The aim of the research project is to use four case studies to gain in-depth knowledge of how institutional, ecological and social limits to biodiversity conservation are dealt with. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Tobias Plieninger und Dr. Marion Jay
InterRest - Interactive effects of local and landscape scale restoration of semi-natural grasslands and agricultural fields on species interactions and ecosystem functions in different social-ecological system
Calcareous grasslands, created by traditional land use in Europe, are among the most species-rich habitats but are threatened by abandonment and eutrophication. Restoration efforts are urgently needed, but current regional approaches often focus solely on species richness, ignoring biotic interactions and ecosystem functions. InterRest will address this gap by analyzing multiple interaction networks (e.g., decomposition, pollination, predation) and their role in stabilizing ecosystems, integrating social-ecological interactions to improve restoration success across landscapes. more Contact: Dr. Annika Haß
FUNPOTENTIAL - Potential of functional diversity for increasing the disturbance resiliency of forests and forest-based socio-ecological systems
As a result of climate change, natural disturbances in Europe's forests are expected to increase. FunPotential investigates nature-based adaptation strategies with higher tree species and structural diversity to establish resilient forests and economically robust forestry operations. The focus is on management and policy strategies that simultaneously maintain sustainable wood supply, climate services and biodiversity. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Carola Paul
FOR 5000 - Biotic interactions, species communities and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functionsn
The central aim of the research group is to find out which mechanisms influence the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the short and long term. As these relationships strengthen over time, they are probably the key to a general understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Stefan Scheu
SPP 1374 - Exploratories for functional biodiversity research
As part of this large joint project on biodiversity research, three large-scale long-term study areas were established as examples. They are referred to as biodiversity exploratories, as opposed to mainly descriptive observatories. The exploratories provide a unique framework for assessing key questions about the impact of land use on biodiversity and the influence of these changes on ecosystem processes. more Contact: Prof. Dr. Christian Ammer
Contact - Green Office
Do you have questions or suggestions about sustainability in research?
Or in your studies?
Do you have any ideas about sustainability in your studies?
For these and general questions, suggestions contact us!
Sustainability Coordinator
Marco Lange, Coordinator of the Green OfficePhone: 0551 39-21356
Email: marco.lange@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Staff
Tabea Kothe, Student of GeographyE-Mail: tabea.kothe@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Anna von Borcke, Student of Ethnology and Sociology
E-Mail: anna.borcke@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Hannah Kalden, Student of Philosophy
E-Mail: hannah.kalden@zvw.uni-goettingen.de