Water
Governing water resources in a sustainable way is key to healthy ecosystems and equitable and sustainable societies. At Ecologic Institute, an interdisciplinary team analyzes water-related challenges and develops cross-cutting approaches to protect water ecosystems and ensure sustainable water use, in Europe and beyond.
The water team at Ecologic Institute has profound experience in research and policy advice to enhance management and governance on a wide range of water-related issues. This includes evaluating and developing strategies to cope with the effects of climate change on water resources and water-related extreme events. Another field of expertise is assessing aquatic biodiversity and the impact of pollutants on water bodies. Furthermore, our team conducts economic policy assessments, analyzes markets, and evaluates the potential of digitalization for sustainable water management. The water team is also experienced in developing strategies for stakeholder involvement and effective communication to tackle water-related challenges.
Ecologic Institute is represented in national and European fora, where it engages in deep debate and knowledge exchange on topics such as coasts and marine waters.
Ecologic Institute's Water Team has profound experience in research and policy advice on the following water-related topics:
European Water Governance and Management
The Water Team advises and researches on issues of water management and governance at the national and European level. This includes support for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD).
Water and Adaptation
Team members develop adaptive management and governance strategies to tackle issues related to flood, drought, and water scarcity. This includes designing nature-based solutions as well as participatory approaches to these challenges.
Aquatic Biodiversity
Team members conduct studies to evaluate the state of freshwater ecosystems and develop approaches to assess measures to enhance their quality.
Aquatic Pollutants
Team members evaluate the influence of pollutants (such as pharmaceuticals, emerging pollutants and micro-plastics) on water bodies and develop innovative management tools.
Water Economics
Team members conduct evaluations of economic policy instruments for water management and apply methodologies for the economic analysis of water use in Europe. In addition, team members perform impact assessments to reach Good Ecological Status of European water bodies according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
Innovation and Digitalization
Team members analyze markets and evaluate the potential of digitalization and innovation to solve complex water management challenges.
Communication and Participation
The Water Team is advancing effective communication of water issues between citizens, science and policy using crosscutting formats and approaches. In addition, the team members have experience in involving stakeholders in co-designing solutions for water-related challenges.
Selected Projects for Water
European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters (ETC/ICM)
- Duration
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Jan 2019 - Dec 2021
- Funding
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European Environment Agency (EEA), international
Increasing Good Governance for Achieving the Objectives of Integrated Water Resources Management (STEER)
- Duration
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Jun 2017 - Sep 2020
- Funding
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Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Digital Water City – Leading urban water management to its digital future (DWC)
- Duration
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Jun 2019 - Nov 2022
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international European Commission, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), international
Potential of Other Legal Areas to Achieve the Objectives of the Water Framework Directive
- Duration
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Feb 2019 - Jun 2020
- Funding
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Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Germany
Third Cycle of the German Participatory Forum on Fish Protection and Downstream Migration
- Duration
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Jun 2019 - Jan 2023
- Funding
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Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Germany
Nature Based Solutions for Water Security in Europe (NBS4WS)
- Duration
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Jun 2019 - Jan 2020
- Funding
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The Nature Conservancy (TNC), international
Cooperative Water Protection and their Impact on Groundwater Quality
- Duration
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Mar 2017 - Apr 2021
- Funding
Fish Friendly Innovative Technologies for Hydropower (FIThydro)
- Duration
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Nov 2016 - Oct 2020
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Framework Contract on Evaluation, Review and Development of EU Water Policy
- Duration
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Nov 2016 - Nov 2021
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Environment (DG Environment), international
Providing Support to the Assessment of the Water Framework Directive and Floods Directives's Plans and Implementation
- Duration
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Jan 2016 - Dec 2018
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Environment (DG Environment), international
Demonstrate Ecosystem Services Enabling Innovation in the Water Sector (DESSIN)
- Duration
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Jan 2014 - Jan 2018
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Knowledge, Assessment, and Management for Aquatic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Across EU Policies (AQUACROSS)
- Duration
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Jun 2015 - Nov 2018
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Integrated Water Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation
- Duration
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Oct 2014 - Oct 2016
- Funding
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The Leverhulme Trust, United Kingdom
Framework Contract to Support the Development and Implementation of EU Freshwater Policies
- Duration
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Sep 2012 - Sep 2016
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Environment (DG Environment), international
Benefit of Governance in Drought Adaption (DROP)
- Duration
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Jan 2013 - Jun 2015
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG Climate), international
Making Society an Active Participant in Water Adaptation to Global Change (BeWater)
- Duration
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Oct 2013 - Mar 2017
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Sharing Water-related Information to Tackle CHanges in the Hydrosphere – for Operational Needs (SWITCH-ON)
- Duration
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Nov 2013 - Oct 2017
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Restoring River for Effective Catchment Management (REFORM)
- Duration
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Nov 2011 - Nov 2015
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Biodiversity of Freshwater Ecosystems: Status, Trends, Pressures, and Conservation Priorities (BioFresh)
- Duration
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Nov 2009 - Apr 2014
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research (DG Research), international
Evaluating Economic Policy Instruments for Sustainable Water Management in Europe (EPI-Water)
- Duration
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Jan 2011 - Dec 2013
- Funding
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European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), international
Selected Publications for Water
European Water Policy
European Commission (ed.) 2019: FAQ note on the links between the Nature Directives and the Nitrates Directive.
CIS working group ECOSTAT 2020: Guidance No 37 – Steps for defining and assessing ecological potential for improving comparability of Heavily Modified Water Bodies.
European Commission (ed.) 2019: Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC). Second River Basin Management Plans. First Flood Risk Management Plans. Brussels
Water Governance and Management
Pahl-Wostl, C., Knieper, C., Lukat, E., Meergans, F., Schoderer, M., Schütze, N., Schweigatz, D., Dombrowsky, I., Lenschow, A., Stein, U., Thiel, A., Tröltzsch, J. and Vidaurre, R. 2020: Enhancing the capacity of water governance to deal with complex management challenges: A framework of analysis. Environmental Science & Policy, 107, pp.23-35.
German Environment Agency (ed.) 2019: Renaturierung von Fließgewässern. Internetportal compiled by Kemper M., Lamberty G., Wagner F. and Zumbroich T. on behalf of the German Environment Agency, Dessau-Roßlau. URL: www.uba.de/renaturierung
Anzaldua, Gerardo et. al. (2018). Getting into the water with the Ecosystem Services Approach: The DESSIN ESS evaluation framework. Ecosystem Services.
Barbosa, Ana et. al. 2018: Cost-effective restoration and conservation planning in Green and Blue Infrastructure designs. A case study on the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean: Andalusia (Spain) – Morocco. In: Science of the Total Environment, 652 (2019), 1463–1473.
Water and Adaptation
Stein, Ulf and Ruta Landgrebe 2019: European Actors and Institutions Involved in Water Scarcity and Drought Policy. In: La Jeunesse, Isabelle and Corinne Larrue (eds.): Facing Hydrometeorological Extreme Events: A Governance Issue. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, New Jersey. 157-170pp.
Trémolet S. et al. (2019). Investing in Nature for Europe Water Security. The Nature Conservancy, Ecologic Institute and ICLEI. London, United Kingdom.
Aquatic Biodiversity
Naumann, Stephan, Ulf Stein and Hannes Schritt 2019: Forum Fischschutz und Fischabstieg – Ergebnisse und Diskussion. In: WasserWirtschaft 2019, 10, 36-39.
Piet, Gerjan et al. 2018: Case Study 1 Report: Trade-Offs in Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in the North Sea Aimed at Achieving Biodiversity Strategy Targets. WUR: Wageningen.
Rouillard, J., Lago, M., Abhold, K. et al. 2018: Protecting aquatic biodiversity in Europe: How much do EU environmental policies support ecosystem-based management? Ambio (47)1. doi:10.1007/s13280-017-0928-4
Aquatic Pollutants
Ecologic Institute (ed.) 2019: BMBF-Forschungsschwerpunkt Plastik in der Umwelt – Quellen • Senken • Lösungsansätze. Statuskonferenz, 09./10. April 2019, Kalkscheune, Berlin. Berlin: Ecologic Institute.
Kemper, Melanie et. al. 2018: Kommunikationsstrategien zur Verminderung von Tierarzneimitteleinträgen aus der Landwirtschaft in die Umwelt. Abschlussbericht. Umweltbundesamt: Dessau-Roßlau.
Ulf Stein et. al (2018): Challenges and technological approaches for tackling emerging contaminants in drinking and wastewater. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.2452190
Water Economics
Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.) 2015: Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.
Selected Events for Water
Water Governance and Management
Workshop:Integrated Water Resource Management: Comparative Learning on Governance and Public Participation
- Date
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3 - 6 May 2016
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany University of Exeter, United Kingdom University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC), Canada University of Leeds, United Kingdom Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Bangladesh
Water and Adaptation
Conference:River Basin Adaptation Planning through Stakeholder Engagement
- Date
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9 February 2017
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany
Workshop:Engaging Citizens in Adaptive River Basin Management in the Mediterranean
- Date
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8 April 2016
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany The Cyprus Institute (CYI), Cyprus National Research Institute of Rural Engineering, Water and Forests (INRGREF), Tunisia Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Spain Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (IzVRS), Slovenia
Workshop:7th Workshop on Fish Protection and Downstream Migration
- Date
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18 - 19 April 2018
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany
Protection of Aquatic Biodiversity
Conference:Ecosystem-Based Management for the Protection of Aquatic Biodiversity – AQUACROSS Final Conference
- Date
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10 - 11 October 2018
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany
Workshop:FIThydro – European Stakeholder Workshop
- Date
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28 - 29 January 2020
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany Technische Universität München (TUM), Germany
Water Economics
Conference:First EPI-Water Conference in Berlin
- Date
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26 - 27 January 2012
- Organizer
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Ecologic Institute, Germany