nachhaltige Nutzung: Windradpark auf dem Ozean bei klarem Himmel und ruhiger See

Protection and sustainable Use of the Oceans

The Second Research Mission of the DAM

Oceans provide food, energy and raw materials, they are important transport routes and popular tourist destinations. The so-called “blue economy” is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors worldwide. However, climate change, pollution and overuse of ecosystems are increasingly creating problems for coasts, seas and oceans. The effects of different uses can compound each other, along with plastic waste, munitions dumping, pollution and nutrient loading, sea-level rise, warming and ocean acidification. These effects can lead to significant changes in ecosystems and have serious ecological and social consequences.

In the research mission “Protection and Sustainable Use of Marine Areas” of the German Alliance for Marine Research, more than 250 researchers in seven research networks are investigating the ecological, economic and social impacts of the use and pollution of various marine regions. The focus is, for example, on options for sustainable fisheries, ammunition dumps in the North Sea and Baltic Sea and the central question of how different utilisation interests, such as fisheries, wind power generation or tourism, can be reconciled with the effective protection of biodiversity. The aim of the research mission is to develop options for a sustainable use of marine resources in the German North and Baltic Sea.

The aim of the research mission is to develop options for sustainable use of marine resources and ecosystem services in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea and to achieve a good environmental status. In the research mission, various scientific disciplines and experts from the field work closely together to provide society and decision-makers in politics, industry and authorities with scientifically sound advice and socially reflected options for use and protection concepts. The research mission focuses on three thematic areas:

Concepts to reduce the impacts of man-made pressures and uses on marine ecosystems and biodiversity
Concepts for the prevention of marine pollution
Model-based investigation of future use scenarios and analysis of possible management options

Sustainable use of marine areas: Starfish on an bed of blue mussels — Mussels filter seawater and have a key ecological function in the sea; at the same time, they are cultivated for human consumption. Protection concepts and sustainable use should ensure intact marine ecosystems and secure food resources for future needs. | Picture: Dirk Schories

DAM RESEARCH MISSION
“PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF MARINE AREAS”

The research mission aims to analyse and classify the use of and pressures on marine spaces in such a way that a scientifically sound basis is created for decisions by politics, authorities and the economy. A broad-based transdisciplinary research approach is chosen. The provision of concrete options for action and the consistent implementation of measures for knowledge transfer and data provision are intended to ensure the subsequent use of the results in politics and society. In this way, the DAM is fulfilling its mandate to develop science-based decision-making options for sustainable management of the coasts, seas and oceans.

“Protection and sustainable use of marine areas“
Short title: sustainMare

Prof. Dr. Corinna Schrum
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
Jens Greinert
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Sabine Horn
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Kai Hoppe (Coordinator)
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

Project partners (Phase II)

(alphabetical)

Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel
Global Climate Forum
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover
Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences
Helmholtz Centre Hereon GmbH
Humboldt University Berlin
Government-Owned Company for Coastal Protection, National Parks and Ocean Protection Schleswig Holstein
Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde
Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Senckenberg by the Sea
Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute
University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Hamburg University of Technology
German Environment Agency
University of Cologne
University of Hamburg
University of Osnabrück
University of Rostock

…and other associated partners

Sustainable use of marine areas: Krabbenfischen für die Forschung — Fishing shrimp for research | Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute / S. Löschke

RESEARCH ALLIANCES

In addition to the two pilot missions, the research mission includes five research networks that comprehensively address conflicts of use and protection in marine and coastal areas. iSEAL, SpaCeParti and CREATE address topic area 1 in different research regions. The CONMAR project addresses thematic area 2 and the CoastalFutures project thematic area 3.

sustainMare comprises seven research networks. In addition to the two pilot projects MGF North Sea and MGF Baltic Sea, CoastalFutures, CONMAR, CREATE, iSEAL and SpaCeParti are part of the mission and develop comprehensive utilization and protection concepts in marine and coastal areas.

MGF Baltic Sea

Marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea (Dogger Bank, Borkum Reef Ground, Sylt Outer Reef – Eastern German Bight)
Focus: Changes and developments within the protected areas following the exclusion of mobile bottom-trawling fisheries

MGF North Sea

Marine protected areas in the North Sea (Fehmarn Belt, Kadet Trench, Pomeranian Bay – Rönnebank)
Focus: Changes and developments within the protected areas following the exclusion of mobile bottom-trawling fisheries

CREATE

selected coastal regions in the North Sea and Baltic Sea
Living Labs in Eckernförder Bucht, Sylt Outer Reef and Borkum Riffgrund
Resolution of conflicts of use and sustainable protection of biodiversity

SpaCeParti

Western Baltic Sea
Living Labs in Stein-Wendtorf and Greifswalder Bodden
Structural change in coastal fisheries, sustainable fisheries taking into account the protection of exploitation interests

iSEAL

North Sea Wadden Sea
Living Labs Wadden Sea National Parks of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein
Assessment of the impact of multiple stressors on biodiversity, functionality and trophic interactions

CONMAR

North Sea and Baltic Sea
Focus on munitions; local, German coastal waters
Prioritisation of munitions-contaminated areas, co-design, co-development and co-evaluation together with stakeholders

CoastalFutures

Development of holistic modelling tools as management support
Impacts of climate change, land use and protection concepts in the entire region of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Addresses the management sectors of energy, fisheries, agriculture and sediment management
Establishes transdisciplinary dialogue forums to develop a common understanding with stakeholders
Development and evaluation of future scenarios and protection concepts together with authorities and stakeholders

“The use of the oceans and coasts will intensify enormously in the coming years and decades, also through measures to adapt and prevent climate change. Assessing the consequences of this socially desired development and creating effective protection concepts for these changing conditions is our goal.”

Sustainable use of marine areas — Photos: Hereon/ S. Billerbeck and I. Frings as well as Ludwig Franzius Institute/ J. Teide; photo montage: Hereon/ S. Hartmann

Publication of the Bekanntmachung (in German)

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Our Sponsors

The federal government and the governments of the five northern German states support the current development and sponsor the DAM.