News

Intact peatlands are habitats for many rare animal and plant species and important sinks for greenhouse gases. Many peatlands that have been converted to agricultural land should therefore be restored. A current study with IGB participation discusses different strategies for this. The authors make clear that the most commonly used method of flooding former peatlands is problematic.

Many rivers are polluted by nitrogen inputs. An international research project involving the IGB has now investigated for the first time the extent of these inputs, the extent to which they are reduced and the contribution made by floodplain areas to this in the Danube catchment area. The results show how useful the large-scale renaturation of river floodplains is for improving water quality.

IGB has provided feedback on the EU action plan for better nutrient management.

“Those calling for more dams in response to drought and dry riverbeds have nothing understood – they promote habitats with potential for catastrophy,” wrote Christian Wolter in Terra X – Die Wissens-Kolumne.

The night is for sleeping? Not for all creatures: More than half of all animals are active during twilight or at night. The research team on light pollution from IGB, the StadtNatur association and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) invite you to participate in the "Living Night" photo competition to draw attention to this fascinating diversity and to raise awareness of the importance of protecting nocturnal landscapes. Photograph nocturnal and crepuscular species, find artificial light sources and win great prizes. All information at www.stadtwildtiere.de.

In the Oder River, a massive algal bloom can be detected with satellite data. In close coordination with the IGB, satellite data from the European Copernicus satellite Sentinel 2 were processed.

Masowy zakwit glonów można wykryć w Odrze za pomocą danych satelitarnych. 

Odra jest ostatnią dużą rzeką w Niemczech, gdzie ryby i inne zwierzęta mogą jeszcze swobodnie migrować na długich odcinkach. Od 2006 r. Odra jest głównym obszarem reintrodukcji jesiotra bałtyckiego. Gatunek ten znajduje się na Czerwonej Liście Międzynarodowej Unii Ochrony Przyrody (IUCN); żadna inna grupa zwierząt nie jest obecnie bardziej zagrożona niż jesiotr. Teoretycznie młode jesiotry mogły po raz pierwszy wylęgnąć się w Odrze z ikry dorosłych osobników powracających tego lata do rzeki. Niestety wtedy nastąpiła katastrofa ekologiczna spowodowana przez człowieka.