News

In the latest IGB Policy Brief on the occasion of the 2021 federal elections, scientists recommend that politicians take urgent measures to combat the massive decline in freshwater biodiversity and thus safeguard important ecosystem services.

July and August brought heavy rain and flooding in some places. More than enough precipitation to make up for the recent dry years, one might think. But it is not that simple! IGB researchers show that groundwater levels and soil moisture remain below normal.

In the Spreewald, researchers from the IGB are investigating the imprint that recreational boats leave on the water landscape - on plants, birds and fish.

Anlässlich des Tesla-Projekts "Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg" veröffentlicht das IGB eine wissenschaftliche Einschätzung zur Ansiedlung von industriellen Großprojekten in wasserarmen Gebieten.

Recent study with Robert Arlinghaus shows that the replenishment potential of many fish stocks is overestimated. This increases the risk of overfishing. Especially the largest fish should be protected to a greater degree than is presently the case.

Excessive phosphorus loading lead to the accumulation of this nutrient in water bodies. Lake sediments can retain phosphorus. In laboratory tests, an IGB team has investigated the conditions under which this retention is long-term.

On 3 August 2021, Parliamentary State Secretaries Uwe Feiler (BMEL) and Dr. Michael Meister (BMBF), Brandenburg’s Minister of the Environment Axel Vogel (MLUK), and several municipal representatives gathered at IGB’s Stechlin site. They all wanted to find out first-hand about the state of the lake, which had recently raised concerns on account of sharply increased levels of phosphorus and oxygen depletion in the lake’s deep water.

If fish are hunted by birds, it is essential to their survival that they are able to recognise when they are in danger from avian predators. Juliane Lukas, Jens Krause and David Bierbach from IGB have investigated whether fish are able to differentiate between real danger and non-threatening events.