Project description

The joint project "Future Proof Grasslands" (FPG) focuses on grassland in the marshlands of north-west Lower Saxony, the associated ecosystem services and the possibility of strengthening these forms of utilisation through integrated water management. The ecosystem services of grassland regions range from providing fodder for livestock and contributing to species, climate and water protection to ensuring a living and recreational space as well as the cultural landscape. The topic is becoming particularly relevant in the context of advancing climate change and the associated consequences. The water management of grassland in the region, which has so far focussed primarily on inland drainage, must also be adapted to these changes. Climate models project higher precipitation in winter and more pronounced droughts in summer for the region. In addition, sea levels are expected to rise. In the course of these challenges, a new concept for water management is to be developed.

Within the project, the working group is responsible for work package 4 "Spatial planning and ecosystem services in integrated rural development", which can be divided into two main areas. On the one hand, sub-project 4a examines the extent to which the concept of ecosystem services can be integrated into spatial planning and taken up by instruments of informal and formal planning. Furthermore, data management (geodata, GIS) is also part of the remit. On the other hand, sub-project 4b will examine the possibility of rewarding farmers by means of funding instruments for integrated rural development and individual agricultural support. Building on this, a support model is to be developed for farms in the north-west German coastal region in order to enable sustainable, regional and ecosystem-strengthening farming.

Management

Prof Dr Ingo Mose; Dr Peter Schaal

Collaborators

Anne-Marie Walczuch, Jule Talea Froehlich