Terrestrial Environment Programme

The Terrestrial Environment Programme aims to preserve the foundations of human life and develop options for the sustainable use of resources. Hence, the programme has close links with climate change research: Since climate change cannot be stopped by the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions alone, additional strategies need to be developed for adapting and reducing the vulnerability of our ecosystems. To this end, new technical solutions are designed in the fields of agricultural, bioenergy and environmental technologies. User conflicts at the interface between food production, bioenergy and nature conservation are studied and strategies are developed for adapting to global change at a regional level. Mechanisms regulating the growth of microbes and plants are analysed for a sustainable biomass production system. In the field of water resources systems, a novel ecotechnological approach to protecting and providing water of high quality and sufficient quantity is conceived. A thorough understanding of the processes of groundwater systems and analysis of the vulnerability of groundwater bodies are to enable the assessment of the consequences of groundwater degradation for humans and for ecosystem stability. The responsible use of chemicals calls for an in-depth knowledge of the fate of chemicals in the environment. It opens up new opportunities for lower risk substances as well as problemspecific rehabilitation strategies for contaminated mega-sites.

The research work is complemented by the establishment of a technological-methodological platform for the purposes of observation, integrated analysis and assessment of terrestrial systems. Innovative measuring and monitoring concepts, integrated modelling approaches as well as methodological issues of up-scaling at long-term observation sites such as TERENO play a special role within this progamme.