The Bay of Kiel Climate Alliance Receives Three Years of BMU

NEWS 01 | 2013 published three times a year

Content

Regional Activities The Bay of Kiel Climate Alliance Receives The Bay of Kiel Climate Alliance 1 three years of BMU Support Receives BMU Support Northern German Regional 2 The work of the Bay of Kiel Climate Alliance In the coming three years, there will be Conference (KBKB), initially started as a RADOST imple- much to do: The KBKB intends to expand New Website Provides Information 3 mentation project, has been secured until further and encompass more thematic about the Need for Coastal Protection 2016. The association of Baltic Sea commu- areas as well as a larger geographic one. nities from Schleswig-Holstein, research in- The main idea underlying the new project RADOST GIS Presents Water 4 stitutes, and administrative agencies will be phase is to develop the KBKB region into Quality Indicators supported in the future by the German Fed- a model for climate change adaptation in Coastal Research, Use, and Protection 4 eral Ministry for the Environment, Nature northern Germany under the motto: Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). …to be continued on page 3 National Activities KLIMZUG Final Conference 5

International Activities

HELCOM Workshop in Warnemünde 1 RADOST at the Dupont Summit 2012 5

Publications

Results of the 2012 RADOST Tour 6 Integrating Climate Change into 7 Economic Analyses under the EU Water Framework Directive

Events 8

Regional products as buildings blocks for a climate-friendly vacation destination: highland beef in the Bay of Gelting.

HELCOM Workshop in Warnemünde: Experts Agree on a Position Paper regarding Climate Change Impacts in the Baltic Sea

Approximately 50 experts met in are not sufficiently considered and urgently the responsible authorities, and environ- Warnemünde on 5 and 6 February 2013 must be integrated into its comprehensive mental organizations took part. The partici- to take up the invitation of the Helsinki list of measures,” says Ulrich Bathmann, pants came to the consensus that, in order Commission (HELCOM) and the research Director of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic to improve the ecological status of these program “Baltic Sea Experiment” (BALTEX) Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) and host waters, all factors need to be taken into ac- and provide advice on the much-needed of the workshop. “HELCOM, as a link be- count. In addition to “hard” benchmarks, adjustments to the Baltic Sea Action Plan, tween science and policy, has recognized “soft” factors such as socio-cultural values whose implementation aims to re-establish this need and has acted accordingly.” and economic conditions play an important good ecological quality of the Baltic Sea role in motivating stakeholders to imple- by 2021. “The consequences of climate Experts from all the Baltic Sea countries, ment adaptation measures at the regional change for the Baltic Sea as stated in the including scientists, representatives of HEL- and local levels in Baltic Sea riparian states. present form of the Baltic Sea Action Plan COM and BALTEX, experts from politics, …to be continued on page 6 Regional Activities

Northern German Regional Conference Provides a Forum for Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation Issues

The second regional conference of the fed- periences in order to reduce the demand • In order to provide a strong basis for ad- eral government and the northern German pressure on traditionally highly frequent- aptation activities, not only must a wide coastal states, entitled “Climate Adapta- ed vacation destinations? array of participants be engaged, but tion in the Coastal Region,” took place on certain key actors must also take part 8 and 9 November 2012 and was very well- Dr. Gabriele Hoffmann from the Regional that can actively promote the project attended: more than 300 participants took Planning Association of Western Mecklen- and get the ball rolling through their rel- up the invitation to come to Bremerhaven. burg gave an introduction to the climate evant contacts: “Top-down implementa- In fi ve parallel thematic workshops, various change toolkit that was developed as part tion won’t work, but without the top it facets of regional climate change adapta- of the European project BalticClimate. The won’t work either.” tion were discussed. The RADOST project electronic guide includes climate change was actively engaged in two of these. mitigation as well as adaptation, and • One obstacle to getting actors involved in practice is that communication is often phrased predominantly in terms of research developments and research questions. As an alternative, concrete vulnerabilities and problems that are already relevant for the targeted participants, such as fl oods and storm surges experienced in the past or the problem of soil erosion in agriculture, should be placed in the foreground, and solutions should be discussed that integrate scientifi c fi ndings on future climatic changes. Working on group results at the workshop entitled “Communication and Networking.” At the workshop entitled “Regional three different versions were developed • Particularly because the inclusion of planning-fi tting the toolbox to climate to respond to the needs of policy makers, all relevant parties has been identifi ed change,” Professor Peter Fröhle of the spatial planners, and business people. In a as a main requirement for the success- Hamburg University of Technology rep- hands-on training session at the workshop, ful planning of adaptation measures, a resented RADOST and presented the the participants were able to slide into a large number of surveys and consulta- technical planning perspective on coastal role of their choice for a moment in order tion processes have been initiated, and protection. Jan Spiekermann (University to experience what the toolkit has to offer. this has resulted in stakeholders being of Oldenburg) subsequently presented As explained by Dr. Hoffmann, the pub- approached several times from different the results of the KLIFF-IMPLAN project lic’s awareness of the impacts of climate angles. The consequences have already from Lower Saxony. The topic of coastal change has grown much since the begin- been characterized by some as “stake- protection was viewed here from a more ning of the project. While the acceptance holder burnout.” In order to maintain comprehensive land-use planning per- of the topic itself still needed to be secured continued stakeholder participation, spective: Is raising dikes enough, or do at that point, climate change adaptation such processes should be character- additional measures need to be taken has meanwhile already been integrated into ized by a high level of commitment and up in the interior in order to counteract several formal planning documents. should entail a clear added value for the increased waterlogging of low-lying those participating. areas? How can measures to pump out At the workshop entitled “Communication excess water be fi t to the schedule of and Networking,” the participants had the Extensive documentation of the region- renewable energy generation, e.g., such opportunity to discuss their experiences in al conference is currently being pre- that large volumes of water can be stored a “World Café” format. The following con- pared and will likely be available at the temporarily and then pumped out when clusions could be drawn from the discus- end of March at: energy supply is high? Can former clay re- sions as well as presentations of successful www.klimzug-radost.de/termine/ moval sites be redesigned for touristic ex- implementation cases: regionalkonferenz-bremerhaven

2 Regional Activities

…continuation of page 1 protection effectively and synergistically tion Strategy and the adaptation roadmap “turning challenges posed by climate be integrated with climate adaptation, (“Fahrplan Anpassung an den Klimawan- change into opportunities.” Exploratory and how can best practice examples be del”) of the State of Schleswig-Holstein? discussions with partners are already taking developed and implemented locally? place. The planned activities should address Perhaps the most important innovation is the following questions: 4. How can the KBKB effectively use the that the KBKB will now concern itself with successful cooperation structures that exploring what the intersection of climate 1. How can the storm surge and erosion have been established between com- protection and adaptation might look like problems faced by coastal communities munities and the public as part of the as well as what opportunities or confl icts be dealt with through a sustainable and “Framework Plan for the Kiel Fjord” can be expected, especially regarding tour- participatory system of coastal man- project to facilitate the region’s develop- ism and coastal protection. “There is great agement that satisfi es all stakeholders ment as a model for climate adaptation? need for climate change information and and participants? Which measures and research in the region,” said project leader mechanisms are available here? 5. Which (in)direct measures are necessary Professor Horst Sterr of the Department to ensure adequate climate adaptation, of Coastal Geography of the University of 2. How can public awareness of climate and how can they be implemented? Kiel. “We are happy to hear that the good change in this region be increased? What How can Kiel use its planned adapta- contacts and structures developed through informational and educational needs do lo- tion strategy to serve as a role model for RADOST can now be complemented with cal actors and coastal communities have? nearby communities? additional content.”

3. How can, using a concept of a “climate- 6. How can these activities contribute to Additional information: friendly vacation and relaxation,” climate meeting the goals of the German Adapta- www.klimabuendnis-kieler-bucht.de

New Website Provides Information about the Need for Coastal Protection on the German Baltic Sea Coast–Today and in the Future

Although no one still lives amongst us to- sively used than before. A storm surge of Based on the assumption that the sea-lev- day who experienced the disastrous storm the magnitude seen in 1872 could, without el rise along the German Baltic Sea coast substantive coastal protection continues to mirror the global average, the measures, cause much greater baseline for future storm surges could in- harm than in the past. Espe- crease by 2100 by an additional 20 to 80 cially in the face of a changing centimeters. On top of that, the contribu- climate, it is extremely impor- tion of possible changes in wind patterns tant to keep awareness of the along the coast to even higher maximal possibility of storm surges very storm surge levels is still being researched. high. A changing climate can Existing studies suggest that the infl uence affect the need for protection of the rising sea level will be the predomi- along the Baltic Sea coast, nant factor even in the future. Projections even to the extent that private for future coastal protection needs are actions could become more therefore based on increased water levels important in the future. of 80 centimeters (compared to the level at the time of the storm surge in 1872), re- Screenshot from www.kuestenschutzbedarf.de, region A newly conceptualized web- fl ecting the highest expectation of sea-level of Rostock-Warnemünde site from the Northern German Climate rise up to 2100. In such a scenario, the area surge of 12 and 13 November 1872, over Offi ce at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht along the German Baltic Sea coast that re- 140 years ago, such high water levels will allow political decision makers, plan- quires coastal protection from storm surges could still hit at any time. Today, the ap- ners, and inhabitants to fi nd out, by pro- could increase by 25% by the end of the proximately 1,700 km2 along the Baltic Sea viding their postal code, whether their 21st century. coast that are threatened by storm surges area requires coastal protection measures are home to 1.7 million people and are today, or whether this could be the case More information is available at: much more densely populated and inten- in the future. www.kuestenschutzbedarf.de/ostsee.html

3 Regional Activities

RADOST GIS Presents new Data on Water Quality Indicators

Because bladderwrack For the coastal waters of the Baltic can only grow on solid Sea in Schleswig-Holstein, chlorophyll surfaces, areas with a-concentrations are presented, which hard substrates (stone represent another important parameter boulders and marl for- for the assessment of coastal water qual- mations) are necessary ity according to the WFD. Chlorophyll a- for reintroduction. As a concentrations increase along with the result of the historical amount of plant plankton, which in turn “stone fishing” that has taken place in the area, many suitable stones Sediments, algae populations, and eelgrass fields east have been removed from the seafloor of Travemünde that would have been fitting for blad- Eelgrass and bladderwrack serve as im- derwrack colonies. For 47 stations along portant indicators for the ecological qual- the German Baltic Sea coast, the RA- ity of coastal waters in the German Baltic DOST GIS provides figures detailing the Sea. A RADOST implementation project proportional relationship between hard involves investigating populations of substrates suitable for bladderwrack and

these two aquatic plants as well as iden- softer substrates. Depth distribution profile for eelgrass (Zostera mari- tifying locations with fitting habitat for na) and bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) along the species reintroduction. The web-based The availability of hard substrate in the German Baltic Sea coast Geographical Information System (GIS) RADOST focus area of the Bay of increases with the level of nutrient pollu- of the RADOST project now includes data Lübeck is presented in detail. These data tion. High levels of plankton reduce the resulting from this project as well as those are made up of side-scan sonar readings aquatic visibility considerably, and this is from additional field mapping expeditions that were taken as part of RADOST. Along- also reflected in the RADOST GIS. This ef- and other sources. As a result, research side these substrates, the current popula- fect is important because it can directly data for three different spatial units are tions of eelgrass and various algae species affect the depth distribution of eelgrasses available. are presented. Bladderwrack could not be and marine algae. found here despite the existence of suitable For the waters along the German Baltic substrate at varying depth levels. Eelgrass, More information and the Sea coast, the depth distribution profile on the other hand, grows in a zone paral- RADOST GIS can be found here: of eelgrass and bladderwrack as well as lel to the coast along almost the entirety of www.klimzug-radost.de/fakten/daten/ the distribution of potential growth sub- the Bay of Lübeck. karten strates for bladderwrack are provided. The depth distribution of eelgrass and bladderwrack is an important criterion for the Coastal Research, Use, and Protection assessment of water quality according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD): From 4 to 6 March 2013, around 300 Additional RADOST partners participa- Although both species used to be found coastal researchers, users, and conserva- ted at the conference as contributing at depths as far as ten meters, worsening tionists met in Hamburg in order to ex- experts as well. Thematic foci included environmental conditions have restricted change insights about the current state future wind energy production in coastal the depth at which they can grow, espe- of knowledge regarding the German waters, land use conflicts in the coastal cially for the bladderwrack. Today, popula- North and Baltic Sea coasts. The organi- area, and climate change adaptation. tions can only be found at depths of two zers of this event included the RADOST or, maximally, three meters. It has been partners Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Further information about the event: postulated that this could be the result of and the Hamburg University of Tech- www.klimzug-radost.de/en/events/ reduced water visibility caused by increas- nology along with the Alfred Wegener dialogue_coastal_research-use-protection ing nutrient pollution. Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

4 National/International Activities

Transatlantic Dialogue about Regional Climate Adaptation Continues: RADOST at the Dupont Summit 2012 in Washington

On 7 December 2012, the RADOST project organized a podium discussion entitled Pre-announcement: “Local and regional climate change adap- KLIMZUG Final Conference tation strategies: exchanging established approaches and a comparative analysis on 26 and 27 November of the USA and Germany” at the Dupont 2013 in Berlin Summit 2012 in Washington, DC. The Dupont Summit is an annual discussion The Federal Ministry for Education and forum on pressing policy issues related Research (BMBF) is inviting participants to science, technology, and the environ- to the final conference of the fund- ment. It is organized by the Policy Stud- Living shorelines are the preferred method of ing initiative “KLIMZUG – Managing ies Organization, whose goal is to bring protecting shorelines in Maryland and, if designed climate change in the regions for the about better exchange between scientists properly, can adapt to rising sea levels. future” on 26 and 27 November 2013. and decision makers. Dr. Srebotnjak’s presentation set the stage RADOST and the other six KLIMZUG for a comparison of the efforts and chal- projects will present the results of five As the RADOST project leader Grit Mar- lenges faced in the Chesapeake Bay area years’ worth of research at the two-day tinez (Ecologic Institute) highlighted in her and the Baltic Sea basin. Jeff Allenby from conference. opening remarks, super storm ‘Sandy’ has the NGO the Chesapeake Conservancy provided a stark vision of a possible future highlighted the progressive way in which The focus of the conference will be on where storm surge disaster frequently could Maryland is dealing with sea-level rise in the practical application and local imple- threaten people in coastal cities and re- the Chesapeake. Representing the Baltic mentation of adaptation measures. gions. Accordingly, the need has arisen for region, Dr. Martinez offered comments US authorities to examine solutions from on the state of research and examples of In parallel thematic sessions, scientists, coastal cities like Rotterdam or Hamburg, measure implementation being carried out practitioners, and representatives from where sea walls, flood zones, and floating under the RADOST project and laid out its politics in the KLIMZUG regions will dis- city blocks have been implemented. Ad- future national and transnational initiatives. cuss the challenges of adapting to cli- ditionally, much knowledge and expertise In conclusion, it was noted that current re- mate change. The research results pro- has already been generated in the US by search projects can make a significant con- duced by the seven KLIMZUG regions locally based research centers and coastal tribution to improving the decision-making will be available for viewing at an ac- communities coping with the impacts of basis for policy makers in both the US and companying technical exhibition. sea-level rise, land-use change, stormwater Europe—especially when transatlantic dia- runoff, and non-point source pollution. logue facilitates the exchange of experienc- The KLIMZUG final conference is de- es and best practices. signed for regional and superregional Tanja Srebnotjak from Ecologic Institute’s decision makers, adaptation practition- San Mateo (California) office presented a ers, and experts from industry, politics, current assessment of climate adaptation administration, and the scientific com- planning in the San Francisco Bay Area. munity. Additionally, representatives Her analysis examined on-going challeng- of regional initiatives and federal and es in coordinating efforts between differ- regional agencies as well as the general ent jurisdictions and included thoughts public are encouraged to attend. on the coming challenges the region will need to address and how various govern- The conference program and further mental entities could work together to ap- information can soon be found here: proach them. www.klimzug.de/de/1206.php

5 International Activities/Publications

HELCOM Workshop in Warnemünde: Experts Agree on Baltic Sea Coast 2100–On a Position Paper regarding Climate Change Impacts in the the Way to Regional Baltic Sea Climate Adaptation: Results of the 2012 RADOST Tour

…continuation of page 1 of immigration of so-called “alien spe- Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute, Ber- cies” is particularly high. lin, reported in her contribution from the RADOST project that, at the local and re- • The oceans absorb about a quarter of the gional level, actions are often designed to carbon dioxide released by human ac- fit local circumstances and contexts. tivities. The resulting acidification of the water and its consequences for marine On the final day, the participants agreed organisms have hardly been investigated on a position paper with recommenda- in the Baltic Sea and will have to be more tions to be presented by the environmen- diligently addressed in future research tal ministers of the HELCOM Baltic Sea programs. states at a meeting in early October in Copenhagen. • Local adaptation strategies vary based on socio-cultural and economic circum- The most important requirements set out in stances. The support of local actors is the position paper are as follows: very important for successful implementation of adaptation measures. • Climate change diminishes the positive effects of the Baltic Sea Action Plan In his positive summary of the event, IOW measures that have been implemented Director Bathmann declared, “The work- Comprehensive documentation of the to date. Therefore, especially the planned shop again demonstrated the importance RADOST Tour entitled “Baltic Sea Coast reductions of nutrient inputs should be of international coordination in the Bal- 2100—On the Way to Regional Climate Ad- intensified in order to prevent the further tic Sea region in order to achieve its good aptation” is now available as part of the RA- spread of anoxic zones, areas in which no ecological status. Collaboration between DOST report series. The discussions at the more oxygen is available. science and politics at all levels is therefore 16 tour stations have been summarized and becoming increasingly important.” illustrated with photographs of the events. • The impacts of climate change also exert The report is organized along the lines of additional pressure on the biodiversity the six RADOST focus topics: Coastal Pro- of the Baltic Sea. Therefore, the already tection, Tourism and Beach Management, existing pressures exerted by humans on Water Management and Agriculture, Ports biodiversity should be significantly re- and Maritime Economy, Conservation and duced, including the deposition of toxic Land Use, and Renewable Energy. These substances such as PBT (i.e., persistent, topics are complemented by sections cover- bioaccumulative, and toxic) chemicals ing the cross-cutting areas of international and pesticides, hunting and fishing be- exchange and communication and dissemi- yond established limits, the by-catch of nation. marine mammals and seabirds in fisher- ies, underwater noise, and especially nu- The report (in German) can be down- trient runoff. Contributors: loaded free of charge at: Dr. Ivo Bobsien (State Agency for Agriculture, www.klimzug-radost.de/Bericht16/ • The warming of the Baltic Sea is creat- Environment and Rural Areas), Nils Ehren- RADOST-Tour ing new “ecological niches” for non- berg (Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde), Sandra Enderwitz (University indigenous, invasive species. Monitoring of Kiel), Dr. Insa Meinke (Helmholtz-Zentrum programs should be designed as an early Geesthacht), Daniel Blobel, Dr. Grit Martinez, warning system, especially in ports and Jenny Tröltzsch, Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers, Andrew Ayres (Ecologic Institute) in the vicinity of fish farms, where the risk

6 Publications

Integrating Climate Change into Economic Analyses under the EU Water Framework Directive

1. In the face of climate change, the tem- poral aspects of RBMPs must be considered more strongly. Decisions on the selection of management measures with long-term effects must consider both their future effectiveness and their possible future costs. This also applies to the determination of exceptions, since measures that are disproportionately ex- pensive today could become quite eco- nomical if their cost-benefit relationships improve in the future.

2. The benefit calculations made in cost- benefit analyses until now should be re- examined, and if necessary, they should integrate new adaptation-oriented ben- efits, like protection from droughts.

In the future, climate change can impact sis, effects of climate change on water body 3. The integration of possible climate change the effectiveness and costs of water qual- management are expected in all of the in- impacts poses an extra challenge for the ity improvement measures. This must be vestigated river basins; however, so-called already complex management planning taken into account when selecting meas- climate checks were only incorporated in processes. To make this complexity more ures to implement in accordance with the the economic analyses of approximately manageable, techniques from participa- EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Until half of the river basins. The climate checks tory scenario development can be used. now, the consequences of climate change serve to identify the management measures These participatory techniques offer the have not been systematically incorporated that are the most robust, cost-efficient, and chance for different stakeholders to inte- into the economic analyses called for by the therefore effective under different climate grate their estimations and expertise, cre- WFD. A new study in the RADOST focus change scenarios. ating a basis for robust and cost-efficient topic “Water Management and Agricul- management plans. A good example of ture” evaluates the basic approaches used The introduction of economic analyses in an application of these participatory tech- to date, thereby contributing to the neces- RBMPs opens up ways to adequately con- niques can be found in the RBMP for the sary discussion on how existing and future sider the consequences of climate change Odense River in Denmark. programs of measures consider and inte- in management plans, although they were grate the consequences of climate change. hardly used in the first round of RBMPs, The study (in German) can be which lasts until 2015. A reason for this downloaded free of charge at: According to the WFD, river basin manage- that has been noted in several case studies www.klimzug-radost.de/Bericht17/ ment plans (RBMPs) must be routinely es- is that sufficiently precise and regionalized Klimawandel-WRRL tablished for all European river basins. The data from climate change models are lack- new RADOST study analyzes the RBMPs ing, which creates significant challenges for from 18 selected river basins in Germany economic evaluations. and other European countries, including the five river basins in the German states The following main conclusions can be of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and drawn from the results of the new RADOST Schleswig-Holstein. According to the analy- study:

7 klimaneutral gedruckt

Events

12th INTERNATIONAL COASTAL SYMPOSIUM Climate Change and Regional Response 2013 (CCRR -2013) 8–12 April 2013, Plymouth, UK 27–29 May 2013, Dresden, Germany www.ics2013.org www.regklam.de/ccrr-2013/

KLIMZUG-Northern Hesse Conference Resilient Cities 2013 – 10–11 April 2013, Kassel, Germany 4th Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation www.klimzug-nordhessen.de/index.php?id=1594 31 May–2 June 2013, Bonn, Germany http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/ Adaptation to climate change in Mountain & Coastal Areas: a transatlantic dialogue Conference “A Climate-robust and Sustainable Germany” 16–19 April, Hamburg, Germany 11–12 June 2013, Dessau, Germany www.klimzug-radost.de/termine/adaptation-climate www.anpassung.net -change-mountain-coastal-areas-transatlantic-dialogue KLIFF Conference 31st Annual Meeting of the Working Group on “From Global Climate Change to Regional Adaptation Strategies” “Geography of Seas and Coasts” (AMK) 2–3 September 2013, Göttingen, Germany 18–21 April 2013, Köln, Germany www.kliff-niedersachsen.de.vweb5-test.gwdg.de/?page_id=3302 http://databases.eucc-d.de/plugins/events/index.php?show=2112 International Conference “Adaptation to Climate Change in the European Seafood Exposition and Seafood Processing Europe Baltic Sea Area” 23–25 April 2013, Brussels, Belgium 3– 4 September 2013, Riga, Latvia www.euroseafood.com www.baltadapt Climate Change in Cities and Regions – Conference 2013 2–3 May 2013, Berlin, Germany www.bbsr.bund.de/cln_031/nn_22702/BBSR/DE/Aktuell/ Veranstaltungen/Programme2013/Klimawandel__info.html

Imprint Project Partners

Overall coordination

Ecologic Institute gemeinnuetzige GmbH, Berlin

Dr. Grit Martinez Senior Project Manager

Pfalzburger Strasse 43-44 10717 Berlin, Deutschland phone: +49 (30) 86880-0

INSTITUT FÜR ÖKOLOGISCHE fax: +49 (30) 86880-100 WIRTSCHAFTSFORSCHUNG e-mail: [email protected] www.ecologic.eu

Public Relations/Editorial Susanne Müller phone: +49 (30) 86880-132 e-mail: [email protected] Photos Page 1: Stiftung Naturschutz SH; Page 2: Anne

Jüngling; Page 3: Norddeutsches Klimabüro; Page Coastal Engineering Group 4: LLUR; Page 5: Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Page 7: Patrice77 (Wikimedia) Berlin, March 2013

Die Großschmetterlinge Schleswig-Holsteins

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