Position Paper

Diversified Cropping Systems for Arable Crops

How can agriculture become more resilient to crises? In a position paper, the Permanent DFG Senate Commission “Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems,” chaired by UFZ soil scientist Prof Doris Vetterlein, calls for stronger efforts toward more diverse cropping systems, including extended crop rotations, mixed cropping systems, and agroforestry, as well as more research. The goal is to develop adaptable cropping systems that ensure food security while being ecologically sustainable. 

Statement

An Intact Environment Creates Greater Security

The world is currently experiencing the highest number of conflicts since the Second World War. In addition, the global order is increasingly eroding. These threats are serious and must be taken seriously. However, it would be fatal to overlook the risks posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution, writes UFZ Scientific Director Prof Katrin Böhning-Gaese. In the long term, this would only exacerbate the overall challenges and confront us with enormous new problems. 

UN Report “Finance for Nature”

Insufficient Funding for Crisis Management

For every Dollar invested worldwide in nature conservation, 30 US Dollars flow into its destruction. This is shown by a recent report from the UNEP, to which researchers from UFZ contributed. According to the report, 7.3 trillion US Dollars were invested in nature-negative financial flows in 2023, compared to only around 220 billion US Dollars in nature-based solutions. To tackle ecological crises, annual investments of more than 570 billion US Dollars will be needed by 2030. 

New Concept of Sustainable Development

Bringing Nature, Society and the Economy Together

The concept of “sustainable development” has so far been based on a three-pillar model that considers nature, society, and the economy separately. In light of the current crises, this approach is no longer adequate, say researchers who, like Prof Josef Settele from UFZ, are involved in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) for many years. In Nature Communications Sustainability, they have proposed a new model. 

Global Plastics Treaty

Success is still Possible

Plastic waste is causing major problems worldwide. However, the United Nations negotiations have so far failed to produce a global plastics agreement. Expectations are therefore high for Julio Cordano (Chile), the newly elected Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in February. Above all, he needs to reform the negotiation process. This is also demanded by four Helmholtz researchers, including UFZ ecotoxicologist Prof Annika Jahnke, in a commentary published in Nature. 

Statement

PFAS Limits are not Enough

Stricter limit values for PFAS in drinking water have been in force since January. Because some of these substances affect metabolism, the immune system and are suspected of being carcinogenic, these tighter regulations are a positive step, says UFZ chemist Prof Thorsten Reemtsma. However, since drinking water is rarely the main exposure pathway for humans, regulation must primarily address the problem at its source. This means that the use of PFAS in products must be drastically limited. 

PFAS

Disruption of Placenta Development

PFAS have negative effects on human health, particularly on pregnant women and their unborn children. The placenta plays an important role as a protective barrier. Researchers at UFZ have now further developed a 3D placenta model to better analyze the risks of PFAS exposure. They found that PFAS disrupt the functioning of the placenta, especially during early pregnancy. Their findings are published in the scientific journal Environmental Research. 

Metal Contamination of Crops

Origin of Toxic Metals in Wheat Grains

Plants absorb not only nutrients through their roots, but also toxic metals such as cadmium. Until now, it was unclear whether these originated from the soil or from applied fertilizers. Led by UFZ and Duke University (USA), a research team used a specific isotopic signature to determine that the majority of the toxic metals come from mineral fertilizer. They report on the implications of these findings in the scientific journal Environment International. 

Helmholtz Association

Research for Freedom and Life

The Helmholtz Association has had a new president since autumn: Prof Martin Keller. In February, he visited UFZ to learn more about its research topics. In a podcast conversation with UFZ Director Prof Katrin Böhning-Gaese, who is also currently Vice President of Helmholtz, they discuss, among other things, academic freedom, the role of environmental research, why Helmholtz aims to collaborate more closely with industry in the future, and what both of them hope for from policymakers. 

Soil Protection

How Healthy are Europe’s Soils?

Healthy soils are essential for people, the environment, the climate, and the economy. Yet for a long time, there was no systematic soil protection policy in the EU. As a result, 60 to 70 percent of soils are considered degraded. This is set to change with the EU Soil Monitoring Directive. Such monitoring is important before concrete measures to improve soil quality are made legally binding, say UFZ agricultural scientist Prof Hans-Jörg Vogel and soil researcher Dr Ute Wollschläger.

Prof Katrin Böhning-Gaese

The Scientific Director of UFZ – herself awarded the German Environmental Award in 2021 – has been a member of the jury of the award of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) since January, advising the Board of Trustees in its decision-making. In addition, she has been appointed for four years to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The advisory board provides strategic recommendations on PIK’s research program. 

Prof Josef Settele

In February, the UFZ biodiversity researcher was elected to the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) as the only representative of a German research institution. The MEP advises the IPBES Plenary. It ensures that IPBES reports undergo independent review and meet the highest scientific standards. In addition, it engages experts from different disciplines, regions, and knowledge systems.