BMFTR – Effects of Rising Sea Levels on German Coastal Areas

Funding is provided for research consortia that address local challenges in coastal regions of the North Sea and Baltic Sea in connection with sea level rise in Germany. 

Within the Federal Government’s ‘Coastal, Marine and Polar Research for Sustainability’ Framework Programme (MARE:N – Küsten-, Meeres- und Polarforschung für Nachhaltigkeit) and Strategy for Research on Sustainability (FONA), this initiative (Küste im Wandel – Auswirkungen des steigenden Meeresspiegels auf deutsche Küstengebiete) by the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR – Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space) aims to minimise the consequences of sea level rise and preserve natural habitats for future generations in Germany. 

Funding is provided for interdisciplinary collaborative projects that specifically address local challenges in coastal regions of the North Sea and Baltic Sea in connection with sea level rise. The focus is on developing locally viable concepts and recommendations for action that specifically address the concerns of local stakeholders and actors. The following research topics can be considered:

• Development of local adaptive concepts and solutions in nature-based or near-natural coastal protection.
• Description and assessment of the medium- and long-term development of coastal and/or shallow water ecosystems in the southern Baltic Sea (eg Bodden, Haffe, beach lakes) under conditions of rising sea levels.
• Analysis of the local effects of rising sea levels on pollutant input into coastal waters.
• Development, visualisation and conceptualisation of local transformation processes in vulnerable coastal areas.

Projects should develop scientific recommendations, concepts, technologies or other applications that support politics and society in their transformation process towards resilient coastal ecosystems.

Selected projects should develop an outline for an additional coordination and transfer project (umbrella project) during the application phase. The umbrella project should contribute to improving the transfer activities and support cooperation between research projects.

The initiative aims to contribute to the achievement of the development goals in the area of the Biodiversity Strategy of the European Union (EU), the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM Science Agenda 2024), the European Marine Strategy and the European Water Framework Directive in German coastal waters, as well as the United Nations’ sustainability goals (13 and 14). 

The BMFTR has appointed the project management agency Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) to coordinate the programme on its behalf.