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Management

Everything flows—the ocean doesn't know any boundaries. Therefore, a sustainable management of marine ecosystems requires joint solutions, aiming for a sustainable use of ressources in combination with marine protection.

Overview
> Management

Management an conservation

The legal framework for marine management is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which has been regulating jurisdiction over various marine zones for over four decades. It also explicitly obligates all stakeholders to protect the marine environment.

Meere Online
Insight
Strandhafer wächst auf Sanddünen am Meer
Bild: DAM
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

The North and the Baltic Sea

The North Sea and the Baltic Sea are intensively used and should be effectively protected at the same time. This requires a science-based marine management.

Meere Online
Insight
Starfish lying on the seabed
Photo: Dirk Schories
> Ocean Conservation

Marine Protection

The health of the seas and oceans is deteriorating. The trend can only be reversed if marine protection and sustainable use are pushed forward consistently.

Meere Online
Insight
Black smoke rises from hydrothermal vents in the deep sea
Picture: MARUM, University of Bremen
> Deep Sea and High Sea

Concepts for Deep Sea and High Seas

Large parts of the high seas and the deep sea do not fall under national responsibility. Instead, international agreements such as the protection of biodiversity apply.

Meere Online
Insight
> Ocean Governance

Implementation of Marine Management

Agreements on an international, European and national level regulate the use of the seas and oceans - however, we are still a long way from a sustainable approach to the world's largest habitat.

Meere Online
Focus
Zwei Schweinswale
Ecomare/Sytske Dijksen-Ecomare, CC BY-SA 4.0
> Ocean Conservation

Meeresschutzgebiete in Deutschland

Schutzgebiete sind ein wichtiger Baustein zum Erhalt der Meeresumwelt – allerdings nur, wenn die Schutzmaßnahmen auch vollständig umgesetzt werden.

Meere Online
Focus
Mussels and green algae lie on a sandy seabed.
Picture: Dirk Schories
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

Umweltzustand von Nord- und Ostsee

Alle sechs Jahre bewerten Fachleute den Umweltzustand der deutschen Meeresgebiete. Der umfassende Bericht für 2024 zeigt, dass es der deutschen Nord- und Ostsee nicht gut geht.

Meere Online
Focus
Projektion auf UN Hauptquatier zeigt 17 Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung im Vorfeld des Gipfels September 2015. Foto: UN Photo/Cia Pak
UN Photo/Cia Pak UN7879217
> Ocean Governance

Polluter Pays and Precautionary Principle

The protection of the seas is negotiated within the framework of national and international environmental policies. Two main principles shape these considerations: the so-called polluter-pays principle and the precautionary principle.

Meere Online
Website
> Ocean Conservation

Marine protection: What is it all about?

Marine protection is a current priority topic of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUV), which is supported by the Federal Government's Marine Protection Commissioner.

BMUV
Website
> Ocean Conservation

Publications on marine nature conservation

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has compiled current information and publications on marine protection, measures and monitoring.

BfN
Website
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

European marine strategy

The information portal of the Federal-Länder Working Group on the North Sea and Baltic Sea (BLANO) provides information on marine protection and the implementation of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive in Germany.

BLANO
Website
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

The AWI North Sea Office

The North Sea Office of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) communicates scientific content to politicians, environmental organisations and the public to support the sustainable management of a changing North Sea.

AWI
Website
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea Protection Action Plan 2030

The Baltic Sea Protection Action Plan 2030 aims to efficiently protect the Baltic Sea. Measures to achieve this have been developed together with all stakeholder groups on the coast.

Federal State Schleswig-Holstein
Website
> Deep Sea and High Sea

UN High Seas Treaty

The UN High Seas Treaty is the first multilateral treaty to standardise the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

AWI
Website
> Deep Sea and High Sea

Protecting the biodiversity of the high seas

Together with other nations, Germany has signed the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the High Seas, which strengthens the protection of biodiversity.

Federal Government
Website
> Ocean Governance

The governance of the oceans

The Ocean Governance Research Group at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) conducts research at the interface of science, policy and society to promote sustainable ocean management.

RIFS
Website
> Ocean Conservation

International marine protection

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ): the Blue Action Fund and the MeerWissen initiative are examples of projects that aim to strengthen the protection of coastal and marine ecosystems.

BMZ
Website
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

OSPAR - Protection of the North-East Atlantic

OSPAR is an international agreement to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. Fifteen governments and the European Union work together in the OSPAR Commission.

OSPAR
Website
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

HELCOM - Protection of the Baltic Sea

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea.

HELCOM
Website
> Ocean Governance

Marine spatial planning

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUV) provides information on marine spatial planning, which aims to minimise conflicts of use and to ensure the protection of marine nature.

BMUV
Website
> Ocean Governance

The legal order of the oceans

The chapter ‘Life Guarantee Ocean’ of the World Ocean Review describes the legal order of the oceans and shows why the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is insufficiently implemented in practice.

WOR
PDF
> Ocean Governance

World in Transition: Governing the Marine Heritage

In view of the oceans’ poor condition the WBGU developed a long-term vision of the conservation and sustainable use of the blue continent.

WBGU
Website
> Ocean Governance

Marine spatial planning in the North and Baltic Seas

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) provides information and maps on marine spatial planning in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

BSH
Multimedia
> Ocean Conservation

Marine protected areas worldwide

Protected Planet provides comprehensive information on the current status and importance of marine protected areas worldwide.

Protected Planet
Website
> Ocean Governance

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is an intergovernmental organisation that provides scientific advice on marine ecosystems, sustainable use and resources.

ICES
Website
> Ocean Governance

German Arctic Office

The German Arctic Office at the Alfred Wegener Institute is the information and co-operation platform for German Arctic stakeholders from science, politics and business.

AWI
Website
> Ocean Conservation

Weddell Sea Protected Area

The Weddell Sea to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the last largely untouched marine areas in the world. International negotiations are therefore underway to establish a protected area there.

AWI
Website
> Ocean Governance

What is behind SDG 14?

Information from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Life below water-Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

BMZ
PDF
> Ocean Conservation

Small-scale fisheries and marine conservation

An integrative approach to fisheries and marine conservation: This study by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) relates small-scale fisheries to the ‘30x30 target’ of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

GIZ
Website
> Deep Sea and High Sea

High Seas Treaty: Which countries have ratified it yet?

The clock is ticking: as soon as 60 states have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the High Seas, it will enter into force 120 days later. The High Seas Alliance is documenting this process.

High Seas Alliance
Multimedia
> Ocean Governance

Marine conservation begins on land

This film by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) shows why marine protection begins on land and uses the Elbe as an example to explain how various pollutants and nutrients are carried into the oceans by rivers.

UBA

Find Connections

More on "Management" from other subject areas:

Website
> Measuring Devices and Data

Search engine for environmental knowledge

The National Centre for Environmental and Nature Conservation Information at the Federal Environment Agency operates a central data and information portal for the field of environmental and nature conservation.

UBA
Website
> Biodiversity

Transfer office for marine biodiversity change

Marine biodiversity is under pressure. The HIFMB Transfer Office for Marine Biodiversity Change provides facts and expertise from science for politics, marine conservation and management.

HIFMB
Website
> Measuring Devices and Data

Marine environmental database

The Marine Environmental Database (MUDAB) summarises and provides data from the marine monitoring activities of the coastal federal states and other federal and research institutions.

UBA
Website
> Marine and Climate Research

The United Nations Ocean Decade

The United Nations has declared the years 2021 to 2030 the International Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to implement solutions for the protection and sustainable use of the ocean.

Ocean Decade
Website
> Marine and Climate Research

Improving risk management

The research mission mareXtreme of the German Marine Research Alliance is investigating the interactions between extreme marine events and natural hazards as well as their ecological and social impacts.

mareXtreme
Website
> Marine and Climate Research

Marine carbon storage

The research mission CDRmare of the German Marine Research Alliance investigates how the climate regulating effect of the ocean can be strengthened in the future and provides concrete knowledge for action.

CDRmare
Website
> Marine and Climate Research

Protection and sustainable use

The research mission sustainMare of the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM) investigates ecological, economic and social impacts of the utilisation and pollution of various marine regions and provides concrete knowledge for action.

sustainMare
Multimedia
> Sea Level Rise

North German Coastal and Climate Office

The North German Coastal and Climate Office of the Hereon Research Centre provides practical results from coastal and climate research for northern Germany and offers individual consultations for stakeholders.

Hereon
Multimedia
> Ammunition

Ammunition in the sea

The ammunition cadastre AmuCad (“Ammunition Cadastre Sea”) provides comprehensive information on munitions contamination in the ocean and a digital map showing areas of greatest pollution.

AmuCad
Website
> Nutrients

Assessment report Baltic Sea

In 2023, a new assessment report under the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) was published. the result: the ecological status of the Baltic Sea is poor in almost all areas.

UBA
Multimedia
> Pollutants

Digital toolbox for marine pollution

Based on scientific findings, the Coastal Pollution Toolbox (CPT) provides information on the sources, impacts, and mitigation options for marine pollution.

Hereon
Multimedia
> Plastic Litter

Online portal for marine litter

The “Litterbase” database of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) compiles extensive scientific knowledge on marine litter and offers maps and infographics.

AWI
Multimedia
> Marine Engergy

Planning areas for offshore wind farms

The interactive map of the Helmholtz Centre Hereon shows the location and size of offshore wind farms and protected areas in the North Sea and Baltic Sea for scenario planning.

Hereon
Focus
Several wind turbines at the ocean, the wind farm Rampion
Picture: Nicholas Doherty, Unsplash
> Marine Engergy

Auswirkungen von Offshore-Windparks

Der Ausbau von Offshore-Windkraftanlagen wird in vielen Ländern vorangetrieben. Welche Auswirkungen hat der großflächige Windkraft-Ausbau in Nord- und Ostsee auf die Meeresumwelt?

Meere Online
Website
> Biodiversity

Threats to marine mammals

This database contains various threats faced by over 120 species of marine mammals worldwide, including whales, seals, polar bears, sea otters and manatees, provided by the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo).

TiHo
Multimedia
Zwei Hände berühren einen Touchdisplay und interagieren mit dem Interaktiven Weltozean.
Foto: DAM Sinje Hasheider
> Educational Materials

Interactive world ocean

Touchscreen-based ocean map for schools, educational institutions and exhibitions - navigate simply and intuitively by touch and immerse yourself in the underwater world.

DAM
Multimedia
> Sea Level Rise

Sea level monitor

How much has the sea level risen along the northern coasts of Germany in the last century? These and other questions are answered by the sea level monitor of the North German Coastal and Climate Office of the Helmholtz Centre Hereon.

Hereon
PDF
> Restoration

Restoration of marine ecosystems

This policy paper (2023) for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) addresses the restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, outlines the context, identifies challenges, and provides recommendations for action.

BMUV
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fish, seafood and algae in a changing climate

How food from the sea can contribute to sustainable development in a changing climate is described in the ‘Blue Food’ handbook published by ‘Küstenmeerforschung Nordsee-Ostsee’ (KüNO).

Hereon
Website
> Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fish stocks online

Sustainable fish purchasing - but how? This portal provides information on the state of fish stocks in the sea that is important for the German market - comprehensive, up-to-date and scientifically proven.

Thünen Institute
Multimedia
Foto der DAM Zukunftsbox, ein Spiel zum Nachhaltigen Umgang mit den Meeren.
Bild: DAM
> Educational Materials

Future box oceans

In a workshop format, various future scenarios are developed in a playful way to answer the question: What will our oceans look like in the future?

DAM | Futurium
Focus
Map of northern Germany with labelled areas of ammunition dumps, areas contaminated by ammunition, suspected ammunition sites.
Picture: Nach Böttcher et al. 2011, in DAM Factsheet Munition im Meer
> Ammunition

Munition in the Seas – Current Knowledge and Perspectives

Munitions in the seas and oceans threaten the marine environment and risk their sustainable use and management. For several years, research has been conducted to evaluate the scale of the impacts and to develop solutions for their future remediation.

DAM

The federal government and the governments of the five northern German states support the current development and sponsor the DAM

Topics at a Glance

Biodiversity

Climate Change

Ocean Use

Pollution

Management

Research