Research

Funding: Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, ländliche Räume, Europa und Verbraucherschutz (MLLEV), 48.467 EUR

Project Details:
Title: Scientific investigation of seals released in accordance with animal welfare regulations, especially with regard to infectious diseases and zoonotic pathogens, as well as the scientifically based further training of personnel of the stranding network for the North and Baltic Seas of Schleswig-Holstein
The harbor seal is the most common marine mammal species in Schleswig-Holstein and causes the most call-outs for seal hunters. In the last three decades, seal populations have experienced several major epizootics, but have subsequently grown in size again. In recent years, however, it has been observed that this growth has stagnated and younger seals in particular are disappearing from the populations.
Seals can be carriers of infectious agents such as the Phocine distemper virus, influenza viruses, brucella and erysipelas, some of which can have fatal consequences for the individual animal or the population. These infectious agents are often zoonotic in nature and can promote secondary infections with other pathogens such as Bordetella bronchiseptica or toxoplasmosis.
In addition to comprehensive pathological examinations of the seals, microbiological, virological and parasitological examinations will also be carried out in this project.
Particular attention will be paid to the young animals in order to check whether there may be health related reasons for their decline. For this purpose, a representative number of all seals handed in by seal hunters from the North and Baltic Seas will be selected and subjected to complete post-mortems and further examinations.
The scientific findings will be directly incorporated into the work of the seal hunters, who will receive regular training in the detection of diseases and the handling of marine mammals. Hygiene measures and documentation materials will be developed and reviewed, and accident prevention training will be provided. To this end, a scientific exchange with the seal hunters will take place throughout the entire research project period.
The occurrence of infectious diseases such as brucellosis, erysipelas, bird flu and phocine distemper and the occurrence of the causative pathogens will be investigated. The focus is the assessment of the seals health status and the zoonotic potential of the infectious agents detected with regard to a possible risk of infection for the seal hunters and collectors involved in the stranding network. Seal hunters and collectors are therefore trained in the detection of infectious diseases, hygiene concepts, assessment of health conditions and accident prevention.

Funding: ALZCHEM, 20.725 EUR

Project Details:
-

Funding: Aarhus University, Danish Centre for Environment and Energy (DCE), 27.329 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is to process the survey data from the summer period and aggregate the quality-checked data for the Belt-Sea-Region in the period 2005-2024; or a period close to that depending on data and model checking. An extraction of relevant environmental covariates, describing the habitat of harbour porpoises, and a fit of a species distribution model (generalized additive model GAM) is planned. The final selected model enables the spatial prediction of the harbour porpoise summer density in the study area. Subsequently, a model validation, estimation of the model error and confidence intervals is planned. Finally, a short technical report will be written to describe the method and the results with a focus on Danish Belt-Sea-Region.

Funding: Ministerium für Energiewende, Klimaschutz, Umwelt und Natur (MEKUN), 23.177 EUR

Project Details:
Recently, there has been an increase in strandings of sea turtles on the Schleswig-Holstein coast. Between 2022 and 2024, a total of five animals have stranded so far. The loggerhead turtle, leatherback turtle and Atlantic bastard turtle were found.
The reasons for the current increased occurrence of sea turtles in the North Sea are not known. In general, the water temperatures here are too cold for the animals, especially in winter. As a result, the animals enter a state of rigidity, as reptiles are highly dependent on the ambient temperature. In this state, the animals can no longer move actively and drift with the current. The recent increase in the number of finds could indicate a new trend, but this will have to be confirmed over the next few years. However, due to the expected rise in temperature as a result of climate change, a more frequent occurrence of these sea creatures on our coasts seems likely in the long term.
The main aim of this pilot study is to collect data on the occurrence of sea turtles on the coasts of Schleswig-Holstein. Dead stranded sea turtles will be dissected at the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) in order to uncover the causes of stranding and the incidence of disease.
The project is divided into the following five subsections.
1. data collection: Data on sea turtles stranded on the Schleswig-Holstein coast will be collected. To this end, contact is made with various stakeholders such as the LKN, the Wadden Sea Protection Station, the Jordsand e.V. association and local fishermen. The strandings that occur during the course of the project are also recorded.
2. genetic studies: Samples from dead and live stranded turtles will be genetically analyzed to determine the species and subpopulation.
3. dead body monitoring: Dead stranded sea turtles will be pathologically examined at the ITAW to obtain information on morphometrics, age, sex and disease incidence. In addition to recording biometric data, a macroscopic examination of the carcass is carried out. Depending on the state of preservation of the carcass and the presence of signs of disease, further examinations are carried out. These include histology, parasitology and microbiology.
4. participation in live strandings: The ITAW supports the country in the event of live strandings. This includes advice, contacting international experts, investigation and sampling.
5. establishment of international contacts: This project also aims to establish contacts with sea turtle experts in Europe and worldwide, firstly to become part of the global turtle network and secondly to be able to obtain expert advice on various topics.

Funding: Grimminger-Stiftung, 20.000 EUR

Project Details:
The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is mainly transmitted to humans through meat and meat products from infected animals. The transmission route via the environment through contaminated soil, water and/or (arable) plants has long been discussed. Possible vectors include manure or waste water. Many studies show that a considerable proportion of meat and sausage products as well as many wastewater and even surface water samples can be tested positive for HEV RNA. All these studies are based on RT-PCR testing, i.e. the detection of the HEV genome. In order to carry out a better risk assessment, for example when consuming food, and to be able to identify the spread of the virus and chains of infection more precisely, it is necessary to determine the intactness and thus the infectivity of the virus in such samples. In this project, meat and sausage samples as well as environmental samples in the form of manure and wastewater will be analyzed for the presence of HEV RNA as well as for the infectivity of the virus. For this purpose, a stable and efficient cell culture system has been established in recent years, which has already been successfully used to isolate HEV capable of replication from wild and domestic pig organ samples.

Funding: Aarhus University, 76.538 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is to process the survey data from the summer period and aggregate the quality-checked data for the North Sea in the period 2021-2024; or a period close to that depending on data and model checking. An extraction of relevant environmental covariates, describing the habitat of harbour porpoises, and a fit of a species distribution model (generalized additive model GAM) is planned. The final selected model enables the spatial prediction of the harbour porpoise summer density in the study area. Subsequently, a model validation, estimation of the model error and confidence intervals is planned. Finally, a short technical report will be written to describe the method and the results with a focus on Danish waters in the North Sea.

Funding: Industrie, 260.000 EUR

Project Details:
Pre-clinical testing of a neuroprotective drug

Funding: Ministerium für Energie­wende, Klimaschutz, Umwelt und Natur, 396.250 EUR

Project Details:
The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is (re-)expanding in all parts of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein (SH) nowadays. As an aquatic mammal, otters mainly inhabit rivers, streams and lakes but also forage along the coastlines. Otters primarily feed on fish, whereas they are considered food generalists and also target amphibians, crustaceans, birds, mammals and other invertebrates. It is assumed that the decline of certain endangeredeD fish species can be linked to the growing otter population. Furthermore, there is an increase in conflicts between fisheries and otter conservation, both nationally and internationally. Therefore, an extensive evaluation of the current conflict potential between the growing otter population, fisheries situation and conservation conflicts between species is needed. This will be covered in the frame of this research project that focuses on fisheries, natural otter habitat and spawning areas of endangered salmonids in comparison:
-Installing wildlife cameras to assess the local abundance of otters
-Dietary analysis to investigate the prey spectrum of otters
-Determination of otter individuals using spraints (genetic fingerprinting)
-Evaluation of a potential conservation conflict between otters and salmonids
-Development of acustic deterrents to protect fisheries from otters
-Analysing reproduction parameters to assess the population health of otters using specimens found dead
-Development of a tagging method for otters

Funding: Rentenbank, 30.000 EUR

Project Details:
The core question of the project is how and for what reasons the chances of success for sustainably effective advice on animal protection and/or animal welfare on farms with livestock farming can be increased or, conversely, why such advice sometimes fails. Using preliminary studies (project "Agri-cultural advisors as key players for animal welfare and animal protection""), the project aims to iden-tify obstacles in the process and help eliminate them. To this end, explicit advisory situations will be presented together with advisors and advisors in collaboration with specific interested parties and the advisory material from various providers will be examined for its prospects of success."

Results:

dvice is effective if it is not only technically sound, but also methodically adapted to the respective conditions on the farm. Among other things, it is important that it remains communicative and takes into account the structural conditions under which the farmer can accept and implement advice. Voluntary participation is a key prerequisite for effective advice, as it is directly linked to the farm manager's inner motivation to accept new ideas and integrate recommendations into everyday farm life in the long term. At the same time, voluntary participation remains a critical point in practice. Feedback from the advisory practice shows that farms with a particularly high need for advice often make less use of advice. This is an important point that needs to be researched and worked on in the future. It also shows that the selection of advisory staff plays a decisive role: Communication skills, methodological flexibility and a willingness to reflect are just as relevant as professional expertise. In this project, it was not only possible to work out relevant content-related findings, but also to incorporate these into the existing training and further training materials for advisors in a targeted manner in order to improve their quality. Both methodological and content-related foundations were created on which to build. Just like its clients, the farmers, the advisory service must constantly adapt to new, changing circumstances and overcome challenges. For example, through the qualitative further development of advisory processes, in the training of advisors or in what is probably the most complex task, the targeted approach to farms that were previously difficult to reach.

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK), 119.992 EUR

Project Details:
The proposed future discourse is intended to address the transformation of the energy supply in Germany and Europe and the associated conflicts in nature and species conservation. At the same time, knowledge about the problem should be communicated and suitable communication channels for the conflict should be found. In order to reduce CO2 emissions and delay the climate crisis, the expansion of offshore wind energy is being driven forward as part of the energy transition. Not only Germany, but also Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden, among others, have far-reaching expansion plans for the offshore wind industry in the North Sea. These plans could turn this area into a large industrial park. However, the marine ecosystems are already being affected: The construction of offshore wind power plants is not the first or only human intervention. In fact, the North Sea has been polluted for several decades by inputs from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, eutrophication, fishing, shipping, munitions waste, invasive species and much more. At the same time, it is also the habitat of harbor porpoises, which are the only native cetacean species in German waters. According to the latest European population surveys, the population of these animals is increasingly shifting to the southern North Sea(www.tiho-hannover.de/SCANS). In order to protect the harbor porpoise population that uses the German Bight, we would already need more protection and less pressure on the animals.
On the other hand, we have obligations towards the preservation of biodiversity, nature conservation and species protection (EU Biodiversity Strategy) and therefore, for example, towards the harbor porpoise. Far less is known about the harbor porpoise than about polar bears. The state of the harbor porpoise population in the North Sea is not good, and its habitat is being subjected to further pressures with the construction of offshore wind farms in Germany, but also in the other countries bordering the North Sea. We therefore need to discuss how we can achieve the energy transition and at the same time improve the living conditions of harbor porpoises and other marine life in order to protect them.
The following current social issues should be included in the proposed discourse:

1. transformation: The energy transition is bringing a fundamental change for our society with sudden changes in technological, economic and political developments that have an impact on every single person. This transformation is unavoidable due to the climate crisis, but must of course also be supported by society.
2. communication of knowledge/digitization: The transfer and communication of knowledge about the climate crisis/energy transition and biodiversity/species and nature conservation must be ensured for all social milieus. This is often more effective with digitalized strategies, as this allows more diverse target groups from different geographical locations to participate in discussions and conversations. Knowledge content, questions and discussion impulses should therefore be disseminated and discussed primarily via social networks.
3. strengthening democratic debate and the democratic community: As the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity affect the well-being of all people, this discourse is a great opportunity to involve many people and groups in a democratic debate. It gives them the opportunity to get involved in an issue that directly affects them and to express their thoughts, concerns and ideas.
4. issues of European identity: The challenges in the area of climate crisis/energy transition and biodiversity/species and nature conservation can only be successfully advanced with a cross-border, European identity and coordination. It is therefore very important to include the plans of other European countries in the discussions and to discuss them with other European citizens (in digital form with the help of translations). This should also be organized for the younger generations in particular. Because, like the porpoise in the North Sea, we are pursuing the same goal: a healthy environment worth living in.

Structured debates involving scientific findings and national and international expertise will shed light on the topic of the climate crisis/energy transition and biodiversity/species and nature conservation from different perspectives.