How can real-world laboratories, the consideration of nature’s contributions, and a scenario tool contribute to sustainability?
Today, May 11, 2026, Heike Schwermer and Kai de Graaf presented a selected work from the Center for Ocean and Society at the Kiel University Sustainability Days 2026. The focus of the presentation was the relationship between society and the ocean within the context of sustainability.
Real-world laboratories and sustainability goals
Real-world laboratories are a transdisciplinary research approach in which interdisciplinary researchers collaborate with stakeholders from society to investigate sustainability issues. Science and society work together to generate ideas to address specific problems and experiment with solutions to pressing sustainability challenges. The real-world laboratory research format actively contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Examples include the Eckernförde Bay Real-World Laboratory and the real-world laboratories in the SpaCeParti project.
Scenario Tool
To enable a structured and quantitative assessment of sustainability transformations in the resource sector, researchers at CeOS have developed a scenario tool linking ecological, economic, and institutional conditions. The tool examines which sectoral structures are actually viable under different policy decisions. As a case study, the researchers apply the tool to the German western Baltic Sea fishery. This sector is under severe pressure due to collapsing fish stocks and is referred to as a “time machine” as changes in the Baltic Sea occur approximately 20 years earlier than in other seas due to the effects of climate change, eutrophication, and overfishing.
Nature contributions of salt marshes to the quality of coastal communities' lives
Salt marshes contribute to carbon sequestration and biodiversity, for example as breeding and resting grounds for birds. However, they also hold deep personal value for the people who live nearby. In the trilateral SALTGARDEN project, CeOS scientists spoke with residents of coastal communities along the Wadden Sea coast. Identity through a sense of place, or creativity and inspiration—so-called intangible contributions—take on greater significance when comparing different types of salt marshes and countries. In contrast, regulatory (e.g., CO2 storage) and material contributions (e.g., feed for sheep), also contribute to the quality of coastal communities' lives, but were mentioned less frequently in the comparison. This result clearly shows: A sustainability transformation requires the understanding and integration of diverse human-nature relationships into policy measures, not least to strengthen acceptance at the local level.