FORKAST
| Research association FORKAST | |
|---|---|
| Establishment date | 2009 |
| speaker | Carl Beierkuhnlein |
| coordination | Camilla Wellstein |
| Researcher | 60 |
| Website | FV FORKAST |
The research association “Effects of the Climate on Ecosystems and Climatic Adaptation Strategies” (FORKAST) was set up by the Bavarian State Ministry for Science, Research and the Arts ( StMWFK ) in 2009 as part of the “Bavaria 2020 Climate Program” initiated by the Free State of Bavaria .
General
With the “Bavaria 2020 Climate Program”, the StMWFK, in collaboration with Bavarian universities and specialist authorities, has developed a package of measures that is geared towards the specific conditions in Bavaria. One of these measures is the research association “Effects of the Climate on Ecosystems and Climatic Adaptation Strategies” (FORKAST), which comprises 16 sub-projects and a coordination module.
Project description
So far, the dimensions of ecological impacts cannot be foreseen, which is why there are primarily challenges to be solved for ecosystem and climate research. Grasslands, forests and lakes are long-lasting ecosystems that can be severely affected by climate change . Both negative and positive effects are increasingly becoming apparent on a regional basis. These ecosystems, which cover a large part of Bavaria, are of great economic importance. There is a growing likelihood that with climate change, once rare extreme climatic events will occur with greater intensity and also more frequently. In addition, new types of climatic (extreme) conditions are expected. Possible negative developments should therefore be countered with adequate adaptation measures as soon as possible.
The focus of the research is the question of how extreme climatic conditions, such as B. drought or heavy rain, affect ecosystem properties and ecosystem functions . How strongly are individual functions, such as biomass production or the interaction between animals and plants, affected? How resilient are our ecosystems? How pronounced are the capacities of these systems for the compensation ( resilience ) of ecological climate impacts ?
Basic research results provide the prerequisite for assessing how ecological services, for example soil quality or agricultural and forestry production, are affected. At the same time, they represent the basis for efficient damage assessment and damage minimization. Furthermore, positive developments should be recognized and emerging development opportunities used at an early stage.
The study areas of the subprojects cover the most important forms of land use in Bavaria. They include forest areas in the low mountain ranges ( Fichtelgebirge , Bavarian Forest ), forest and grassland areas in the Alps or in the foothills of the Alps , moors and grassland in low-lying areas and in areas of floodplains.
Interdisciplinary networking
FORKAST networks these interdisciplinary and interstructural requirements via the integrated research skills of Bavarian universities. This integration of interdisciplinary skills makes it possible for the FORKAST research association to conduct targeted ecosystem research on climate adaptation in Bavaria.
In addition to cross-project cooperation, interdisciplinary working groups on thematic priorities have been set up in the research network. In these, results are summarized, current research questions are identified, analytical strategies are developed and solutions are worked out.
aims
The expectation of the participating projects that extreme climatic events can have serious, "incisive" consequences for ecological processes unites the participating project partners in their issue. Current meteorological forecasts promise these extreme events, as well as an increase in the variability of weather events.
The overarching goals would be to improve the understanding of the resilience and resilience of ecosystems under new environmental conditions. In addition, the reaction of communities and their functionality with regard to ecological services and functional reactions (e.g. productivity, phenology , greenhouse gas exchange ) for society are analyzed.
The existing interdisciplinary cooperation between the sub-projects in the network is intended to provide knowledge that can serve as a basis for the conception of basic adaptation measures. It is to be expected that new research questions will be identified, thus paving the way for further research activities.
Participating research institutions
Universities
- University of Bayreuth
- Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
- Technical University of Munich (TUM)
- University of Regensburg
- Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences
- Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg
Research institutes
- Bavarian Office for Forestry Seed and Plant Breeding (ASP)
- Bavarian State Institute for Forests and Forestry (LWF)
- Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER)
- Helmholtz Centre Munich
- Institute for Atmospheric Environmental Research Garmisch-Partenkirchen (IMK-IFU)
Web links
- Website of the research association
- Website of the Association of Bavarian Research Associations (BayFOR)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bavaria Climate Program 2020 ( Memento of the original from March 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Last visited on 15th 2012.
- ↑ FORKAST - Under the sign of climate change . Last visited on 15th 2012.
- ↑ Working Group II Report "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" - Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007 (English). Visited on March 15, 2012.
- ↑ Ecosystems in Transition - LWF aktuell 85 ( Memento of the original from August 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Visited on March 15, 2012.
