Connecting science and policy for sustainable coastal futures
Sustainable management of tropical coastal ecosystems depends on informed decision-making at local, national, and international levels. Effective environmental policy requires scientific knowledge to address complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable resource management.
At the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), policy engagement is understood as an ongoing exchange between science and decision-makers. Through advisory services, dialogue formats, collaborative research, and policy-oriented knowledge products, ZMT contributes scientific expertise to support evidence-informed environmental governance.
The Office for Knowledge Exchange (OKE), as part of Programme Area 5 (PA5), supports and strengthens these science–policy interactions across ZMT’s activities.
Have a look at our non-exhaustive list of ZMT's expert knowledge.
ZMT engages with ministries, public authorities, parliaments, international organisations, and governance actors in Germany and in the tropics through:
- research-based policy advice and expert consultations,
- participation in committees, advisory bodies, and strategy processes,
- stakeholder workshops and science–policy dialogues,
- collaborative and transdisciplinary research projects,
- policy briefs and stakeholder-oriented publications,
- and engagement in international policy processes and events.
ZMT contributes both research-based policy advice grounded in scientific findings and formal consultation services, including expert reviews, strategy development, and advisory activities.
Engagement of policy actors include the following formats:
- A particular duty of ZMT is to give advice to the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the Federal Government of Germany as well as its representatives on the level of the EU on issues of marine research, especially its development as well as on matters of scientific cooperation with countries in the tropics. ZMT engages in advising the BMBF in agenda setting for coastal and marine research via the DAM and also KDM and directly, offers regular discussions with scientists to the members of the Bremen Parliament, and invites political representatives to visits to ZMT and its projects in the tropics.
- ZMT is unique in its multi- and interdisciplinary expertise in the tropical belt. This expertise it shares with and is requested to provide to governmental bodies such as the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federal Foreign Office (AA), the German Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and institutions (e.g. EU, G7).
- ZMT offers formal consultation services: These services include the preparation of expert reviews, strategy development and participation in committees and advisory bodies.
- The ZMT policy brief series is aiming to inform policy makers on key results of ZMT research, and to provide them with specific recommendations for sustainable environmental policies.
- Stakeholder workshops in research projects in the partner countries: Local and national stakeholders work with ZMT scientists on long-term measures for transferring and merging their respective knowledge.
- ZMT also engages in local and international policy events (UN Ocean Conference, Workshops of UN Bodies).
Contacts