DGL Annual Meeting

 

Water as a resource and bodies of water as an ecosystem

from conflict to synergy

40th DGL Annual Conference 2025

 

Goethe University Frankfurt,

8–12 September
2025

Venue

Goethe-Universität Frankfurt

Otto-Stern-Zentrum, Uni Campus Riedberg
Ruth-Moufang-Straße 2

60438 Frankfurt am Main

 

View of the Riedberg Campus, venue of the 40th DGL Annual Conference, with Science Garden, Biologicum, Biozentrum and Otto Stern Center. Source: Uwe Dettmar for Goethe University.

Goethe University Frankfurt

Goethe University is a cosmopolitan workshop of the future in the heart of Europe. It was founded in 1914 by citizens of Frankfurt and has continued this tradition as a foundation university since 2008: as an autonomous citizens' university embedded in urban society and with a high degree of social participation and support. With more than 40,000 students, Goethe University is one of the largest and most research-intensive universities in Germany, has produced numerous Leibniz and Nobel Prize winners and is one of the largest employers in Frankfurt.

Goethe University is an internationally positioned comprehensive university that is characterized by its excellent research focus in six interdisciplinary, interdepartmental profile areas as well as by the diversity of its subjects in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, life sciences and medicine. Together with TU Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it forms the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) network. It is a member of the “German U15”, the association of the 15 strongest medical research universities in Germany, and forms the “Frankfurt Alliance” science network together with 15 non-university research institutions in the Rhine-Main region.

Water research is a central focus of the Department of Biosciences at Goethe University. This area is largely characterized by the working groups for Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Integrative Parasitology & Zoophysiology and Evolutionary Ecology of Animals. In addition, the multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary excellence initiative RobustNature has developed from these fields of work.

The research activities concentrate on the analysis and evaluation of biodiversity changes, the investigation of the ecology and evolution of organisms and the implementation of toxicological studies on short and long-term impairments of biotic communities in the aquatic environment. A particular focus is on the interactions of organisms, species, populations and communities with natural and anthropogenic stress factors. The complex relationships between organisms and their parasites are also intensively researched in order to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms and their effects on ecological systems.

This integrative approach makes a decisive contribution to creating a scientific basis for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and the promotion of sustainable environmental strategies.

 

Conference building: Otto Stern Center (left) and Biologicum (right). Source: Uwe Dettmar for Goethe University.

 

Senckenberg Society for Nature Research

The location of the social evening: the Senckenberg Nature Museum (left) and atrium 1 of the museum (right).

The Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, founded in 1817 by citizens of Frankfurt, is one of the most important institutions for natural history research and education in Germany. As the largest institution of the Leibniz Association, Senckenberg conducts integrative geobiodiversity research. With eight institutes, five research stations and three nature museums throughout Germany, the Senckenberg Society is dedicated to researching biological diversity, the history of the earth and human influence on nature.

How is life on earth connected with the other subsystems of our planet, with the atmosphere, water, ice, soil, rock and also with us, humans? Answering this question is essential if we want to understand the Earth system both in the present and in the past in order to ensure that it remains the basis of our lives.

With almost 900 employees nationwide, including over 300 scientists, and through a wide range of international collaborations, Senckenberg researches biodiversity with its numerous interactions in the Earth system. The basis of Senckenberg's scientific work is our scientific collections with more than 45 million objects as archives of nature.

Senckenberg sees itself as a bridge builder between science and society and is committed to social dialog through exhibitions, educational programs and public events. Frankfurt is home to the oldest institute of the Senckenberg Society, the Senckenberg Research Institute and Nature Museum. The Nature Museum in Frankfurt is a lively place of learning and amazement and one of the largest natural history museums in Europe.

 

Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Hessen

The foundation of the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Hessen (KWH) in December 2023 set the course for the sustainable protection and integrated management of water resources in Hesse. In view of the challenges and conflicting goals between the protection and use of water resources, innovative and sustainable implementation solutions must be found for the many stakeholders involved. Hesse is tackling these challenges by strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation between science, administration, politics, practice and education. A strong network consisting of the Hessian Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Viticulture, Forestry, Hunting and Homeland, the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology, the regional councils, Hessian universities and colleges as well as the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research and the Institute for Social-Ecological Research are committed to working together to contribute their respective expertise. The KWH has its office on the premises of Goethe University and serves as a link between the players in the water sector by networking a research-strong environment with official practice, as well as associations and administration. In the future, obstacles and problems that cannot be solved by individual initiatives will be tackled together. Since the middle of last year, the KWH has also been cooperating with the DWA-Landesverband Mitte and the BWK-Landesverband Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland as associated partners.

This bundling of Hessian water expertise opens up new perspectives for the implementation of applied research projects for the sustainable use of water resources, including the transfer of relevant skills and policy advice.

Further information on the projects and activities of the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Hessen can be found at: http://www.kompetenzzentrum-wasser-hessen.de

 

The city of Frankfurt

View of the city of Frankfurt from the Goetheturm. Source: Jörg Braukmann, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frankfurt am Main, the most populous city in Hesse and the fifth largest in Germany with just under 800,000 inhabitants, forms the heart of the Frankfurt metropolitan area with over 2.3 million people. The Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region, with around 5.8 million inhabitants, is characterized by a multicultural society, as its residents come from around 180 different countries.

Frankfurt am Main is an important international financial center as well as a central industrial, service and trade fair center. The city is home to the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, numerous financial institutions and supervisory authorities such as BaFin and EIOPA. Messe Frankfurt is also the initiator of leading global events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Music Fair.

The Frankfurt skyline, whose skyscrapers are among the tallest in Europe, is a special architectural feature in Germany. This striking silhouette has earned the city the nickname “Mainhattan”. The most important historical landmarks include the Römer (the town hall), the Imperial Cathedral, the Goethe House, the Old Opera House and the Old Town ensemble, which was partially reconstructed after the destruction of the Second World War, including the Römerberg and the New Old Town. Other outstanding places outside the city center are the Höchster Altstadt, the Gründerzeit districts and the housing estates of the New Frankfurt. With over 40% parks and protected landscape areas, including the Frankfurt Green Belt, the city also offers plenty of space for nature and recreation.

Frankfurt's culture is deeply rooted in civic commitment, foundations and patronage. This tradition has given rise to important institutions, including the municipal theaters with opera and drama, the renowned Museumsufer, the Senckenberg Nature Museum, the Schirn Kunsthalle, the Museum of Modern Art, the Historical Museum and the Alte Oper. Other cultural highlights include the English Theatre, the zoo, the Palmengarten and the German Romantic Museum, which is run jointly with Goethe's birthplace by the Freies Deutsches Hochstift. In addition to Goethe University, the city is home to seven other universities with more than 60,000 students, numerous Max Planck Institutes and institutes of the Leibniz Association, making Frankfurt am Main an important scientific center in Europe.

 

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