Culture + Ecology

Culture + Ecology

Cultural ecology considers the special design of the relationship between humans and nature due to cultural achievements. If culture becomes the subject of ecological research, the focus shifts away from natural environmental problems – such as climate change – towards the factors that influence the knowledge, perspectives, and behavior of individuals, groups, institutions, and organizations.

Culture can be defined as explicit and implicit patterns of behavior coupled with ideas and, in particular, the associated values. Ecologic Institute's research work addresses many aspects of the complex issue of cultural ecology, including the range of human behaviors and actions in policy- and decision-making, the economy, technology, the media, and social interactions in general regarding pathways to sustainable decision-making and transitions.

Team members have specific expertise in perceptions, knowledge, and practices related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, particularly in coastal and marine areas. Moreover, the cultural ecology team has gained strong competencies in scientific communication and knowledge exchange within applied research.

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Related Topics

Culture + Ecology

Coastal + Marine

Adaptation

Governance

Grit Martinez
Senior Fellow

Coastal + Marine

Culture + Ecology

Adaptation

Dr. Nico Stelljes
Coordinator Coastal and Marine Studies
Fellow
Selected Projects for Culture + Ecology
ProjectThe German North Sea and Baltic Sea over 100 Years Ago
 

© unsplash 2024

The aim of the project is to obtain as accurate an overview as possible of the ecosystems in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea before the start of intensive human use. This will support the development of a scientific basis for decision-making that will enable the... Read more

The German North Sea and Baltic Sea over 100 Years Ago

Duration
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Funding
ProjectHorizon EuropeSupporting and Standardizing Climate Services in Europe and Beyond (Climateurope2)
 

©Arne Riedel|CC BY-NC SA

Climateurope2 is a 4.5-year Horizon Europe project that addresses the need for timely delivery and effective use of climate information. The project aims to support the climate services community and propose standardisation procedures for future equitable and quality... Read more

Supporting and Standardizing Climate Services in Europe and Beyond (Climateurope2)

Duration
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Funding
Project50 Years of Environmental Programme
 

Ceremonial address by German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze

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© BMU / Robert Bergemann

In Germany, environmental policy began to form as an independent policy field in the late 1960s. A major milestone in the history of German environmental policy was the adoption of the Federal Government's first environmental programme in 1971. Ecologic Institute... Read more

50 Years of Environmental Programme

Duration
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Funding
ProjectBottom-up, Sustainable, Renewable (BSR) Lab for Just Transition in Polish and German Coal Regions
 

Foto von Torsten Kellermann von Pexels

The project focuses its respective activities on two regions: Eastern Wielkopolska in Poland and Lausitz in Germany. It provides local communities with a forum for inclusive debate. The forum invites citizens to address the region's specific problems, seek solutions,... Read more

Bottom-up, Sustainable, Renewable (BSR) Lab for Just Transition in Polish and German Coal Regions

Duration
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Funding
ProjectInnovation in Climate Services Provision (INNOVA)
 
| Fotolia © Victoria
The research project INNOVA will consolidate key factors from adaptive management strategies from leading earlier and on-going European initiatives in Spain (Valencia), Germany (Bay of Kiel) and the Netherlands (Nijmegen) and France’ overseas territories in Guadeloupe... Read more

Innovation in Climate Services Provision (INNOVA)

Duration
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Funding
All projects on Culture + Ecology
Selected Publications for Culture + Ecology
PublicationDocumentStories of Justice in Action
 

© INTERLACE project, 2025

Stories have the unique potential to inspire change, shape perceptions, and foster understanding across diverse audiences. This collection of stories, developed as part of the INTERLACE project, aims to convey the profound emotional and cultural importance natural... Read more

Tabares, J.; Vera, L.; Calderón, E.; Gutiérrez, M.; Romero, X.; Burgos Cuevas, N.; Iwazuk, E. (2025): Stories of Justice in Action: Learning from the INTERLACE project (Deliverable 6.6) INTERLACE Project. Available in English and Spanish.

PublicationReportEthics, Gender and Diversity Monitoring in INTERLACE
 
Cover page of the report "Summary report on Ethics, Gender and Diversity Monitoring in INTERLACE" (Deliverable 6.6). The INTERLACE logo is in the top left corner, with the report title below. On the right, there is a photo of a hilly landscape with green forests in the foreground and a city in the valley in the background under a cloudy sky. In the bottom right corner, there is a graphic design element with colorful curved lines.

© INTERLACE project, 2025

Nature-based solutions (NBS) aim to improve the world for everyone, which means ensuring that vulnerable groups, such as women, children, migrants, and people with disabilities, benefit alongside other social groups. This report, part of the INTERLACE project, assesses... Read more

Burgos Cuevas, N., Bueb, B., Salmon, N., and Iwaszuk, E. (2025): Summary Report on Monitoring Ethics, Gender, and Diversity Issues in INTERLACE (Deliverable 6.6). INTERLACE Project. Available in English and Spanish.

PublicationDocumentNature and Society in Marine Research
 
1st page of the impulse paper "Nature and society in marine research Perspectives for interdisciplinary cooperation in the Anthropocene"

© Zukunftsforum Ozean, 2025

The environmental crises caused by humans do not stop at the oceans. To effectively tackle these complex challenges, new forms of scientific cooperation are needed. This impulse paper argues in favour of strategically strengthened cooperation between the natural,... Read more

Bogusz, T., Holtappels, M., Hodapp, D., Schlüter, A., & Breckwoldt, A. (2024). Nature and society in marine research - Perspectives for interdisciplinary cooperation in the Anthropocene. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14887580

PublicationPodcastBringing Creativity and Beauty to Europe's Green Transition
 

© Ecologic Institute 2024

In this episode of Green Deal – Big Deal we discuss what mud houses, 3D printers and beauty have to do with Europe's journey to becoming a climate-neutral continent. Specifically, we speak with Alina Ujupan, part of the team behind the European Commission's New... Read more

Ecologic Institute 2024: Bringing creativity and beauty to Europe's green transition. Online: https://greendealbigdeal.podigee.io/13-new-european-bauhaus

PublicationReportAnalyse des Umweltprogramms der Bundesregierung von 1971 und dazugehörigem Materialband
 
Cover of the project report "Analyse des Umweltprogramms der Bundesregierung von 1971 und dazugehörigem Materialband"

© Ecologic Institute

51 years ago, on 14 October 1971, the Federal Government's Environmental Programme was adopted and has lost none of its relevance to this day. On the occasion of the conclusion of the contemporary historical study on German environmental policy since 1971 conducted by... Read more

Martinez, Grit and Nico Stelljes 2022: Analyse des Umweltprogramms der Bundesregierung von 1971 und dazugehörigem Materialband. Berlin: Ecologic Institute.

PublicationArticleSocietal Local and Regional Resiliency Spurred by Contextualized Climate Services
 
First page of an academic journal article titled "Societal local and regional resiliency spurred by contextualized climate services: The role of culture in co-production," published in the journal Climate Services.

© 2022 Elsevier B.V.

This article emphasizes the significant role of culture in shaping and utilizing climate services, which are crucial for achieving climate resilience and sustainable development in various regions. By incorporating cultural perspectives, the development of climate... Read more

Martinez, G., Celliers, L., Collard, M., de Jong, F., Huang-Lachmann, J.-T., Manez Costa, M., Rubio-Martin, A., Ozier-Lafontaine, H., Garcia Prats, A., Stelljes, N., Swart, R., Wimmermann, T., Llario, F., Pulido-Velazquez, M. (2022). Societal local and regional resiliency spurred by contextualized climate services: The role of culture in co-production. Climate Services, 26, 100300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2022.100300

PublicationArticleCoastal Cities and Urban Deltascapes Under Pressure
 
Journal's cover

© White Horse Press

Coasts and seas both are characterized by intense social-ecological interactions, recently the industrial appropriation of coasts worldwide and oceans as a waste disposal site for port industries and land-based production facilities. In September, White Horse Press'... Read more

Martinez, Grit, 2021. Introduction to Global Environment. Volume 14, Number 3: Coastal Cities. Global Environment, 14(3), pp.438-441.

PublicationArticleCoastal Risk Cultures
 

Dam and bridge from Rügen to Ummanz, Waase beacon

| Chron-Paul, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This paper deals with how culture is expressed through the interplay of socially, politically, and economically driven processes and practices in place-based biophysical contexts as well as the role played by narrative expressions in the formation of coastal risk... Read more

Martinez G (2021) Coastal Risk Cultures: Local and Regional Formation of Knowledge and Action. Front. Environ. Sci. 9:578238. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2021.578238

PublicationArticleInfluence of Narratives of Vision and Identity on Collective Behavior Change
 
Profound societal transformations are needed to move society from unsustainability to greater sustainability under continually changing social and environmental conditions. A key challenge is to understand the influences on and the dynamics of collective behavior change... Read more

Chabay, I.; Koch, L.; Martinez, G.; Scholz, G. Influence of Narratives of Vision and Identity on Collective Behavior Change. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5680.

PublicationArticleThe Role of Culture and Informal Aspects for Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Measures
 
Cover of publication with text and logos

© Advances in Climate Change  Research

Recent and historic high-impact events have demonstrated significant flood risks to many coastal areas in Europe and across the globe. Understanding the behavior of humans in relation to risk management poses grand challenges for both natural and social sciences and... Read more

Martinez., G., Costas, S., Ferreira, O., The role of culture and informal aspects for coastal disaster risk reduction measures: Empirical evidence from northern and southern Europe, Advances in Climate Change Research 11(1), doi: 10.1016/j.accre.2020.11.001

PublicationArticleLet's Say It in Their Own Words
 
In this article, Dr. Grit Martinez ist concerned with the role of culture and history in relation to local knowledge and values, as these are displayed in the interpretations and actions of distinct groups regarding climate change. She argues that it makes sense to... Read more

Martinez, Grit. "Let's Say It in Their Own Words," edited by Katrin Kleemann and Jeroen Oomen, RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2019, no. 4, 105–14. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/8858.

PublicationArticleExperiences and Results from Interdisciplinary Collaboration
 
The idealistic endeavor of a universal education, as was conveyed for centuries by research institutions, is passé. It needed to be replaced by two scientific disciplines: The social sciences and humanities and the natural sciences and engineering sciences. However it... Read more

Martinez, G., Armaroli, C., Costas, S., Harley, D. M., Paolisso, M., (2018), Experiences and results from interdisciplinary collaboration: Utilizing qualitative information to formulate disaster risk reduction measures for coastal regions, Coastal Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2017.09.010

PublicationBook SectionCultural Dynamics of Adaptation to Climate Change
 
It is widely recognized that national or regional efforts to restrict the damage of climate change are insufficient and hence that environmental and climate protection needs a global concept. Paradoxically, the way environmental and climate change is perceived and... Read more

Grit Martinez and Michael J. Paolisso 2015: "Cultural Dynamics of Adaptation to Climate Change: An Example from the East Coast of the US", in: Bernd Sommer (ed.): Cultural Dynamics of Climate Change and the Environment in Northern America. [Climate and Culture 3]. Leiden: Brill, 304-332.

PublicationArticleWhy Do We Decide to Live with Risk at the Coast?
 
In the article "Why do we decide to live with risk at the coast?" recently published in "Ocean and Coastal Management", Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute and Susana Costas and Prof. Oscar Ferreira of the University of Algarve explore risk perception in a community... Read more

Costas S., Ferreira ,O., Martinez, G., Why do we decide to live with risk at the coast? In: Ocean and Coastal Management, available online 30 May 2015, In Press.

PublicationArticleClimate-change Lore and its Implications for Climate Science
 
Bray, Dennis and Grit Martinez 2014: "Climate-change lore and its implications for climate science: Post-science deliberations?". Futures, Vol. 66, No. February 2015, 54-69. ... Read more

Bray, Dennis and Grit Martinez 2014: “Climate-change lore and its implications for climate science: Post-science deliberations?”. Futures, Vol. 66, No. February 2015, 54-69.

PublicationBookSocial Dimensions of Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Regions
 
A changing climate is not only a phenomenon addressing the natural world. Social aspects are also a cause of and are affected by climate change, for which reason social dynamics must be considered in climate change adaptation. Being key factors in creating and solving... Read more

Martinez, Grit; Peter Fröhle and Hans-Joachim Meier (eds.) 2014: Social Dimension of Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Regions. Findings from Transdisciplinary Research. [Klimawandel in Regionen zukunftsfähig gestalten 5]. Munich: oekom Verlag.

PublicationBook SectionThe Cultural Context of Climate Change Adaptation
 
Coastal communities in the U.S. and in the EU are increasingly aware of the existing and possible impacts of climate change. Over 123 million Americans and nearly half of European citizens live on or near their respective coasts. Adapting to ongoing and future climate... Read more

Martinez, Grit; Orbach, Mike; Frick, Fanny; Donargo, Alexandra, Ducklow, Kelsey; Morison, Nathalie  2014: "The cultural context of climate change adaptation: Cases from the U.S. East Coast and the German Baltic Sea Coast", in: Grit Martinez; Hans-Joachim Meier and Peter Fröhle (eds.): Social Dimensions of Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Regions - Findings from Transdisciplinary Research. Munich: oekom verlag, 85-103.

PublicationArticleUsing Historical Storms for Flood Risk Management
 
The volume "Sites of Remembering: Landscapes, Lessons, Policies" of the Rachel Carson Centres' journal called "Perspectives" bridges the gap between humanities research and public policy. It uses a diverse selection of examples from worldwide memory studies to... Read more

Caroline Fredriksson, Grit Martinez, Magnus Larson, and Beate Feldmann Eellend, Using Historical Storms for Flood Risk Management: The 1872 Storm in South Sweden, In: Lakhani, Vikas, and Eveline de Smalen, eds. "Sites of Remembering: Landscapes, Lessons, Policies," RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2018, DOI: doi.org/10.5282/rcc/8481

PublicationArticleThe Role of Historical Storm Events in Risk Analysis
 
This study presents information about the storms in 1872 and 1904 that occurred along the coast of Scania that is analysed with respect to the evolution of risk awareness, vulnerability, and societies' resilience over time. The article, to which Dr. Grit Martinez from... Read more

Fredriksson; C., Feldmann Eellend, B., Larson; M., Martinez, G., The role of historical storm events in risk analysis. A study of the coastal flood events in 1872 and 1904 along the South and East Coast of Scania, Sweden, Vatten, Journal of Water Management and Research, pp 73:93 – 108, Lund 2017

PublicationBrochureCreative Environment – A guide to art and sustainability initiatives in Berlin
 
© Aaron Best
In December 2017 the publication "Creative Environment – a guide to art and sustainability initiatives in Berlin" was published by Ecologic Institute. The guide is the result of Ecologic Institute's inaugural Writer-in-Residence program. Curator Yasmine Ostendorf spent... Read more

Ostendorf, Yasmine 2017: Creative Environment. A guide to art and sustainability initiatives in Berlin. Berlin: Ecologic Institute.

All publications on Culture + Ecology
Selected Events for Culture + Ecology
EventDigital EventClimateurope2 Webstival on Climate Innovation and Standardization
 

© Climateurope2 project

The Climateurope2 Webstival will take place on 19 and 20 September 2024. This virtual event will provide a platform for exchange on the development, use and quality of climate services and their importance for innovation and policymaking. The Webstival ties in with the... Read more

Digital Event:Climateurope2 Webstival on Climate Innovation and Standardization

Date
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Location
online
EventDigital EventClimate Justice, Decolonialisation and the Role of Cultural Relations
 

Photo by Pixabay | pexels.com

While the countries of the Global North are responsible for the majority of historical CO2 emissions, the impacts of climate change and the capacities to deal with it are very unevenly distributed. Particularly affected by climate change are countries in the Global... Read more

Digital Event:Climate Justice, Decolonialisation and the Role of Cultural Relations

Date
Location
online
EventConferenceSustainable Ecosystem Governance under Changing Climate and Land Use in the Baltic Sea Region – 3rd BONUS Symposium
 
BONUS SOILS2SEA
The conference will introduce results of four BONUS projects ending in 2018: BONUS BALTICAPP, BONUS GO4BALTIC, BONUS MIRACLE and BONUS SOILS2SEA. Novel approaches for managing nutrients, as well as governance approaches for the Baltic Sea region will be presented for... Read more

Conference:Sustainable Ecosystem Governance under Changing Climate and Land Use in the Baltic Sea Region – 3rd BONUS Symposium

Date
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Location
Gdansk, Poland
EventWorkshopA Pledge for Improving Transboundary Water Management Practices amongst Polish and Russian Authorities
 
| © Ecologic Institute
The Baltic Sea is among the most polluted water bodies in the world because of poor land and water management in the basin. In many cases, water resources in the Baltic Sea region are transboundary and flow across national borders linking neighbours in management and... Read more

Workshop:A Pledge for Improving Transboundary Water Management Practices amongst Polish and Russian Authorities

Date
Location
Olztyn, Poland
All events on Culture + Ecology
Selected Presentations for Culture + Ecology
PresentationLectureClimate Protection as a Global Policy Challenge: Lectio Magistralis by Camilla Bausch
 

© ISPI School and Dom Fou on Unsplash

At the invitation of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), Dr. Camilla Bausch held a "Lectio Magistralis". At this Lectio, leading experts such as Jean-Claude Trichet (Former President of the European Central Bank) and Sergei Guriev ... Read more

Lecture:Climate Protection as a Global Policy Challenge: Lectio Magistralis by Camilla Bausch

Date
Location
Milano, Italy
PresentationPanel discussion Dr. Camilla Bausch on the Power of Politics and Pictures in the Climate Debate at the Salon Sophie Charlotte on "Images of the World"
 

For the Salon Sophie Charlotte 2020, Julius Hübener, graduate of the Beuth University of Applied Sciences, brought Ed Hawkins' "Warming Stripes" as an artistic light installation to Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt under the direction of Prof. Susanne Auffermann.

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Photo: BBAW, Judith Affolter

Humans have been creating images of the world they inhabit since the stone ages. The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science looked extensively at this topic under the motto "Weltbilder" (Images of the world) during the annual Salon Sophie Charlotte in Berlin. Dr. Camilla... Read more

Panel discussion: Dr. Camilla Bausch on the Power of Politics and Pictures in the Climate Debate at the Salon Sophie Charlotte on "Images of the World"

Date
Location
Berlin, Germany
PresentationPanel discussionSustainability Transitions: What is the stake of cultural conventions?
 
From 11 until 14 June 2018 transitions scholars and stakeholders from around the world met for the 9th International Sustainability Transitions (IST) conference in Manchester (United Kingdom). For almost a decade IST has been providing a forum for debate on all aspects... Read more

Panel discussion:Sustainability Transitions: What is the stake of cultural conventions?

Date
Location
Manchester, United Kingdom
PresentationChairingA Practical Illustration of the Human Dimension in Coastal Systems and its Drivers for Change
 
| Dr. Grit Martinez (Ecologic Institut)
From 4 until 6 September 2016 the Estuarine & Coastal Sciences Association (ECSA) held its 56th multidisciplinary research conference entitled "Coastal systems in transition from a 'natural' to an 'anthropogenically modified' state" in the port city of Bremen. ECSA... Read more

Chairing:A Practical Illustration of the Human Dimension in Coastal Systems and its Drivers for Change

Date
Location
Bremen, Germany
PresentationSpeechHistory for a Sustainable Future | 8th Biennial Conference
 
Handschriftliche Erläuterung zum Bau eines Ringdeiches im Jahr 1873 ("Der Wall") in der Gemeinde Ummanz auf Rügen (Quelle: Mursewiek, Jan; Dorfbuch von Lieschow ,1947)
In the first week of July the European Society for Environmental History (ESEH) had invited to its 8th Biennial Conference to Versailles. Under the motto "Greening history: Studying the environment across disciplines: past, present, future" environmental historians from... Read more

Speech:History for a Sustainable Future | 8th Biennial Conference

Date
Location
Versailles, France
PresentationSpeechEveryone on Board? – Climate Change Adaptation as a Holistic Societal Challenge
 
| Dr. Grit Martinez, Ecologic Institut
In her keynote speech at the 10th German Climate Conference, Dr. Grit Martinez (Ecologic Institute) gave an overview of how the consequences of climate change have been addressed by human society during the past decades. While there was a strong focus on climate change... Read more

Speech:Everyone on Board? – Climate Change Adaptation as a Holistic Societal Challenge

Date
Location
Hamburg, Germany
PresentationChairingWhy Do Societies Adapt the Way They Do?
 
Dr. Grit Martinez (Ecologic Institut)
As part of the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2015, Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute chaired the session, "Safeguarding our Shores: Social and Cultural Dimensions of Coastal Climate Change Adaptation in Europe and the United States." During the... Read more

Chairing:Why Do Societies Adapt the Way They Do?

Date
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
PresentationSpeechThe Influence of Local Cultural Values on the Governance of Adaptation
 
ECCA Conference 2013
Grit Martinez' presentation during the European Climate Change Adaptation conference (ECCA) 2013 dealt with the perception of climate risks and the reasons why different measures and attitudes emerged in two communities at the German Baltic Sea coast. The research was... Read more

Speech:The Influence of Local Cultural Values on the Governance of Adaptation

Date
Location
Hamburg, Germany
All presentations on Culture + Ecology