In the context of the German project SYMOBIO 2.0 - Systemic Monitoring and Modeling of the Bioeconomy, a new platform for outreach is now launched: monitoring-bioeconomy.org. The platform bundles knowledge in straightforward graphics and overview summaries for a non-scientist audience, exploring the question: how sustainable is the German bioeconomy? An online database also provides the opportunity for data discovery.
To contribute to an informed and evidence-based societal and political discussion around bioeconomy, the platform illustrates and explains both monitoring tools and their results. It looks at the origins, the uses and several sustainability aspects, seeking to highlight i.a. trade-offs between both uses and environmental impacts, as well as links between consumption practices in Germany and impacts (environmental and social) across both the planet and time.
The SYMOBIO research team applies multiple methods (monitoring-bioeconomy.org/en/tools) to assess Germany's bioeconomy transition. The website is built on more than five years of research from within the SYMOBIO consortium, together with key results from current monitoring projects and pivotal studies from within Germany, the EU and at a global level. Combined, these sources depict the state-of-the-art of the research landscape and portray a holistic perspective.
The aim of the website is to support policy makers and other decision-makers with scientific expertise. The website provides key insights for the development of new strategies such as the National Biomass Strategy (NABIS), which is currently being developed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).
The website is currently available in English. A German version will be online by early summer. SYMOBIO 2.0 is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
A central platform is being established to bundle all information on bioeconomy monitoring. Copyright Icons: © AdobeStock, emojoez; Aygun; vectorsanta; Denys, BARA