1001

The Center for Tropical Marine Ecology was launched 20 years ago. In the past two decades it steadily expanded, became an internationally acknowledged institute and a member of the Leibniz Association. On Friday, November 4th, the ZMT celebrated its 20th anniversary in the “Glocke” in Bremen.

The central topics tackled by the ZMT constitute some of the most important global challenges in coastal regions: climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity and enhanced inputs of pollutants and nutrient matter. Especially the biodiverse ecosystems of tropical coasts are affected. In the 80ties, there was a lack of marine researchers in Germany furnished with the necessary experience with tropical regions to develop the scientific basis for appropriate management strategies. The inception of the ZMT with its unique concept filled a gap in the German marine research.

The ZMT focuses its research onto the ecological analysis of tropical coastal ecosystems. An essential aspect are the impacts of resource use by the coastal populations. To achieve insights into the sources, effects and interactions of environmental changes and human impacts, approaches from natural and social sciences must be combined. At ZMT, interdisciplinary research has been put into practice from the very first.

Since its foundation, the ZMT has developed into an internationally acknowledged partner in tropical coastal research and has steadily expanded its regional focuses. The institute intensively cooperates with the tropical countries in research and education. The ZMT aims at further developing the idea of sustainability together with its partner countries.

On Friday, November 4th, the ZMT celebrated its 20th anniversary in the “Glocke” in Bremen, together with 200 guests from science and politics. A special event was the award of the first ZMT “Leibniz-Chair” to the anthropologist Prof. Dr. Bettina Beer from the University of Luzern. Her expertise will be an excellent complement to research at ZMT and a close cooperation will be implemented.