The global trade of commodities enables countries to expand their land area virtually and at the same time to export the impacts on ecosystem services worldwide. With our research we want to quantify the flows of virtual land and water embedded in commodity trade (e.g., of the EU) and quantify its impacts on ecosystem services on a global scale. Beyond that other interregional flows of ecosystem services are investigated.
Projects
2022-2024: Ecosystem services, biodiversity and anthropogenic capital embedded in internationally traded goods (sTradES). iDiv working group
2017-2020: MedWater – Sustainable management of politically and economically highly relevant water resources in hydraulically, climatically and ecologically highly dynamic carbonate groundwater aquifers of the Mediterranean. GROW Program, financed by BMBF >> more information
2016-2017: sTeleBES - Telecoupled use of biodiversity and ecosystem services: synthesis of concepts, methods and evidence. iDiv working group >> more information
Main publications
Bogenreuther, J., Kastner, T., Schneider, F., Koellner, T., 2024. Biodiversity impact of food waste: Quantification for supply chain stages and products in Germany. J of Industrial Ecology jiec.13471. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13471
Marques, A., Bonn, A., Castro, A.J., Chaudhary, A., Felipe‐Lucia, M.R., Kastner, T., Koellner, T., Lancker, K., Lopez Hoffman, L., Meyer, C., Pfister, S., Rabeschini, G., Willemen, L., Schulp, C.J.E., 2024. The role of nature’s contributions to people in sustaining international trade of agricultural products. People and Nature 6, 410–421. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10607
Smolka, G., Kosatica, E., Berger, M., Kissinger, M., Fridman, D., Koellner, T., 2023. Domestic water versus imported virtual blue water for agricultural production: A comparison based on energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions. J of Industrial Ecology jiec.13403. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13403
Hoffmann, F., Koellner, T. and Kastner, T. (2021) The micronutrient content of the European Union's agricultural trade. Ecological Economics, 188. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107118
Kleemann, J., Schröter, M., Bagstad, K. J., Kuhlicke, C., Kastner, T., Fridman, D., Schulp, C., Wolff, S., Martínez-López, J., Koellner, T., et al. (2020). Quantifying interregional flows of multiple ecosystem services – A case study for Germany. Global Environmental Change, 61, 102051–26. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102051
Koellner, T., Bonn, A., Arnhold, S., Bagstad, K. J., Fridman, D., Guerra, C. A., et al. (2019). Guidance for assessing interregional ecosystem service flows. Ecological Indicators, 105, 92–106. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.04.046
Koellner, T., Schröter, M., Schulp, C. J. E. and Verburg, P. H. (2018). Global flows of ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services, 1–2. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.04.012
Schröter, M., Koellner, T., Alkemade, R., Arnhold, S., Bagstad, K. J., Erb, K.-H., et al. (2018). Interregional flows of ecosystem services: Concepts, typology and four cases. Ecosystem Services, 31 (Part B), 231–241. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.02.003
Kreidenweis U, S Lautenbach and T Koellner (2016): Regional or global? The question of low-emission food sourcing addressed with spatial optimization modelling. Environmental Modelling & Software 82: 128–141. Abstract
Koh L P, T Koellner and J Ghazoul (2013): Transformative optimisation of agricultural land use to meet future food demands. PeerJ 1:e188; DOI 10.7717/peerj.188 Abstract and pdf (open access)
Koellner T, ed (2011): Ecosystem Services and Global Trade of Natural Resources: Ecology, Economics and Policies. Routledge Explorations in Environmental Economics, Oxon UK TOC and Abstract
Koellner T and M van der Sleen (2011): Ecosystem Impacts of Virtual Land Use Embodied in Traded Goods and Services Pages 83-105 in T. Koellner, ed. Ecosystem Services and Global Trade of Natural Resources: Ecology, Economics and Policies. Routledge, Oxon, UK TOC and Abstract
Würtenberger L, T Koellner and C R Binder (2006): Virtual land use and agricultural trade: Estimating environmental and socio-economic impacts. Ecological Economics 57: 679-697. Abstract and pdf
Würtenberger L, C R Binder and T Koellner (2004): Nachhaltige Landwirtschaftspolitik macht an der Grenze nicht halt. GAIA-Ecological Perspectives in Science 13: 191-196. Abstract and pdf