Increasingly, marine organisms from all over the world are being carried into German coastal waters by humans, whose diversity and ecology they can fundamentally change. For example, the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts are now characterized by non-indigenous marine organisms. Their occurrence and rate of introduction is used as an international assessment criterion for the ecological status of marine areas. In cooperation with the Schleswig-Holstein State Office for the Environment, the AWI North Sea Office has compiled an overview of all known introduced species in German marine areas: “Neobiota der deutschen Nord- und Ostseeküste - Eingeschleppte Arten in deutschen Küstengewässern”.
On almost 400 pages, the ecology of each species, its path of introduction as well as further background information with numerous photographic materials are presented clearly and in detail. The publication serves as an officially recognized basis for distinguishing already established non-native species from new introductions. It is thus the elementary tool for ecologically classifying species introductions in our marine waters. The book is available for download as a PDF free of charge (in German language).
In addition to this detailed compilation, a compact, English-language paperback edition is also available. With a comprehensive introduction, this provides German and also international readers with a quick introduction to the topic, from which interested laypersons, but also students, teachers as well as environmental associations and nature conservation authorities will benefit. The book is available in bookshops and at the AWI Wadden Sea Station Sylt.
