Dr. Barbara Neumann
Research Group Leader
Phone
Barbara Neumann leads the Ocean Governance Research Group at RIFS since September 2022. Trained as a geographer, she has specialized human-environment interactions, sustainable development and (environmental) governance of coastal and marine areas. Her research interest is in understanding how governance processes can be designed and supported in such a way that they foster sustainable approaches and provide responses to the challenges ahead. She employs transdisciplinary and transformative research approaches and focuses particularly on the interface of science, policy/administration, and civil society. Barbara and was a research associate at the Chair of Physical Geography and Environmental Research at Saarland University, Germany, from 1997 to 2010 and received her PhD in 2022. From 2010 to 2017, she was a member of the Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean" in Kiel and employed as a research associate in the working group Coastal Risks and Sea Level Rise at the Institute of Geography at Kiel University. Here she researched and taught on climate change, sea-level rise impacts, and sustainability and governance of coastal areas. She joined the RIFS (formerly the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, IASS) in 2017.
Projects
Groups
Blog Posts
- Since 09/2022: Group Leader of the Ocean Governance Research Group at RIFS
- 06/2017-08/2022: Senior Research Associate, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (RIFS), Potsdam
- 04/2014-04/2018: Honorary Senior Fellow, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Australia
- 03/2010-10/2017: Research Associate, Department of Geography, Kiel University and Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean", Kiel
- 08/1997-03/2010: Research Associate, Department of Geography, Saarland University, Saarbrücken
- 08/1997-02/2002: Doctorate (Dr. phil), Saarland University, Saarbrücken
- 09/1993-04/1994: Visiting student, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver/Burnaby, B.C., Canada, funded through the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD
- 10/1990-07/1997: Studies in Geography, Saarland University, Saarbrücken (Degree: Diploma in Geography, equivalent to M.Sc.)
- Socio-environmental research
- Environmental governance
- Sustainability research
- Transformation research
Publications at the RIFS
Publications prior to joining the RIFS
- Neumann, B., Ott K, Kenchington R (2017): Strong sustainability in coastal areas: a conceptual interpretation of SDG 14. Sustainability Science:1-17. doi:10.1007/s11625-017-0472-y. Download link: http://rdcu.be/vEU6
- Stevance, A.-S., Unger, S. and Neumann, B. (2017): Focus on Interactions to Make the SDGs a Success: Our Key Messages for the Ocean Conference. IISD SDG Knowledge Hub, 05 June 2017. Link
- Unger, S. and Neumann, B. (2017): Want to protect the oceans? Time to consider the wider world of development. WEForum, 02 June 2017. Link
- Schmidt, S., Neumann, B., Waweru, Y., Durussel, C., Unger, S. and Visbeck, M. (2017). SDG14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. In: A Guide to SDG Interactions: from Science to Implementation. Griggs, D. J., Nilsson, M., Stevance, A.-S., and McCollum, D. (eds.). Paris, International Council for Science: 174-218. URL: https://www.icsu.org/publications/a-guide-to-sdg-interactions-from-science-to-implementation
- Szabo, S., Nichols, R.J., Neumann, B., Renaud, F.G., Matthews, Z., Sebesvari, Z., Aghakouchak, A., Bales, R., Ruktanonchau, C.W., Kloos, J., Foufoula-Gerogiou, E., Wester, P., New, M., Rhyner, J. and Hutton, C. (2016). Making SDGs Work for Climate Hotspots. In: Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 58 (6), pp. 24-33. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2016.1209016
- Neumann, B., Vafeidis, A.T., Zimmermann, J., and Nicholls, R.J. (2015): Future Coastal Population Growth and Exposure to Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Flooding - A Global Assessment. PLOS ONE 10(3): e0131375. URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118571
- Prager, K., Nienaber, B., Neumann, B. and Phillips, A. (2015): How should rural policy be evaluated if it aims to foster community involvement in environmental management? Journal of Rural Studies 37: 120-131. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2014.12.006
- Visbeck, M., Kronfeld-Goharani, U., Neumann, B., Rickels, W., Schmidt, J., van Doorn, E., Matz-Lück, N., and Proelss, A. (2014): A Sustainable Development Goal for the ocean and coasts: Global ocean challenges benefit from regional initiatives supporting globally coordinated solutions: In: Marine Policy 49, pp. 87-89. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2014.02.010
- Visbeck, M., Kronfeld-Goharani, U., Neumann, B., Rickels, W., Schmidt, J., van Doorn, E., Matz-Lück, N., Ott, K. and QUASS, M.F. (2014): Securing blue wealth: The Need for a Special Sustainable Development Goal for the Ocean and Coasts and for Future Ocean Spatial Planning. In: Marine Policy 48, pp. 184-191. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2014.03.005
- Brown, S., Nicholls, R.J., Woodroffe, C.D., Hanson, S., Hinkel, J., Kebede, A.S., Neumann, B. and Vafeidis, A.T. (2013): Sea-level rise impact and responses: A global perspective. In: Finkl, C. (ed.), Coastal Hazards. Coastal Research Library, Vol. 6: pp. 117-150. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-5234-4_5
- Houghton, K. J., Vafeidis, A.T., Neumann, and Proelss, A. (2010): Maritime boundaries in a rising sea. Nature Geoscience 2010; 3(12): pp. 813-816. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1029
- Neumann, B., Lütz, M., Schüpbach, B. and Szerencsits, E. (2009): Spatial modelling for the development of agri-environmental programs. Regional Environmental Change 9 (3): pp.197-207. DOI: 10.1007/s10113-009-0090-z
- 2018 "Umsetzung des Nachhaltigkeitsziels 14 für Meere und Küsten - Herausforderungen für die Politik" at Meeresumwelt-Symposium 2018, Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit und Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, 12. bis 13. Juni 2018, Haus der Patriotischen Gesellschaft von 1765, Hamburg
- 2018 "PROG Marine Regions Forum - Transdisciplinary research for advancing regional ocean governance" at Workshop of the Strategy Group Social Sciences of the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM), 24. and 25. May 2018, Kiel University, Germany
- 2018 "Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG)" at 2nd meeting, UN Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fisheries Bodies on Accelerating Progress toward the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Sustainable Development Goals, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 2017 "Dealing with interactions in the 2030 Agenda: Understanding and assessing the "ocean-goal" SDG 14 for policy and implementation" at Retreat 2017 of the Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean": Future Ocean Sustainability Research - transition to a new phase, Hotel Waldschlösschen, Schleswig, 09.-10.11.2017
- 2017 "SDG 14 Interactions - A first-order assessment of interactions of SDG 14 with other relevant SDGs" at Impacts World 2017, Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK), Kongresshotel Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany. Workshop S5: Land and sea interfaces of the SDGs, Host: Tyler Eddy (Dalhousie University / UBC, Canada)
- 2017 "Understanding and Mapping SDG Synergies and Trade-Offs: SDG Interactions Framework & SDG 14" at Potsdam Summer School, IASS, Potsdam, 05.09.2017
- 2017 SDG 14 Interactions - A first-order assessment of interactions of SDG 14 with other relevant SDGs. IMPACTS WORLD 2017, Session S5, Potsdam, 13.10.2017"
- 2017 Coastal Zones - Challenges for Sustainable Development. Invited talk. European Geography Association for Students and Young Geographers (EGEA), Western Regional Congress, Kiel, 20.03.2017
- 2016 Metrics and evaluation for human well-being and sustainable development: reflecting on linkages, synergies and trade-offs on the example of ocean and coasts. Invited talk. 2nd German Future Earth Summit, Session „Metrics and evaluation for human well-being and sustainable development", Berlin, 28.01.2016
- 2015 Ecosystem services and sustainable development of coastal regions - Conceptualizing 'coastal sustainability'. International Symposium on "Sustainable Ocean Development", New York City, U.S., 28.09.2015
- 2015 Assessing coastal population development: Results and experiences from a global analysis. British Society for Population Studies (BSPS) 2015 Conference, University of Leeds, Leeds, U.K., 09.09.2015
- 2015 Nachhaltige Nutzung von Küsten und Meeren - Chancen und Herausforderungen. Keynote, discussion series „Meere und Küsten in der IZ", Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Eschborn, Germany, 08.06.2015
- 2014 Global change and coastal zones: What does the future hold?. Invited talk. Public evening event "Global change and coastal zones: What future for the ocean, for men... and for fish?", Océanopolis, Brest, France, 12.11.2014
- 2013 Subsidence, natural hazards and coastal change in the Chao Phraya Delta - Assessing vulnerability and sustainability of a coastal socio-ecological system. Workshop on Thai-German Collaborative Researches Program in Marine Sciences, DFG, Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand, 21.-25.05.2013
- 2011 Shifts in Maritime Boundaries due to Sea-Level Rise - Legal implications and Environmental Issues. LOICZ Open Science Conference 2011 'Coastal Systems, Global Change and Sustainability', Session C1/A5, Yantai, China, 12.15.09.2011
- 2011 Geographische Informationssysteme zur Abschätzung von Klimafolgen - Meeresspiegelanstieg im Küstenraum. Invited talk. GEOINFORMATIK 2011 - GEOCHANGE, University of Münster, Münster, Germany, 16.06.2011
- 2008 Are government environment policies and programs helping or hindering human relationships to 'nature'? Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, Berlin, 22.02.2008
- 2006 Supporting the AEMBAC Framework from Ecosystem Analysis to Stakeholder Involvement with IT-Technologies: GIS-based implementation tools and Land Information Systems. International Conference "Sustainable rural development: Applied science for knowledge driven governance", Florence, Italy, 17.11.2006
- 2002 Field Measurements and GIS-based Modelling of Nitrate Leaching from Agricultural Soils in Germany. Department of Biology, University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil, 25.04.2002
- Member of the Commission for the Future of Fisheries (appointed by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture)