SYMOBIO

Motivation

SIMOBIO is a joint project to develop a scientific basis for systemic monitoring and modeling of the bioeconomy (BÖ) in Germany. The bioeconomy refers to the part of the economy that produces, processes, consumes and utilizes biogenic products: from agriculture, forestry and fisheries to the processing of renewable raw materials, the use of biotechnological processes or the furniture trade, waste management and the production of bioenergy.

The Federal Government plans to develop a regular monitoring system for bioenergy as a basis for sound policy-making and public debate. It should make both potential and undesirable developments visible. Regular reports are also intended to raise public awareness of the issue of bioenergy.

Objectives and procedure

In a pilot phase (project phase 1) lasting three years, the scientific basis for the monitoring was developed. The environmental impact of the bioeconomy along the entire production chain is being investigated. To this end, the entire use of resources, the environmental and climate impact of the bio-based economic sectors and their overall economic performance are recorded and balanced. The aim of this study is to bring together the various aspects of BÖ in a systemic monitoring system:

1. To define a suitable framework for systemic BÖ monitoring
2. To develop a model system for quantifying and evaluating the performance of the German public transport sector in terms of sustainability at national and international level
3. Evaluate the possible future development of key drivers for the transformation of the public sector
4. Model the future development of the German GA and its environmental, economic and social impacts, including footprints
5. Analyze the conceptual approach of certification schemes
6. Produce a pilot monitoring report and develop a learning monitoring system that can be updated, including remote sensing, and a web tool that informs users about the key characteristics of the GA.

Innovations and perspectives

In project phase 1, the FG GNR was involved in two work packages on the topics of "Sustainable agricultural cropping systems for the production of raw materials for the bioeconomy" and "Remote sensing assessment of the impact of an expansion of biogas production on the diversity of agricultural cropping systems".

An innovative method was developed to detect land use changes and different intensities of land management based on Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery. The method was tested in a study area in northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony to observe the conversion of grassland to arable land over time. The results showed an increase in maize acreage and a decrease in the proportion of grassland, which can be attributed to the increase in bioenergy production. However, the developed satellite data models should be further improved and validated for different regions in order to use remote sensing as a tool to monitor land use and land cover changes due to bioeconomy activities.

In the second phase of the project, the change in land use and land cover due to bioeconomy activities will be monitored in a larger area in Germany using time series satellite data. The transferability of the model from one region to another will be evaluated.