On this year's Earth Day, April 22, 2025, Prof. Dr. Robert Arlinghaus was awarded the National Frontiers Planet Prize! The award recognizes pioneering scientific work that demonstrates ways in which we can live within planetary boundaries. The prize honors his groundbreaking study on the effectiveness of ecosystem-based restoration measures in quarry ponds - published in SCIENCE.
“We have put the likelihood of success of ecosystem-based measures on a scientific basis. It is crucial that the improvement of ecosystems includes the most important limiting habitats.”
- Prof. Robert Arlinghaus
The award-winning research deals with the question of how fish stocks in lakes can be improved through targeted ecological enhancement measures. In close cooperation with fishing clubs in Lower Saxony, the BAGGERSEE project spent six years investigating the effects of releasing fish on fish stocks compared to habitat enhancement. The result: habitat improvements work better than fish stocking. In particular, shallow bank zones, deadwood structures and near-natural bank design make a significant contribution to creating habitats for fish and promoting species diversity in the long term.
These findings have far-reaching implications for water protection and fisheries management: instead of expensive and often ecologically questionable stocking measures, near-natural renaturation offers a more sustainable and effective alternative.
Population dynamic mechanisms emerging from ecosystem-based habitat management through creating shallow littoral zones and coarse woody habitat addition, and from species-focused stocking management. Source: Radinger et al. (2023), Science 379, 946–951
With the award as National Champion, Arlinghaus is now one of 19 researchers worldwide who will move on to the next round of the international competition. In June 2025, three International Champions will be selected - each of them will receive a research prize of 1 million US dollars to further develop their projects!
The Frontiers Planet Prize was established by the Swiss Frontiers Research Foundation. Its aim is to promote transformative knowledge that contributes to solving the most pressing environmental problems of our time.
© Stefan Klenke
The award joins a whole series of important honors that Robert Arlinghaus has received in recent years:
Back in 2020, he was honored with the Communicator Award from the DFG and the Stifterverband for his outstanding science communication.
This was followed in 2022 by the Circle U. Prize from the Alliance of Research-intensive European Universities for his interdisciplinary research.
And just recently, in 2024, he was awarded the “Research in Responsibility” prize at the 30th annual conference of the Leibniz Association - for his practical work on socio-ecological human-environment systems in fisheries.
He and his interdisciplinary team have been working for many years at the interface between ecology, fisheries science and society - always with the aim of developing scientifically sound, practical solutions for the sustainable use of our inland waters.
More about the Frontiers Planet Prize 2025
Robert Arlinghaus was honored as one of 19 National Champions worldwide.
→ To the official announcement
→ To the study in SCIENCE
→ More about the BAGGERSEE project
→ To the press release