Since February 2010, the Institute for Applied Ecology, with its headquarters in Neu Broderstorf near Rostock, has been a member of the GICON Group.  For more than 15 years, terrestrial and aquatic biotopes and ecosystems have been researched and evaluated at IfAÖ.  A central focal point has been ecological monitoring, which flows into recommendations for national as well as European environmental protection guidelines (EU Water Framework Directive, Fauna Flora Habitat Directive), land use planning, and environmental planning.