ökologische

Ökologische is a German adjective used to describe things related to ecology or environmentally friendly practices. It is the inflected form of the base adjective ökologisch and appears before nouns in phrases such as ökologische Landwirtschaft or ökologische Auswirkungen. The term is common across disciplines including biology, environmental science, urban planning, and policy, where it signals a relationship to ecosystems, sustainability, and the balance of living systems.

The noun Ökologie, meaning the science of ecology, was coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866 from Greek roots oikos (household) and logos (study). The related adjective ökologisch derives from Ökologie and is used to describe methods, processes, or concepts that consider ecological relationships and environmental integrity. In German, the form ökologisch or ökologische changes according to gender, number, and case; ökologische appears for feminine singular nouns in certain declensions as well as in the plural.

Usage and examples illustrate its scope. Ökologische Landwirtschaft refers to farming practices that aim to be environmentally sound; ökologische Infrastruktur describes systems designed with ecological considerations; and ökologische Risiken denotes environmental risks. In policy and academic writing, ökologisches Denken highlights the integration of ecological principles into decision making and design, distinguishing it from purely economical or technocratic approaches.

See also: Ökologie, Umwelt, Nachhaltigkeit. The term is often linked to broader discussions of environmental ethics, conservation, and sustainable development, and is sometimes used interchangeably with, though more formal than, the related term bio in consumer contexts.