| 1. |
- Ebenhard, Torbjörn, et al.
(författare)
-
Environmental effects of brushwood harvesting for bioenergy
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 383, s. 85-98
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sweden aims to increase the proportion of renewable energy sources, ultimately to be able to phase out fossil fuels. To achieve this, new energy sources need to be explored. In this multi-disciplinary article, we examine the technical, economical, ecological and legal possibilities to commercially and sustainably harvest brushwood for bioenergy, while simultaneously gaining positive environmental effects, both for biological diversity, the cultural heritage, and the climate. The Swedish open landscape is becoming covered with secondary brushwood regrowth through natural succession, except where it is kept open. Brushwood is spreading along roads, railway lines, edge zones, in power line corridors, abandoned semi-natural grasslands, nature reserves, and in marginal land in urban areas. Such brushwood consists of saplings, bushes and young trees of a range of deciduous plant species, e.g. birch, aspen, alder and goat willow, sometimes mixed with conifers, often forming dense thickets. Such secondary brushwood regrowth could be systematically utilised as a new source of renewable bioenergy. Commercial brushwood harvesting in Sweden may contribute 26 PJ of energy annually, which may be a small but significant contribution, considering the favourable energy ratio (E-r = 28), indicating that large emission reductions can be achieved, if fossil fuels are replaced. Growing brushwood does not require fertilizers or pesticides, soil tillage or crop management, and it does not compete with any other potential land use. Many brushwood habitats are already being managed to clear brushwood, for other purposes, minimizing the added harvesting cost. Apart from providing bioenergy, it has also been suggested that brushwood harvesting would benefit biological diversity. A large number of nationally redlisted species are dependent on the active management of open habitats, including semi-natural grasslands, and man-made habitats such as road verges and power line corridors. Our literature review shows that brushwood harvesting could benefit both biological diversity and the cultural heritage, and contribute to the management of the open cultural landscape. There are however certain limitations. Brushwood harvesting would favour a certain set of species, including many redlisted, but it may also threaten another set of species, especially species associated with early successional stages of forest regeneration, as well as forest edge species, depending on how and where it is applied. Harvesting may be affected by legislation imposing limitations regarding habitats of particular importance for biodiversity. The environmental and legal constraints would probably reduce the profitability of brushwood harvesting in certain areas, as well as the annual production of bioenergy.
|
|
| 2. |
- Eriksson, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
-
Golf courses as a part of Urban Green Infrastructure: Social aspects of Golf Courses and Extensively Managed Turfgrass areas from Nordic Perspective.
- 2015
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Originated in Scotland in the 15th century the game of golf started to be very popular first in Europe and later in all English colonies and finally, by the end of the 20th century, around the world. In the Nordic countries turf grasses and golf facilities are increasing since the second part of the 20th century. The Nordic golf federations have 900 000 members, playing golf on more than 900 courses that cover a total area of more than 58 000 ha. The popularity of golf is directly connected to the growing of market economy. In the end of the 20th –beginning of the 21 century, in the era of globalisation, golf started to be one of the very important symbols of business success and a very popular pastime game. We research golf courses within the interdisciplinary project “Lawn as the cultural and ecological phenomenon” run by scientists from SLU, Sweden and funded by the Swedish Research Council. One of the goals of this project was to study the gradient of different managed lawns from the most intensively managed to the more meadow like lawns. Golf courses in this sense can be seen as a microcosm itself where all types of planted grass communities (lawns) are presented (fairway, rough and high rough). Six golf courses, two courses nearby three cities (Uppsala, Malmö and Gothenburg) have been investigated. In these courses six holes have been sampled for both environmental and ecological parameters. After contacts and discussions with managers responsible for six golf courses in three regions a total number of 180 interviews been conducted. This research was supported by STERF (Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environmental Research Foundation). Last decade in Sweden there is a growing movement of creating multifunctional golf courses which can provide a whole range of ecosystem services such as improving biodiversity and providing recreational areas which are accessible for the public. STERF is one of the main promoters of this movement. The social part of this study has been focused on golf courses and their significance from the golf players' perspective. The main research question was “What is valued by golfers in their golf course environment when it comes to the green environment and ecological, cultural and social values”. The interviews indicate that the golf course and time spent on the golf course include so much more than the sport itself. For many players the visits at the golf course also act as experience of nature and beautiful surroundings as well as in a social context, a way to stay in shape (fitness) as well as a way to relax (recreation). Natural values that are often mentioned by the interviewees is quiet, peaceful environment (silence), the chirping of birds, butterflies and other small animals as well as shrubs, trees and plantings. Although the existence of "natural environment" is perceived as a positive example, said one of the golfers: "it is so beautiful with birch trees and meadow flowers available as background for this golf course". Golf players also enjoy things like silence, nice smells and sounds from the nature as well as presence of water (lake, pond and river). Golf courses have great potential to support multiple values, for biodiversity and carbon sequestration and social wellbeing of people. Further work in this project will include analysis of trade-offs and synergies between the different research fields.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Ignatieva, Maria, et al.
(författare)
-
Pros and cons of transdisciplinary research: A case study of Swedish lawns and their sustainable alternatives
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. - : Elsevier BV. - 1618-8667 .- 1610-8167. ; 56
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of transdisciplinary research using the results of a research project on lawns carried out in Sweden from 2013 to 2016. We viewed lawns as a complex ecological and cultural phenomenon and searched for different sustainable lawn solutions in urban areas of Sweden.Constraints on the research included the time and effort required for team members to become familiar with the different research approaches, participate in regular meetings and agree on joint methodology. Later in the project, the integration, analysis and understanding of field data, theoretical sources and practical implementation approaches were also time-consuming obstacles. Thus, the initial and final phases of the project were extremely important and demanded a lot of time and effort. Especially challenging was the cross-use of different methodologies from natural and social sciences. Such ambitious multiscale and multitask projects dealing with living urban nature and people require at least five years to complete, rather than the three years typically suggested for classical research projects.The pros of the transdisciplinary approach was its ability to incorporate results of natural and social studies into landscape design, the ability to involve stakeholders in different project activities and to disseminate the research results in practice. This research revealed that lawns are a relatively recent phenomenon that is still expanding globally. The social study component showed that mowing and creating smooth, green lawn surfaces is important to stakeholders (lawn users, planners and managers). However, in Sweden, there is a tendency for local citizens to accept more biodiverse plant communities. Working closely with open-minded stakeholders led to the real implementation of lawn alternatives, which, in turn, increased media attention. The initial concept—that management was a central factor to the whole transdisciplinary project—was confirmed. The goal of this article is to share the unique experiences and lessons learned by researchers of conducting transdisciplinary research and to make such complex research more successful.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Fegraeus, Kim, et al.
(författare)
-
An endothelial regulatory module links blood pressure regulation with elite athletic performance
- 2024
-
Ingår i: PLOS Genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 20:6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The control of transcription is crucial for homeostasis in mammals. A previous selective sweep analysis of horse racing performance revealed a 19.6 kb candidate regulatory region 50 kb downstream of the Endothelin3 (EDN3) gene. Here, the region was narrowed to a 5.5 kb span of 14 SNVs, with elite and sub-elite haplotypes analyzed for association to racing performance, blood pressure and plasma levels of EDN3 in Coldblooded trotters and Standardbreds. Comparative analysis of human HiCap data identified the span as an enhancer cluster active in endothelial cells, interacting with genes relevant to blood pressure regulation. Coldblooded trotters with the sub-elite haplotype had significantly higher blood pressure compared to horses with the elite performing haplotype during exercise. Alleles within the elite haplotype were part of the standing variation in pre-domestication horses, and have risen in frequency during the era of breed development and selection. These results advance our understanding of the molecular genetics of athletic performance and vascular traits in both horses and humans.
|
|
| 8. |
- Eriksson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
-
Behaviour, production and health of organically reared fast-growing broilers fed low crude protein diets including different amino acid contents at start
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A - Animal Science. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0906-4702 .- 1651-1972. ; 60, s. 112-124
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Only fast-growing broilers are available for organic production in Sweden, and due to organic legislations and long rearing periods feed restriction has to be practised. To evaluate the effect on welfare aspects and health, two diets, low in crude protein content, with (LPA) and without amino acid supplements (LP) were fed to 1400 Ross 308 chickens, divided over eight pens in two chicken houses, with access to outdoor pasture. Behavioural observations were conducted at 2, 6 and 10 weeks. In general, birds fed the LP diet used their outdoor pasture more, and showed a higher frequency of behaviours related to feed search, than the LPA birds. The LPA diet resulted in higher live weight, mortality and more leg problems. However, cannibalism outbreaks which are rarely seen in broiler production occurred in the LP birds. This indicates that new problems were introduced that are not beneficial for animal welfare. Furthermore, the behaviour differences related to feed search, changes between behaviours and preening might have indicated a frustration related to the qualitative feed restriction for the chickens given the LP diet.
|
|
| 9. |
- Eriksson, Louise, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
-
Are birdwatchers willing to participate in local goose management? : A case study from Sweden
- 2023
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Wildlife Research. - : Springer. - 1612-4642 .- 1439-0574. ; 69:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stakeholder involvement in wildlife management is important and requires knowledge about factors motivating such participation. With several goose populations increasing in Europe and goose management incorporating multiple objectives, involvement of stakeholder groups with diverse interests is needed. In this study, we examined how evaluations of geese (attitude and acceptance capacity), but also experiences of birdwatching and birdwatcher identity, were associated with willingness to participate in local goose management. A survey among members of Sweden's largest birdwatching organization was conducted (n = 5010). The majority of respondents, 64%, displayed a divided evaluation of geese, most frequently in terms of an overall positive attitude towards geese but a low acceptance for current goose population levels (i.e. acceptance capacity). Birdwatchers' willingness to participate in goose management was generally low. Whereas they were more willing to take part in goose counts (i.e. monitoring) than to participate in local goose management groups, they were least willing to contribute to mitigating crop damage through scaring geese. Results further revealed that birdwatchers with a divided evaluation of geese and an entirely positive evaluation displayed the highest willingness to participate in goose management. However, a stronger distinct birdwatcher identity as a result of more birdwatching experiences was even more strongly associated with higher willingness to take part in goose management. The results highlight a need to intensify efforts to engage stakeholder groups with an interest in conservation issues in the participatory goose management system in Europe.
|
|
| 10. |
- Eriksson, Louise, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
-
The importance of structural, situational, and psychological factors for involving hunters in the adaptive flyway management of geese
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adaptive flyway management of superabundant geese is emerging as a strategy to reduce damage to agricultural crops and other ecosystem disservices, while also ensuring sustainable use and conservation objectives. Given the calls for intensified hunting as part of flyway management in Europe, we need to increase the understanding of structural, situational, and psychological factors important for goose hunting among hunters. Our survey data, retrieved in southern Sweden, showed a higher potential to intensify hunting among goose hunters than other hunters. In response to hypothetical policy instruments (including regulations, collaborative, and others), hunters declared a minor increase in their intention to hunt geese, with the greatest expected increase among goose hunters should the hunting season be extended. Situational factors (e.g., access to hunting grounds) were associated with goose hunting (frequency, bag size, and intention to increase hunting). In addition, controlled motivation (derived from external pressures or to avoid guilt) and more importantly autonomous motivation (due to hunting being enjoyable or valuable) were along with goose hunter identity positively associated with goose hunting. Hunters’ involvement in flyway management may be encouraged by using policy instruments to remove situational barriers and facilitate their autonomous motivation.
|
|
