| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Ebenhard, Torbjörn, et al.
(författare)
-
Lågskogsbruk – biobränsleproduktion i samklang med miljömål
- 2013
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Lågskogsbruk går ut på att återkommande hugga lövträd som slår skott från en gemensam stubb-bas eller sockel. Lågskogens två huvudtyper, skottskogar och hamlingsskogar, kan ses som halvnaturliga biotoper med lång historia och egna utvecklade organismsamhällen, däribland många naturvårdsintressanta arter, som ursprungligen levde i naturliga biotoper som inte längre existerar. Lågskogen erbjuder gamla strukturer och substrat utan att miljön blir kontinuerligt skuggig som i högskog. Det är både möjligt och önskvärt att bedriva ett modernt lågskogsbruk för biomassaproduktion, i synnerhet på marker som idag inte används för skogsbruk eller jordbruksproduktion. Vi bedömer att det finns totalt ca en halv miljon hektar av skyddade områden, restmarker i jordbrukslandskapet, ängs- och hagmarker, väg- och järnvägsområden, kraftledningsgator, samt tätortsnära parker och friluftsområden där lågskogsbruk skulle vara lämpligt. Med en produktion av 2-5 ton biomassa per hektar och år skulle detta kunna ge 10-24 MWh energi per hektar och år, sammanlagt för landet 5-12 TWh per år. Jämfört med de bästa biomassagrödorna (Salix, Miscanthus) har lågskogen inte samma potential som bränsleproducent, men den står sig väl mot raps. Lågskogen är dock mer effektiv än vanliga biomassagrödor med avseende på utsläpp av växthusgaser per producerad energienhet, snabbheten i återinlagring av kol, och gynnandet av biologisk mångfald.
|
|
| 4. |
- Folkeson, Lennart, 1950-, et al.
(författare)
-
Planners' views on cumulative effects : A focus-group study concerning transport infrastructure planning in Sweden
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Land use policy. - : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 30:1, s. 243-253
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cumulative effects (CE) still receive little attention in the Swedish processes for road and railway infrastructure planning. This article seeks to analyse how CE are treated by professionals engaged in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment of roads and railways. The aims were (i) to analyse views of CE held by professionals with long planning practice, (ii) to analyse how planners experience the handling of CE in their daily planning practice, and (iii) to identify means to strengthen the assessment of CE in the Swedish road and railway planning process. The study was performed as an international literature review and two focus groups among planners. Discussions revealed little knowledge and use of the term CE, partly due to lack of incentives and guidance. Little mention was made of research. Participants said EIA work was much directed towards the environmental compartments/aspects listed in the Environmental Code. Environmental impacts designated as significant demanded much work. The discussions revealed a need of more collaboration between various actors in EIA and of novel methods of public participation. Spatial and temporal scales were chosen with little concern of CE. The European Landscape Convention was hoped to enhance CE treatment in EIA. Improvement suggestions include (i) use of the term CE in regulatory instruments, (ii) development of the interplay between CEA practice and CE science, (iii) co-ordination of management of baseline, monitoring and follow-up data, (iv) assessment of CE in relation to project-specific environmental objectives, developed in a bottom-up process, (v) inclusion of CE, within and across environmental aspects, in determining the significance of environmental impacts, (vi) advice on CE treatment in EIA guidelines, (vii) requirement of CE assessment in EIA procurement, (viii) strengthened generalist competence in environmental assessment, and (ix) enhancing skills in stepwise analyses and indirect environmental effects. Research needs include adaptation of the Swedish EIA procedure to international state of the art, knowledge support of quantification in CE assessment, and development of innovative means of public consultation in transport infrastructure planning.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
Abundance of red-listed species in infrastructure habitats - "responsibility species" as a priority-setting tool for transportation agencies' conservation action
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Nature Conservation. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1314-6947 .- 1314-3301. ; , s. 143-158
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Road and railroad verges may contribute to nature conservation by providing habitat for many species, but due to limited resources, there is a need to select the most important road and railroad stretches for adapted management. We explore the responsibility species concept as a tool for the Swedish Transport Administration to make this selection. We propose lists of candidate responsibility species based on relative abundance of conservation priority species in the vicinity of roads and railroads, respectively. Abundance data were derived from crowd-sourced species observations. Species with >= 20% of observations in infrastructure habitats were included as candidate responsibility species. For roads 32 species were included in the list, for railroads seven species, with an overlap of three species between the lists. We analyzed habitat and management requirements of the listed species to try identifying functional groups. Most of the species require open or semi-open habitats, mainly dry grassland or heathland on sandy or limy soil, un-sprayed crop fields, or solitary trees. Host plants or substrates include broom (genus Genista), patches of bare soil, and sun exposed wood. Conservation actions prescribed for the species include, e.g., late or irregular mowing, removal of the field layer, planting of host species, protecting and providing particular substrates, and special protection of certain sites. We argue that road and railroad managers are particularly well suited to conduct most of these actions. We consider the responsibility species concept to be a useful tool for transportation agencies to set priorities for adapted verge management, and the current method to be effective in identifying a first list of candidate species. We discuss the possibility of also identifying responsibility habitats or general management measures based on the results.
|
|
| 7. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof
(författare)
-
Are several small wildlife crossing structures better than a single large? Arguments from the perspective of large wildlife conservation
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature Conservation. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1314-6947 .- 1314-3301. ; , s. 197-213
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Crossing structures for large wildlife are increasingly being constructed at major roads and railways in many countries and current guidelines for wildlife mitigation at linear infrastructures tend to advocate for large crossing structures sited at major movement corridors for the target species. The concept of movement corridors has, however, been challenged and pinching animal movements into bottlenecks entails risks. In this paper, I address the SLOSS dilemma of road ecology, i.e. the discussion whether a Single Large Or Several Small crossing structures along a linear barrier would produce the most benefit for wildlife, using the case of crossing structures for large wildlife in Sweden. I point out risks, ecological as well as practical, with investing in one large crossing structure and list a number of situations where it may be more beneficial to distribute the conservation efforts in the landscape by constructing several smaller crossing structures; for example, when the ecological knowledge is insufficient, when animal interactions are expected to be significant, when the landscape changes over time or when future human development cannot be controlled. I argue that such situations are often what infrastructure planning faces and that the default strategy, therefore, should be to distribute, rather than to concentrate passage opportunities along major transport infrastructures. I suggest that distributing passage opportunities over several smaller crossing structures would convey a risk diversification and that this strategy could facilitate the planning of wildlife mitigation. What to choose would however depend on, inter alia, landscape composition and ecology and on relationships amongst target species. A single large structure should be selected where it is likely that it can serve a large proportion of target animals and where the long-term functionality of the crossing structure can be guaranteed. New research is needed to support trade-offs between size and number of crossing structures. Cost-effectiveness analyses of wildlife crossing structures are currently rare and need to be further explored. Camera trapping and video surveillance of crossing structures provide opportunities to analyse details concerning, for example, any individual biases according to sex, age, status and grouping and any antagonism between species and individuals. Wildlife ecology research needs to better address questions posed by road and railway planning regarding the importance of specific movement routes and movement distances.
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
Assessment of traffic noise impact in important bird sites in Sweden : A practical method for the regional scale
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Oecologia Australis. - : Oecologia Australis. - 2177-6199. ; 17:1, s. 48-62
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous research has pointed out the negative impact of traffic noise on wildlife adjacent to major roads, but despite the scientific evidence, the impact of traffic noise in natural environments is rarely assessed, and even more rarely mitigated, in road planning, in Sweden as well as in most other countries. It has been argued that the reason to this shortcoming is the lack of a practical method to assess this impact on natural environments. We developed a desktop method for assessing the traffic noise impact on areas of importance for nature conservation, with special emphasis on important bird sites. The method output is a calculation of the effective habitat loss due to traffic noise for each site, based on dose-effect relationships presented in literature, available GIS data on selected habitat types, official road data, and a simplified model for noise distribution. The method has a dual purpose; to estimate the impact of traffic noise on birds at larger geographic scales, and to identify priority sites for mitigation efforts. We applied the method in two Swedish regions with relatively low or moderate road and traffic densities. The results from these case studies pointed out that i) at regional level, the impact zone covers a small part of the land area (0.6 and 3.3% of lower and higher density regions, respectively), ii) for certain important bird habitat types, >10% of sites are within the impact zone, iii) the impact from traffic noise represents an effective loss of 0.02-1.7% of the total area of the selected habitat types. The latter figures can be taken as estimates of the present conservation debt of traffic noise. The results indicate that traffic noise may have a disproportionate impact on some important bird habitats. Because bird sites are often rich also in other taxa, and in addition tend to be important areas for outdoor recreation, we argue that traffic noise may have a broad impact on nature conservation, and that mitigation efforts should be made to minimize this impact. We discuss the general applicability of the method.
|
|
| 10. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
Biodiversitet i jernbanehabitater – biologisk kulturarv og grøn infrastruktur
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Jernbanehistorie. - 2245-9499 .- 2446-323X. ; 7, s. 7-35
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The railway network with associated train traffic has a number of well described negative effects on biodiversity, for example loss of natural habitat, barrier and mortality effects, noise disturbance, changes in hydrology, and an increasing fragmentation. However, railway areas such as rail yards, embankments and verges may also provide habitat for many plant and animal species, some of which are rare and endangered while others are invasive aliens. The importance of railway habitats for plant and animal conservation has been acknowledged rather recently, and there are yet much to learn about the ecology of these areas, including their history, ecological functions, and the threats to, prospects for, and management of species of particular importance. The aim of this article is to give an overview of the diversity of species and habitats in Swedish railway areas, suggest a conceptual theory of how these species link to the pre-industrial landscape, describe current goals for and management of railway habitats, and point out the need for future research in the field.Many railway areas in Sweden are characterized by a small-scale habitat mosaic, including micro niches, where species of plants, insects and other invertebrates thrive. Sandy soils and regular vegetation management create dry and sun-exposed “mini steppes” favoring low-growth plants and specialized insects that otherwise have problems surviving in the modern landscape. Frequent disturbances to the ground and soil, caused by a range of human activities, result in ruderal habitats, not least in stations and rail yards where vegetation can be found in various early successional stages. Stands of flowering plants such as blueweed, bluebells, legumes and hawkweeds constitute nectar and pollen resources and host plants for a range of beetles, bees, bugs and butterflies. Patches of bare soil create habitat for nest digging bees and groundliving carabid beetles. Objects such as solitary trees or rose shrubs, stone walls, older wood constructions and wood piles provide substrate for many lichen and insect species and may therefore also be of conservation value. Seeds and invertebrates dispersing along railway verges and hitch-hiking with vehicles further contribute to the variety of species.During assessments of species (selected taxa) and habitats in 747 Swedish rail yards and stations in 2008-2018, a total of ca 2,700 species were recorded, of which 123 species are red-listed. Some 40% of the recorded species could be labelled railway associated, meaning that they significantly benefit from and contribute to the railway habitats, but are also found in similar habitats elsewhere in the landscape. Some 3% of the species are railway bound, meaning that they depend on railway habitats and are largely lacking in other areas. A total of 237 of the rail yards and stations were classified as species rich, i.e. with records of species of particular importance or with the right conditions for such species. This classification can serve to point out railway areas for special conservation action.Species favored by dry and warm conditions (referred to as xerotermophilic) can be assumed to have evolved in natural steppe or ruderal grassland. Such species found new niches and spread to new areas in the historical agricultural landscape. In Sweden before industrialization, the agricultural landscape was dominated by grasslands required to feed large stocks of domestic animals, many forests were sparse and semi-open, soils were emaciated, and frequent human and livestock activities in the landscape such as trampling, digging, cutting etc. mimicked natural disturbance regimes. With the industrialization, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the landscape started undergoing large changes and the conditions diminished for the many species linked to open, dry grasslands. However, in the same period the national railway network was established, and many of the species found recourse in railway areas, which again provided conditions resembling natural habitats and ecological processes. The railway network reached through a landscape of grasslands, villages and farms, and species could easily spread into their new habitats. While sparse and sometimes declining, the xerothermophilic species and the sandy, ruderal grasslands found in railway areas could be considered a biological heritage from the pre-industrial landscape. Still today the railway verges may serve as ecological corridors that functionally connect remnant habitats. Railway areas provide a combination of ancient and new conditions for biodiversity and may form an ecological bridge in both time and space -- thereby being part of the landscape´s green infrastructure.The Swedish Transport Administration, the authority in charge of the management of railway areas, currently acknowledges the significance of species conservation in railway habitats, and state in their regulatory documents that species rich railway habitats should be maintained and if possible created, in order to strengthen the green infrastructure and to avoid habitat loss. Efforts are made to adapt the current railway maintenance, to build knowledge, and enable research and experimental management, to reach this goal.Possible adaptations of regular vegetation maintenance in railway areas may include i) postponed vegetation cutting, ii) cutting targeted to certain areas, iii) control of alien invasive species, iv) removal of cutting mulch, v) controlled burning and iv) livestock grazing. Other examples of management actions to benefit species conservation in railway areas are i) ground scarification, ii) providing open sand, iii) uprooting of woody shrub, iv) seeding with desired species such as host plants or nectar and pollen plants for insects. Also regional railway managers, as well as nature conservation authorities and NGOs, should take part in this endeavor, to help prioritizing the efforts and set them in relation to conservation efforts in the surrounding landscape.The toolbox for railway habitat management needs development. Any adapted management measures should be carefully monitored, in order to build knowledge about their conservation potential and their cost-effectiveness. We also need a better general understanding of the ecology of railway habitats and of the threats to their conservation. However, already the current level of knowledge vouch for immediate action, at selected sites in the existing railway network and in all railway (re-)construction projects.
|
|
| 11. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof
(författare)
-
Buller i naturområden ignoreras
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Biodiverse. - 1401-5064. ; 14, s. 6-6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
|
|
| 12. |
|
|
| 13. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof
(författare)
-
Effectiveness of small road tunnels and fences in reducing amphibian roadkill and barrier effects at retrofitted roads in Sweden
- 2019
-
Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Schemes to reduce road impacts on amphibians have been implemented for decades in Europe, yet, several aspects on the effectiveness of such schemes remain poorly understood. Particularly in northern Europe, including Sweden, there is a lack of available information on road mitigation for amphibians, which is hampering implementation progress and cost-effectiveness analyses of mitigation options. Here, we present data derived from systematic counts of amphibians during spring migration at three previous hot-spots for amphibian roadkill in Sweden, where amphibian tunnels with guiding fences have been installed. We used the data in combination with a risk model to estimate the number of roadkills and successful crossings before vs. after mitigation and mitigated vs. adjacent non-mitigated road sections. In mitigated road sections, the estimated number of amphibians killed or at risk of being killed by car traffic decreased by 85-100% and the estimated number successfully crossing the road increased by 25-340%. Data, however, suggested fence-end effects that may moderate the reduction in roadkill. We discuss possible explanations for the observed differences between sites and construction types, and implications for amphibian conservation. We show how effectiveness estimates can be used for prioritizing amphibian passages along the existing road network. Finally, we emphasize the importance of careful monitoring of amphibian roadkill and successful crossings before and after amphibian passages are constructed.
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
|
|
| 16. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof
(författare)
-
Förlusten av mörker
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Biodiverse. - 1401-5064. ; 25, s. 5-7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
|
|
| 17. |
|
|
| 18. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
Ljusets biologi
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Biodiverse. - 1401-5064. ; 25, s. 8-9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
|
|
| 19. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof
(författare)
-
Predicted impacts of transport infrastructure and traffic on bird conservation in Swedish Special Protection Areas
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Nature Conservation. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1314-6947 .- 1314-3301. ; , s. 1-16
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ecological impacts of roads and railways extend into the surrounding landscape, leading to habitat degradation and reduced wildlife densities within an area that is considerably larger than the actual road or railway corridor. For birds, an extensive meta-analysis has identified an average of 20% density reduction within 1 km from the infrastructure. I investigated to what extent this density reduction can be expected to compromise the habitat quality and conservation value of Swedish Natura 2000 areas designated for the protection of birds (Special Protection Areas; SPAs). The majority (63%) of Swedish SPAs are, to some extent, found within this 1 km road/railway effect zone (REZ). The total overlap between SPA and REZ is approximately 126,000 ha or 4.2% of the country's SPA area. There are, however, large differences amongst bio-geographical regions. In the southern (continental) and coastal regions combined, 25.8% of the total SPA area fall within REZ, representing an estimated 4-7% reduction in bird abundance within SPAs. The probability of overlap with REZ is higher for larger SPAs. However, the proportion of overlap is higher for smaller SPAs and, accordingly, smaller sites can be assumed to experience a greater impact from transport infrastructure and traffic. The impacts on Natura 2000 sites are particularly concerning as this network of protected areas is a cornerstone for maintenance and restoration of biodiversity within the EU. I recommend placing a stronger emphasis in the management of Natura 2000 sites on the threats to wildlife conservation caused by transport infrastructure and traffic. Special attention should be paid to sites with a large overlap with the REZ and sites hosting particularly vulnerable taxa or habitats. Infrastructure owners and managers should make their best efforts to minimise and compensate for the negative impacts of roads and railways and associated traffic in SPAs and other protected areas.
|
|
| 20. |
|
|
| 21. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
Så har blomsterlupin spridit sig i Mellansverige
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift. - 0039-646X. ; 116, s. 112-119
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Garden lupin Lupinus polyphyllus is one of the most problematic invasive alien plant species in Sweden. It is particularly common in road verges where they may threaten biodiversity. We present the results from a study of the distribution of garden lupins in the road network in a 130 km2 area in south central Sweden, following a new census method intended to function as a standard for the Swedish Transport Administration. The complete road network in the area was censused (192 km), from highway to minor forest roads. Lupin stands were found in ~4 percent of major roads and ~2 percent of minor, private roads; yet most lupin stands were found in the minor roads because minor roads are more abundant. A majority of lupin stands (76%) were concentrated around houses with gardens, indicating gardens as the primary source for lupins in the area. The authors propose a strategy for lupin control depending on density: large, dense stands are contained, small stands are eradicated, only lupin free soil is used in road management and local actors are informed in order to prevent further spread.
|
|
| 22. |
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
The impacts of wind power on terrestrial mammals : A synthesis
- 2012
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We compiled available knowledge and experience of the impact of wind power on terrestrial mammals, both wild and domestic. The literature in the field is very limited, so we also tried to draw lessons from related fields, such as disturbance from noise, construction work, traffic, hunting and outdoor activities, and the effects of habitat change.Although the knowledge is generally sparse, the summary shows that it is possible that terrestrial mammals, especially large carnivores and ungulates including domestic reindeer, are affected by wind power development in various ways.For the larger game species as well as domestic reindeer, the influence from wind power should primarily be due to the network of access roads to the turbines. The main factor is probably the increased access for recreation, hunting and leisure traffic. It is well known that interference from such human activities can impact moose, wild deer, domestic reindeer and large carnivores, and in effect cause a habitat loss.New wind power farms are expected to be situated in more remote, upland, currently roadless areas, at least in the forested landscape. Such areas may serve as refugia for e.g. large predators or as important grazing areas for ungulates. Accordingly, wind power and associated infrastructure in these areas may have an impact on the population level of these species.By contrast, the habitat changes caused by access roads are not necessarily a problem for the larger mammal species. Open land, new edge zones and roadsides could rather benefit many wildlife species. Open land and edges create new browsing areas; roads can facilitate animal movement in the landscape or help animals escaping parasitic insects.The effects of power lines on reindeer tend to differ depending on the geographic scale studied; on a regional scale, an avoidance of large areas around power lines may be observed, while no effects have been shown for reindeer studied near power lines.A few studies available on wild deer, reindeer and large carnivores during construction work suggest that these animals may temporarily avoid wind farms during this period. However, the data is not conclusive.Noise emissions from wind turbines can theoretically disturb animal communication, and also visual stimuli (including reflections, shadows and lighting) may annoy or stress both wildlife and livestock. However, the few studies available suggest the lack of such effects, or a swift habituation to the disturbance, and therefore a limited impact.Animals may also get accustomed to the other disturbances from wind power. For example, both domestic and wild reindeer appear to remain in areas despite human presence, at least when no alternative areas are available. The ability to habituate varies with species, sex, age, individual, time of year, type of disturbance, and how frequent and predictable disturbances are, so overall, habituation cannot be presupposed.There may be differences in the response to disturbance, depending on landscape and current land use. In already disturbed areas, such as most agricultural landscapes, wind power may not affect the occurring species to the same extent as it would in more sparsely populated forest and mountain areas.The effects may also depand on the size of the wind farm. At the construction of large wind farms, even small and localised effects may sum up to significant impact, with consequences at the population level.Our summary highlights the large knowledge gaps in the field and indicates the need for research as well as for efficient environmental monitoring. Of particular need is to study the effects of noise and visual impacts from the turbines. Also studies are needed on the localisation of new wind power in relation to areas of particular value for ungulates and large predators. It is important that the potential cumulative impacts of wind power are considered, as these may lead to consequences at the population level and thus be most relevant from a conservation perspective.To address the large knowledge gaps, it is crucial that monitoring programs for new wind power are set up to create new, generalisable knowledge. We describe some principles that should be followed to achieve this. It is also important that monitoring programs are coordinated nationally and that the data are analysed on a comprehensive level.
|
|
| 25. |
- Helldin, Jan Olof
(författare)
-
Transporternas osynliga effekter
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Biodiverse. - 1401-5064. ; 14, s. 2-2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
|
|
