| 1. |
- Angelstam, Per, et al.
(author)
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Solving Problems in Social-Ecological Systems : Definition, Practice and Barriers of Transdisciplinary Research
- 2013
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In: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 42:2, s. 254-265
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Translating policies about sustainable development as a social process and sustainability outcomes into the real world of social-ecological systems involves several challenges. Hence, research policies advocate improved innovative problem-solving capacity. One approach is transdisciplinary research that integrates research disciplines, as well as researchers and practitioners. Drawing upon 14 experiences of problem-solving, we used group modeling to map perceived barriers and bridges for researchers' and practitioners' joint knowledge production and learning towards transdisciplinary research. The analysis indicated that the transdisciplinary research process is influenced by (1) the amount of traditional disciplinary formal and informal control, (2) adaptation of project applications to fill the transdisciplinary research agenda, (3) stakeholder participation, and (4) functional team building/development based on self-reflection and experienced leadership. Focusing on implementation of green infrastructure policy as a common denominator for the delivery of ecosystem services and human well-being, we discuss how to diagnose social-ecological systems, and use knowledge production and collaborative learning as treatments.
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| 2. |
- Beery, Thomas H., et al.
(author)
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Fostering incidental experiences of nature through green infrastructure planning
- 2017
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In: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 46:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Concern for a diminished human experience of nature and subsequent decreased human well-being is addressed via a consideration of green infrastructure’s potential to facilitate unplanned or incidental nature experience. Incidental nature experience is conceptualized and illustrated in order to consider this seldom addressed aspect of human interaction with nature in green infrastructure planning. Special attention has been paid to the ability of incidental nature experience to redirect attention from a primary activity toward an unplanned focus (in this case, nature phenomena). The value of such experience for human well-being is considered. The role of green infrastructure to provide the opportunity for incidental nature experience may serve as a nudge or guide toward meaningful interaction. These ideas are explored using examples of green infrastructure design in two Nordic municipalities: Kristianstad, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. The outcome of the case study analysis coupled with the review of literature is a set of sample recommendations for how green infrastructure can be designed to support a range of incidental nature experiences with the potential to support human well-being.
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| 3. |
- Callaghan, Terry, et al.
(author)
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Multi-Decadal Changes in Tundra Environments and Ecosystems : Synthesis of the International Polar Year-Back to the Future Project (IPY-BTF)
- 2011
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In: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 40:6, s. 705-716
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding the responses of tundra systemsto global change has global implications. Most tundraregions lack sustained environmental monitoring and oneof the only ways to document multi-decadal change is toresample historic research sites. The International PolarYear (IPY) provided a unique opportunity for such researchthrough the Back to the Future (BTF) project (IPY project#512). This article synthesizes the results from 13 paperswithin this Ambio Special Issue. Abiotic changes includeglacial recession in the Altai Mountains, Russia; increasedsnow depth and hardness, permafrost warming, andincreased growing season length in sub-arctic Sweden;drying of ponds in Greenland; increased nutrient availabilityin Alaskan tundra ponds, and warming at mostlocations studied. Biotic changes ranged from relativelyminor plant community change at two sites in Greenland tomoderate change in the Yukon, and to dramatic increasesin shrub and tree density on Herschel Island, and in subarcticSweden. The population of geese tripled at one sitein northeast Greenland where biomass in non-grazed plotsdoubled. A model parameterized using results from a BTFstudy forecasts substantial declines in all snowbeds andincreases in shrub tundra on Niwot Ridge, Colorado overthe next century. In general, results support and provideimproved capacities for validating experimental manipulation,remote sensing, and modeling studies.
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| 4. |
- Elmberg, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Movements and habitat choice of resident and translocated adult female Grass Snakes (Natrix natrix) during the egg-laying period
- 2019
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In: Herpetological Journal. - : BRITISH HERPETOL SOC. - 0268-0130. ; 29:4, s. 244-250
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We used externally applied transmitters to study movements of female grass snakes (Natrix natrix) during the egg-laying period in a near-urban landscape in Sweden. Half of the studied snakes were residents while the other half were translocated individuals with no previous experience of the area. As predicted, resident females moved more goal-oriented and shorter distances than did translocated individuals. Habitat use did not differ between resident and translocated snakes; they were typically found in bushes, reeds, and tall vegetation. Habitat preference (use in relation to availability) showed that bushy habitats, tall grassy vegetation and reedbeds were over-used in proportion to availability, whereas forest and open grass lawns were used less than expected based on availability. Our study highlights the importance of preserving and restoring linear habitat components providing shelter and connectivity in conservation of grass snakes. We suggest that externally applied transmitters are a better option than surgically implanted ones in movement studies of grass snakes, and that translocation as a conservation method for snakes has drawbacks.
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| 5. |
- Felton, Adam, et al.
(author)
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Projecting impacts of anthropogenic climatic change on the bird communities of southern Swedish spruce monocultures : will the species poor get poorer?
- 2014
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In: Ornis Fennica. - : University of Helsinki. - 0030-5685. ; 91:1, s. 1-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The potential impact of climatic change on bird species' distributions in Europe was recently modeled for several scenarios of projected late 21st century climate. The results indicate mean range shifts of hundreds of kilometres north for many of European bird species. Here we consider the implications from such distributional shifts for the bird communities of Norway spruce (Picea abies) monocultures in southern Sweden, a forest type likely to remain prevalent due to forestry, despite climate change. Our assessment led us to three key findings. First, the monocultures offer suitable habitat to only two bird species projected to extend their breeding distribution northwards into southern Sweden this century. Second, species richness was projected to decline overall, which would accentuate the depauperate nature of these stands. Third, all conifer-associated arboreal granivores and three of four conifer-associated arboreal insectivores were projected not to occur, reducing both the functional richness and functional redundancy. We discuss caveats related to our approach, including the potential for bioclimatic projections - used in this study - to be hampered by the artificial retention of dominant vegetation. We also discuss the implications of our results for avian biodiversity in what is today the most prevalent forest type in southern Sweden and in many other regions of Europe.
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| 6. |
- Giusti, Matteo, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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A Framework to Assess Where and How Children Connect to Nature
- 2018
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The design of the green infrastructure in urban areas largely ignores how people's relation to nature, or human-nature connection (HNC), can be nurtured. One practical reason for this is the lack of a framework to guide the assessment of where people, and more importantly children, experience significant nature situations and establish nature routines. This paper develops such a framework. We employed a mixed-method approach to understand what qualities of nature situations connect children to nature (RQ1), what constitutes children's HNC (RQ2), and how significant nature situations and children's HNC relate to each other over time (RQ3). We first interviewed professionals in the field of connecting children to nature (N = 26), performed inductive thematic analysis of these interviews, and then further examined the inductive findings by surveying specialists (N = 275). We identified 16 qualities of significant nature situations (e.g., “awe,” “engagement of senses,” “involvement of mentors”) and 10 abilities that constitute children's HNC (e.g., “feeling comfortable in natural spaces,” “feeling attached to natural spaces,” “taking care of nature”). We elaborated three principles to answer our research questions: (1) significant nature situations are various and with differing consequences for children's HNC; (2) children's HNC is a complex embodied ability; (3) children's HNC progresses over time through diverse nature routines. Together, these findings form the Assessment framework for Children's Human Nature Situations (ACHUNAS). ACHUNAS is a comprehensive framework that outlines what to quantify or qualify when assessing “child-nature connecting” environments. It guides the assessment of where and how children connect to nature, stimulating both the design of nature-connecting human habitats as well as pedagogical approaches to HNC.
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| 7. |
- Hagman, Mattias, et al.
(author)
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Grass snakes (Natrix natrix) in Sweden decline together with their anthropogenic nesting-environments
- 2012
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In: Herpetological Journal. - : British Herpetological Society. - 0268-0130. ; 22:3, s. 199-202
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper we show that the number of grass snake (Natrix natrix L.) specimens deposited in Swedish museum collections has declined in the last eighty years, and that this is correlated with a dramatic national decrease in the number of livestock holdings. These results support the hypothesis that Swedish grass snakes are declining and that this may be linked to a loss of important nesting-environments provided by open manure heaps in small-scale farming. Our study suggests that information obtained from museum databases potentially may be used to explore population trends for snakes and other reptiles.
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| 8. |
- Perry, D, et al.
(author)
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Global environmental changes negatively impact temperate seagrass ecosystems
- 2019
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In: Ecosphere. - : Wiley. - 2150-8925. ; 10:12, s. 1-18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The oceans are increasingly affected by multiple aspects of global change, with substantial impacts on ecosystem functioning and food-web dynamics. While the effects of single factors have been extensively studied, it has become increasingly evident that there is a need to unravel the complexities related to a multiple stressor environment. In a mesocosm experimental study, we exposed a simplified, multi-trophic seagrass ecosystem (composed of seagrass, two shrimp species, and two intermediate predatory fish species) to three global change factors consisting of simulated storm events (Storms), heat shocks (Heat), and ocean acidification (OA), and the combination of all three factors (All). The most striking result indicated that when all factors were combined, there was a negative influence at all trophic levels, while the treatments with individual factors revealed species-specific response patterns. It appeared, however, that single factors may drive the multi-stressor response. All single factors (i.e., Storms, Heat, and OA) had either negative, neutral, or positive effects on fish and shrimp, whereas no effect was recorded for any single stressor on seagrass plants. The findings demonstrate that when several global change factors appear simultaneously, they can have deleterious impacts on seagrass ecosystems, and that the nature of factors and food-web composition may determine the sensitivity level of the system. In a global change scenario, this may have serious and applicable implications for the future of temperate seagrass ecosystems.
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