| 1. |
- Graversgaard, Morten, et al.
(author)
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Policies for wetlands implementation in Denmark and Sweden - historical lessons and emerging issues
- 2021
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In: Land use policy. - : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 101
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Natural wetlands used to cover a significant part of the landscape, but these ecosystems have declined by >50% worldwide, and even more in Denmark and Sweden. However, since the 1980s, various policies have been implemented to restore and create wetlands. This study provides a comprehensive historical overview of policies used to stimulate the creation and restoration of wetlands in Denmark and Sweden, and also analyses what factors have facilitated participation or have been barriers for landowners. The analysis of wetlands implementation programmes in Denmark showed a change towards narrower focus on nitrogen reduction from 1998 and onwards, whereas policies in Sweden often have had a wider multifunctional purpose. In both countries, there has been a change in the compensation structure from a lump sum to annual payments, parallel to an observed increase in costs for wetlands implementation. There is still a large potential for recreating many more wetlands, and the national targets have not been reached in neither Denmark nor Sweden. Key success factors, for future wetlands implementation are sufficient compensation levels, flexible scheme designs and information-based strategies documenting relevant benefits and sustainability issues. In general, more advice and support from the state, regional and local participants, and farmers organisations, are required to increase the participation and achieve successful and cost-efficient wetlands implementation. A collaborative and catchment-based approach holds promise, where wetland governance can serve as a platform for collaboration between policy bodies and between farmers. Additionally, politicians and decision makers need to accept the area targets presented to them when setting policy goals for wetlands implementation, and to accept that restoring and constructing wetlands requires long implementation times before results can be demonstrated.
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| 2. |
- Hoffmann, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Improved Alkyl Glycoside Synthesis by trans-Glycosylation through Tailored Microenvironments of Immobilized β-Glucosidase
- 2020
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In: ChemPlusChem. - : Wiley. - 2192-6506. ; 85:1, s. 137-141
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present how the microenvironment can directly improve biocatalytic selectivity of immobilized β-glucosidase. β-Glucosidase from Thermotoga neapolitana was immobilized on a variety of functionalized off-stoichiometric thiol-ene (OSTE) particles, where highest activities were observed for thiol and imidazole functional particles. Compared to the soluble enzyme, the selectivity (rs/rh) between trans-glycosylation of p-nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG) with 1-propanol over hydrolysis was increased by a factor of 2–3 using particles containing imidazole (rs/rh of 6.7) and carboxylic acid moieties (rs/rh of 9.2), respectively. These results demonstrate clearly that enzyme selectivity depends directly on the local environment of the enzyme with the support.
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| 3. |
- Land, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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How effective are created or restored freshwater wetlands for nitrogen and phosphorus removal? A systematic review
- 2016
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In: Environmental Evidence. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2047-2382. ; 5:1
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Eutrophication of aquatic environments is a major environmental problem in large parts of the world. In Europe, EU legislation (the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive), international conventions (OSPAR, HELCOM) and national environmental objectives emphasize the need to reduce the input of nutrients to freshwater and marine environments. A widely used method to achieve this is to allow water to pass through a created or restored wetland. However, the large variation in measured nutrient removal rates in such wetlands calls for a systematic review. Methods: Searches for primary studies were performed in electronic databases and on the internet. One author performed the screening of all retrieved articles at the title and abstract level. To check that the screening was consistent and complied with the agreed inclusion/exclusion criteria, subsets of 100 articles were screened by the other authors. When screening at full-text level the articles were evenly distributed among the authors. Kappa tests were used to evaluate screening consistency. Relevant articles remaining after screening were critically appraised and assigned to three quality categories, from two of which data were extracted. Quantitative synthesis consists of meta-analyses and response surface analyses. Regressions were performed using generalized additive models that can handle nonlinear relationships and interaction effects. Results: Searches generated 5853 unique records. After screening on relevance and critical appraisal, 93 articles including 203 wetlands were used for data extraction. Most of the wetlands were situated in Europe and North America. The removal rate of both total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) is highly dependent on the loading rate. Significant relationships were also found for annual average air temperature (T) and wetland area (A). Median removal rates of TN and TP were 93 and 1.2 g m-2 year-1, respectively. Removal efficiency for TN was significantly correlated with hydrologic loading rate (HLR) and T, and the median was 37 %, with a 95 % confidence interval of 29-44 %. Removal efficiency for TP was significantly correlated with inlet TP concentration, HLR, T, and A. Median TP removal efficiency was 46 % with a 95 % confidence interval of 37-55 %. Although there are small differences in average values between the two quality categories, the variation is considerably smaller among high quality studies compared to studies with lower quality. This suggests that part of the large variation between studies may be explained by less rigorous study designs. Conclusions: On average, created and restored wetlands significantly reduce the transport of TN and TP in treated wastewater and urban and agricultural runoff, and may thus be effective in efforts to counteract eutrophication. However, restored wetlands on former farmland were significantly less efficient than other wetlands at TP removal. In addition, wetlands with precipitation-driven HLRs and/or hydrologic pulsing show significantly lower TP removal efficiencies compared to wetlands with controlled HLRs. Loading rate (inlet concentrations × hydraulic loading rates) needs to be carefully estimated as part of the wetland design. More research is needed on the effects of hydrologic pulsing on wetlands. There is also a lack of evidence for long-term (>20 years) performance of wetlands.
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| 4. |
- Land, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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How effective are created or restored freshwater wetlands for nitrogen and phosphorus removal? A systematic review protocol
- 2013
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In: Environmental Evidence. - : BioMed Central. - 2047-2382. ; 2:16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Eutrophication of aquatic environments is a major environmental problem in large parts of the world.In Europe, EU legislation (the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive),international conventions (OSPAR, HELCOM) and national environmental objectives emphasize the need to reducethe input of plant nutrients to freshwater and marine environments. A widely used method to achieve this is to letwater pass through a constructed or restored wetland (CW). However, the large variation in measured nutrientremoval rates in such wetlands calls for a systematic review. The objective of this review is to quantify nitrogen andphosphorus removal rates in constructed or restored wetlands and relate them to wetland characteristics, loading characteristics, and climate factors. Wetlands are created to treat water from a number of different sources. Sources that will be considered in this review include agricultural runoff and urban storm water run-off, as well as aquaculture wastewater and outlets from domestic wastewater treatment plants, with particular attention to thesituation in Sweden. Although the performance of wetlands in temperate and boreal regions is most relevant tothe Swedish stakeholders a wider range of climatic conditions will be considered in order to make a thorough evaluation of climatic factors.Methods: Searches for primary studies will be performed in electronic databases as well as on the internet. Oneauthor will perform the screening of all retrieved articles at the title and abstract level. To check that the screeningis consistent and complies with the agreed inclusion/exclusion criteria, subsets of 100 articles will be screened by the other authors. When screening at full-text level the articles will be evenly distributed among the authors. Kappatests will be used to evaluate screening consistency. Data synthesis will be based on meta-regression. The nutrient removal rates will be taken as response variables and the effect modifiers will be used as explanatory variables. More specifically, the meta-regression will be performed using generalized additive models that can handle nonlinear relationships and major interaction effects. Furthermore, subgroup analyses will be undertaken to elucidate statistical relationships that are specific to particular types of wetlands.
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| 5. |
- Lind, Linus, et al.
(author)
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Nitrate removal capacity and nitrous oxide production in soil profiles of nitrogen loaded riparian wetlands inferred by laboratory microcosms
- 2013
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In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0038-0717 .- 1879-3428. ; 60, s. 156-164
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Riparian wetlands located in agricultural catchments may often receive a high nitrate (NO3−) load because of the leaching of nutrients derived from upland farming activities. Nitrate can be removed in wetland soils by denitrification which is the reduction of NO3− to the gaseous forms nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2). However, the release of N2O is detrimental to the environment because N2O is a potent greenhouse gas. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the factors controlling the production of N2O and at evaluating the risk for N2O emissions from riparian wetland soils. In a laboratory setup, we simulated an upward flow of NO3− enriched groundwater through intact soil cores collected from four wetlands with contrasting soil characteristics. The results showed a rapid reduction of the NO3− fluxes, supporting the effectiveness of wetlands for removal of N. However, during the reduction of NO3− transient accumulation of N2O was observed, but the N2O concentration decreased with declining NO3− availability. In this study, the NO3− load was revealed as the only significant factor controlling both NO3− reduction and N2O production. Our results confirm the capacity of wetlands to remove large amounts of N, but it also showed that substantial emission of N2O might occur if the reduction of NO3− is not complete, a matter to be considered when diverting N rich waters toward wetlands.
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| 6. |
- Sandin, Leonard, et al.
(author)
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Working with Nature-Based Solutions: Synthesis and mapping of status in the Nordics
- 2023
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The world is currently facing a biodiversity and climate crisis which are globally interlinked. Nature-based solutions (NBS), defined as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature” is part of the solution to these challenges. Here we give a status overview of nature-based solutions in the Nordic countries, obtained within the S-ITUATION project[1] focusing on 1) what is the current status of research on NBS in the Nordic countries? 2) what policy framework(s) exist for NBS in the Nordic countries? 3) what challenges do Nordic countries experience in the process of mainstreaming NBS? 4) what key examples of projects implementing NBS exist in the Nordic countries? We have done this using several approaches: 1) a review of the academic literature, providing insights on the status of research on NBS in the Nordic countries; 2) a grey literature review in each Nordic country, to describe the policy framework for NBS and practical implementation of NBS projects across the Nordic countries; 3) compilation of a Nordic NBS case projects catalogue, which contains implemented case projects from each Nordic country, using NBS in all major ecosystems: terrestrial (forests and agricultural land), freshwater, coastal and marine, to show the breadth of NBS used in the Nordic countries, 4) Nordic NBS stakeholder consultations.Research on NBS across the Nordics includes several research initiatives. Currently the most central research initiatives are the Nordic Council of Ministers programme on NBS, which is a focused four-year programme. Many Nordic universities and research institutes are also involved in different research projects focusing on or including NBS and there is an exponential interest from researchers in this area. Most of these research projects are targeting NBS in urban areas. In a structured peer-review of scientific publications using the term ‘nature-based solutions’, 64 research papers were found related to the Nordic countries. These studies varied from large-scale ecosystem-based approaches to small-scale NBS. Most of the studies assessed the NBS functions in relation to biophysical qualities, such as water retention capacity, flood risk reduction, health benefits and biodiversity contribution, but there were also studies focusing on potential economic benefits from NBS. Regarding policy frameworks it is evident that these are at different stages of development when it comes to mainstreaming the concept of NBS into policy across the Nordics. Norway and Sweden have adopted the term to a larger degree than Denmark, Finland and Iceland. Still, all five countries conserve, restore and work actively on developing sustainable use of nature, but use other terms (e.g., ‘blue-green infrastructures or solutions’, ‘restoration’, or ‘ecosystem services’) in their policies and guidelines.NBS governance and implementation is an area that is currently advancing rapidly. At the same time, there are still several challenges as well as also opportunities for using NBS to mitigate and adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity and ensure human well-being. Regarding challenges and gaps, we divide these into 1) natural-scientific and technical knowledge gaps, 2) economic shortcomings, 3) regulatory, governance, and policy challenges, and 4) weak stakeholder collaboration. In the project we have identified 54 key examples of projects implementing NBS in the Nordic countries. Most of these cases were related to freshwater, followed by urban/artificial NBS. The number of implemented NBS projects has increased, especially in the last couple of years. Our key messages and recommendations for future mainstreaming of NBS are: 1) clear political prioritization is needed to mainstream NBS into policy and practice, 2) appropriate institutional structures, procedures and policy instruments at all governance levels are essential to facilitate the implementation of NBS, 3) better funding structures for NBS are needed, 4) we need to develop common standards, long-term monitoring and better cost-benefit evaluations of NBS, and 5) the knowledge base in all phases of NBS projects needs to be strengthened.
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