Nordic freshwater and a green transition

Biowater is a Nordic centre of outstanding research within bioeconomics, aiming to find solutions to the management of land, the environment and water resources when faced with new requirements associated with the green transition.

Together with partners in business, agriculture, forestry, not-for-profit organisations and public administration, the researchers have mapped how the bioeconomy will develop in five scenarios. The scenarios are possible main directions for the future and build on what is known internationally as “Shared Socioeconomic Pathways”, mapped onto Nordic bioeconomic scenarios.

“Our results show that if the bioeconomy does not develop in a sustainable manner, the impact of the bioeconomy on the rural landscape, in combination with expected climate change, will have serious negative consequences for our freshwater resources and society,” explains Biowater’s Project Lead Eva Skarbøvik.

It is a stated aim that food production in Norway must increase at the same rate as the population trend. This must either happen by intensifying production, or by cultivating new land.

Both will have an impact on the water environment. Agriculture must have nutrients for crops, but nutrients that end up in the water systems can lead to toxic algal blooms.

If there is also increased deforestation with increased erosion and loss of nutrients from there as well, it could be very challenging for the water systems.

“That is why it is tremendously important to make increased efforts concerning environmental measures,” says Skarbøvik. The advantage of working with these issues across the Nordic countries is that we learn from each other, including about which environmental measures different countries have, and what has the best effect where.