Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Abstract
In Norway, agroclimatic zones (ACZs) are a valuable tool for national analyses in subject areas concerning the optimized management of agricultural land resources. However, current Norwegian ACZs have been criticized for having an outdated standard climate normal (1931–1960), a limited representation of the local climatic variation, a lack of important model parameters, and weak methodological documentation. Therefore, this paper presents new ACZs for Norway that address these weaknesses. The most significant methodological updates are the use of the standard climate normal of 1991–2020, additional weather data variables, the downscaling of weather data to 250 m hexagons, and the incorporation of phenological crop models for spring wheat, spring barley, and forage grass. The grass model was calibrated with the number of grass harvests at research stations, while the grain models were calibrated with subsidy claim data. The modeled zones for the three crops were combined into the general ACZs. Example maps of the crop zones and new ACZs for the selected regions and the whole country are presented. The new ACZs are more robust, agronomically relevant, and better aligned with the current climatic conditions in Norway. The deliberate exclusion of factors other than climate ensures the new ACZs’ national comparability and their applicability in policy development, land-use planning, climate adaptation, and agronomic assessments at the national scale.
Authors
Anaïs Zimmer Adrienne Grêt-Regamey Ignacio Palomo Carolina Adler Meryem Aakairi Marie Anière Fabien Anthelme Chloe Baruffa Bolette Bele Vincent Ralph Clark Aida Cuni-Sanchez Sebastian Eiter Richard Field WariNkwi Flores Katherine Hanly Jan Hartmann Amina Maharjan Sara Manuelli Dominic Andreas Martin Nelly Nambande Masayi Paula Mayer Graham McDowell Holly Moulton Anne Nolin Lydia Olaka Binaya Pasakhala Jorge Recharte Neema Robert Kinabo Luciana Rojas Hanne Sickel Lobzang Stanzen Peter John Taylor Irene Teixidor-Toneu Catherine Tucker Sabarnee Tuladhar Robert MarchantAbstract
Mountain regions are at the forefront of global change challenges, facing accelerating transformations in ecosystems, cryospheric, and hydrological systems. These biophysical changes, combined with limited infrastructure, restricted livelihood diversification, food insecurity, and lower incomes, are eroding the resilience of mountain social-ecological systems (SES). Drawing on insights from 25 case studies across 18 countries and five continents, we present a global synthesis that validates and operationalizes five key principles for sustainable mountain futures through the lens of uncertainty, translating them into a contemporary research agenda for mountain SES: (1) co-producing knowledge across scientific, Indigenous, and dynamic local systems builds shared understanding and trust under uncertain futures. (2) Bridging social and biophysical sciences reveals system feedback and thresholds that drive uncertain development pathways. (3) Integrating local and transboundary scales strengthens adaptive capacity across spatial and temporal uncertainties. (4) Leveraging scenario-thinking approaches supports collective anticipation and the co-creation of transformative pathways. (5) Ensuring effective anticipatory governance and flexible institutions fosters learning and decision-making amid persistent uncertainty. Together, these principles offer a framework for engaging with uncertainty to foster resilient, inclusive, and sustainable mountain futures.
Authors
Anne Helena Kettunen Ellen L. F. White Mervi Honkatukia Nina Svartedal Anette Kristine Krogenæs Jaana Peippo Amin SayyariAbstract
The conservation of local poultry genetic resources requires complementary ex situ strategies, particularly when live populations are maintained at a single location. Previous gene bank insemination trials with frozen–thawed semen from Norwegian conserved lines showed acceptable subjective post-thaw motility but unexpectedly low fertilization success, highlighting the need for objective quality-control assessment. The aim of this study was to establish an objective cryobank quality-control baseline for frozen–thawed semen from two Norwegian conserved rooster lines. Specifically, the study evaluated whether routinely applied objective semen-quality assessment methods, including computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) and flow-cytometric viability assessment, could detect differences between rooster lines and post-thaw handling conditions. Cryopreserved semen doses collected in 2018 and stored in the Norwegian poultry gene bank were thawed and evaluated from 24 roosters representing the Jærhøns and NorBrid8 lines. The samples were originally collected as part of the routine cryopreservation activities of the Norwegian poultry gene bank and therefore did not require specific approval from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet). Post-thaw semen quality was assessed using CASA and flow-cytometric viability analysis. The effects of line and short-term refrigerated holding were evaluated using mixed-effects models, supported by minimum detectable effect calculations, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis. Short-term post-thaw refrigerated holding reduced several CASA-derived motility and velocity traits, while viability assessment provided complementary information on membrane integrity. Line-associated differences in selected motility traits and substantial rooster-to-rooster variability in all traits were observed. Multivariate analyses identified major dimensions of covariance among sperm-quality traits without implying direct biological mechanisms of fertility failure. CASA and flow-cytometric viability assessment can provide an objective baseline for cryobank quality control of frozen–thawed rooster semen. However, fertility trials and molecular sperm-integrity markers are required to determine the biological causes of the previously observed discrepancy between motility and fertility.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Anders BrynAbstract
Fjellviten: overvåking av klima og natur i høgfjellet
Abstract
This paper examines the effect on employment and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions if legume production and consumption in Norway increase and replace animal-based proteins. Three scenarios—maximising employment and cultural landscapes, minimising GHG emissions and evenly reducing each type of livestock—were analysed. Results show that increasing legume production and consumption can significantly reduce GHG emissions but also reduce employment in the livestock sector. This demonstrates a trade-off between reducing GHG emissions versus maintaining cultural landscapes and employment opportunities in rural areas where other income opportunities may be scarce.
Abstract
This study has applied FAO’s resilience assessment tool «SHARP+» to 14 farm enterprises practicing mountain summer farming (stølsdrift) in the Valdres region, representing the first use of this tool in a Norwegian context. The questionnaire was adapted to better capture local agricultural practices and institutional conditions, and structured interviews with farm managers were conducted in November 2025. Technical resilience scores ranged from 4.9 to 7.4 out of 10 (mean 6.2), and self-assessed scores from 5.9 to 7.9 (mean 6.9). The strongest areas were Government and institutional support (9.3) and Education and knowledge (8.5). The weakest were Livestock nutrition (3.5), Reasonably profitable (3.8), and Globally autonomous and locally interdependent (3.2), pointing to structural constraints related to feed self-sufficiency, farm profitability, and dependence on external inputs. Self-assessed scores consistently exceeded technical scores, particularly in production-related modules. Farmers' stated priorities — climate adaptation, infrastructure, farm economy, cooperation, and policy — largely aligned with the weakest areas in the technical assessment. The 2018 drought was the most critical environmental event reported by ten of the fourteen interviewees during their career as farmers.
Abstract
In East Africa, including Tanzania, the vast majority of the population relies on fuelwood for domestic energy consumption, particularly for cooking. This heavy dependence on biomass has significant implications for forest resources, contributing to forest disturbances, but has not been sufficiently investigated until now. This study aims to explore these dynamics in Mainland Tanzania between 2001 and 2023 by assessing Tree Cover Loss, Above-Ground Biomass, biomass loss and demand trends, and evaluating the fraction of Non-Renewable Biomass. The study integrates remote sensing data from Global Forest Watch, national household budget surveys, and published literature, applying geospatial analysis and statistical modelling. Results showed that between 2001 and 2023 AGB declined, with a consistent drop in biomass density. Total Biomass Loss rose from 39 Mt in 2001 to 70.1 Mt in 2022, while Total Biomass Demand surged from 22.6 to 55.4 Mt. The gap between supply and demand narrowed slightly, suggesting a possible increase in resource use efficiency for energy provision. Out of 26 regions, 11 are net consumers, and 15 are net suppliers. This illustrates the uneven distribution of biomass resources and demand nationwide. The fraction of Non- Renewable Biomass rose from 23.8% in 2001 to 34.1% in 2012 and then stabilized. About 79% of this in 2022 was due to cooking-related biomass demand, highlighting unsustainable biomass use. Overall, this study offers critical insights into forest resource use in Tanzania, with implications for sustainable management and climate policy. The refined estimates of biomass dynamics and fraction of Non-Renewable Biomass support more targeted, data-driven decision-making. While limitations exist, the results emphasize the need for better monitoring to support sustainable energy and forestry strategies.
Authors
Geir-Harald StrandAbstract
This paper examines strategies that can be used to determine the appropriate binarization of predictive land-cover maps to produce categorical land-cover maps, in this study used to separate peatland from non-peatland. Seven different strategies were applied to two predictive peatland maps, and the accuracy of the resultant binary land cover maps was evaluated. The main objective was to find the most effective approach to include as much peatland as possible, while simultaneously keeping the amount of noise (false positives) in the peatland map at a minimum. The best overall results were obtained with metrics related to correlation in the confusion matrix. Cohen’s Kappa and the F1 score (defined as the harmonic mean of precision and recall) both reached their maximum at the same cutoff value, producing a land cover map with relatively high recall and limited amounts of noise in terms of false positive results. Maximizing the F1 score does not necessarily produce the optimal result for all applications. The intended purpose of the map must also be considered when deciding whether it is more important to increase true positive results or minimize false positives. In this study, selecting the cutoff point by maximizing Cohen’s Kappa or the F1 score proved to be the most effective overall strategy for dichotomizing the maps. Other strategies may be more appropriate when the distribution of the predictive scores is more balanced or there is a partisan preference for enhancing either user’s accuracy or producer’s accuracy.
Authors
Nina SvartedalAbstract
No abstract has been registered