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.
2020
Authors
Geir-Harald StrandAbstract
Sheep farmers in areas with large carnivores experience economic loss, psychological stress, and perceived alienation from political processes. This can result in decisions that differ from those made by farmers in areas without large carnivores, possibly influencing the whole farming system. We used applications for farming subsidies to examine changes in sheep farming in Norway 1999 to 2017. Along the urbanrural dimension, we found a stronger decline in increasingly rural areas. The decline was furthermore larger inside regions used for the reintroduction of large carnivores than outside these regions. The observed decline in some regions was compensated by growth in central regions, outside carnivore prone areas, and on managed land where the sheep was protected from carnivores. The result complements studies of mental dispositions and decision processes aiming to explain how large carnivores and the carnivore management policy influence the farmers' attitudes and decisions, resulting in behaviors that effect larger social systems.
Authors
Simon Jakobsson Joachim Paul Töpper Marianne Evju Erik Framstad Anders Lyngstad Bård Pedersen Hanne Sickel Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson Vigdis Vandvik Liv Guri Velle Per Arild Aarrestad Signe NybøAbstract
Effective evidence-based nature conservation and habitat management relies on developing and refining our methodological toolbox for detecting critical ecological changes at an early stage. This requires not only optimizing the use and integration of evidence from available data, but also optimizing methods for dealing with imperfect knowledge and data deficiencies. For policy and management relevance, ecological data are often synthesized into indicators, which are assessed against reference levels and limit values. Here we explore challenges and opportunities in defining ecological condition in relation to a reference condition reflecting intact ecosystems, as well as setting limit values for good ecological condition, linked to critical ecological thresholds in dose–response relationships between pressures and condition variables. These two concepts have been widely studied and implemented in aquatic sciences, but rarely in terrestrial systems. In this paper, we address practical considerations, theoretical challenges and possible solutions using different approaches to determine reference and limit values for good ecological condition in terrestrial ecosystems, based on empirical experiences from a case study in central Norway. We present five approaches for setting indicator reference values for intact ecosystems: absolute biophysical boundaries, reference areas, reference communities, ecosystem dynamics based models, and habitat availability based models. We further present four approaches for identifying indicator limit values for good ecological condition: empirically estimated values, statistical distributions, assumed linear relationships, and expert judgement-based limits. This exercise highlights the versatile and robust nature of ecological condition assessments based on reference and limit values for different management purposes, for situations where knowledge of the underlying relationships is lacking, and for situations limited by data availability. Ecological condition Index Management Reference condition Terrestrial
Authors
Xiao Huang Mats Höglind Akanegbu Justice Knut Bjørkelo Torben Christensen Kjetil Fadnes Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Per-Erik Jansson Åsa Kasimir Bjørn Kløve Anders Lyngstad Mikhail Mastepanov Hannu Marttila Marcel Van Oijen Ina Pohle Jagadeesh Yeluripati Hanna Marika SilvennoinenAbstract
Cultivated organic soils account for ~7% of Norway’s agricultural land area, and they are estimated to be a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The project ‘Climate smart management practices on Norwegian organic soils’ (MYR), commissioned by the Research Council of Norway (decision no. 281109), aims to evaluate GHG (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) emissions and impacts on biomass productivity from three land use types (cultivated, abandoned and restored) on organic soils. At the cultivated sites, impacts of drainage depth and management intensity will be measured. We established experimental sites in Norway covering a broad range of climate and management regimes, which will produce observational data in high spatiotemporal resolution during 2019-2022. Using state-of-the-art modelling techniques, MYR aims to predict the potential GHG mitigation under different scenarios (e.g. different water table depth, management practices and climate pattern). Four models (BASGRA, DNDC, Coup and ECOSSE) will be further developed according to the physical/chemical properties of peat soil and then used independently in simulating biogeochemical processes and biomass dynamics in the different land uses. Robust parameterization schemes for each model to improve the predictive accuracy will be derived from a new dataset collected from multiple experimental sites in the Nordic region. Thereafter, the models will be used in the regional simulation to present the spatial heterogeneity in large scale. Eventually, a multi-model ensemble prediction will be carried out to provide scenario analyses by 2030 and 2050. By integrating experimental results and modelling, the project aims at generating useful information for recommendations on environment-friendly use of Norwegian peatlands.
Abstract
Protected Areas (PAs) in Tanzania had been established originally for the goal of habitat, landscape and biodiversity conservation. However, human activities such as agricultural expansion and wood harvesting pose challenges to the conservation objectives. We monitored a decade of deforestation within 708 PAs and their unprotected buffer areas, analyzed deforestation by PA management regimes, and assessed connectivity among PAs. Data came from a Landsat based wall-to-wall forest to non-forest change map for the period 2002–2013, developed for the definition of Tanzania’s National Forest Reference Emissions Level (FREL). Deforestation data were extracted in a series of concentric bands that allow pairwise comparison and correlation analysis between the inside of PAs and the external buffer areas. Half of the PAs exhibit either no deforestation or significantly less deforestation than the unprotected buffer areas. A small proportion (10%; n = 71) are responsible for more than 90% of the total deforestation; but these few PAs represent more than 75% of the total area under protection. While about half of the PAs are connected to one or more other PAs, the remaining half, most of which are Forest Reserves, are isolated. Furthermore, deforestation inside isolated PAs is significantly correlated with deforestation in the unprotected buffer areas, suggesting pressure from land use outside PAs. Management regimes varied in reducing deforestation inside PA territories, but differences in protection status within a management regime are also large. Deforestation as percentages of land area and forested areas of PAs was largest for Forest Reserves and Game Controlled areas, while most National Parks, Nature Reserves and Forest Plantations generally retained large proportions of their forest cover. Areas of immediate management concern include the few PAs with a disproportionately large contribution to the total deforestation, and the sizeable number of PAs being isolated. Future protection should account for landscapes outside protected areas, engage local communities and establish new PAs or corridors such as village-managed forest areas.
Abstract
The Norwegian sheep industry is based on utilization of “free” rangeland pasture resources. Use of mountain pastures is dominating, with about two million sheep grazing these pastures during summer. Regional challenges related to e.g., loss of sheep to large carnivores make farmers think differently. The Norwegian coastline is among the longest globally and is scattered with islets and islands. Alone along the coast of Nordland county, it is estimated more than 14,000 islands. Use of islands for summer pasture is an alternative but there is a limited knowledge about such a management system. In this study, we examined lambs' average daily gain on island pastures at the coast of Norway. In total 230 lambs on three islands (Sandvær, Sjonøya, and Buøya), with varying pasture quality and stocking rate, for 3 years (2012, 2013, and 2014). At Sandvær as much as 92% of the island was characterized as high nutritional value while at Sjonøya and Buøya only 15%, was characterized high nutritional value. We found an average daily lamb growth rate of 0.320 kg d−1. Lambs on Sandvær had a higher daily gain (P < 0.05) than those on Sjonøya and Buøya, and lambs' average daily gain was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in 2013 compared to 2012 and 2014. We conclude that with a dynamic and adaptive management strategy there is a potential to utilize islands for sheep grazing during summer.
Abstract
Perennial versus short term (<3 years) grass vegetation cover is likely to have considerable differences in root density and thus carbon (C) inputs to soil. Carbon inputs are important to maintain soil organic carbon (SOC) and may even increase it. In Norway and Scandinavia, the SOC content in soil is often higher than in other parts of Europe, due to the cold climate and high precipitation (i.e. slower turnover rates for soil organic matter) and a dominance of animal production systems with a large amount of grassland. Here we aimed to evaluate differences in SOC content, down to 60 cm depth, of a long-term grassland (without ploughing for decades) and a short-term grassland (frequently renewed by ploughing) under contrasting climate, soil and management conditions. Quantification of SOC was carried out on three long-term experimental sites on an extended latitude gradient in West and North Norway. The samples were taken from 4 depth increments (0-5, 5-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm) in treatments that have not been ploughed for at least 43 years, and in treatments that were ploughed every third year until 2011. Preliminary results suggest that there is no significant difference in SOC storage down to 60 cm between long-term and short-term grasslands.
Authors
Christer Magnusson Ari Hietala Per Hansen Eva Solbjørg Flo Heggem Irene Rasmussen Birgit Schaller Marte Persdatter Tangvik Ben Z HellalAbstract
I 2019 års kartlegging av furuvednematoden Bursaphelenchus xylophilus i Norge ble 400 prøver tatt fra hogstavfall og vindfall av Pinus sylvestris L. med angrep av furubukk Monochamus spp. Prøvene ble tatt ut i Akershus, Buskerud, Østfold, Telemark, Aust-Agder og Vest-Agder. Prøvene som besto av flis ble inkubert ved +25oC i to uker før de ble ekstrahert med Baermanntrakt og undersøkt i mikroskop. Furuvednematoden B. xylophilus ble ikke påvist i prøvene, men den naturlig forekommende arten Bursaphelenchus mucronatus kolymensis ble oppdaget i fire prøver fra Agderfylkene. Feller med feromoner for fangst av furubukk ble satt opp i Hedmark (Elverum, Romedal, Stange og ved Geitholmsjøen), Møre og Romsdal (Kvanne) og Østfold (Fredrikstad og Vestby). I laboratoriet ble billene kuttet i biter og ekstrahert med en modifisert Baermanntrakt. Suspensjonen fra ekstraksjonene ble undersøkt i stereomikroskop for forekomst av infektive stadier av Bursaphelenchus spp.. Ingen nematoder kunne påvises i de 106 undersøkte billene. I perioden 2000 – 2019 er totalt 8123 vedprøver analysert. Flest prøver er tatt i Østfold, fulgt av Hedmark, Telemark, Buskerud og Aust-Agder. I kartleggingen 2019 ble B. mucronatus kolymensis påvist i fire av de 400 vedprøvene, tilsvarende en frekvens på 0,01 (1 %). For hele perioden 2000 - 2019 ble Bursaphelenchus mucronatus kolymensis + B. macromucronatus, oppdaget i 73 av 8123 vedprøver som gir en eteksjonsfrekvens på 0,009 (ca. 1 %). I perioden 2014-2019 har Bursaphelenchus mucronatus kolymensis blitt påvist fem av totalt 581 biller, som gir den samme frekvensen som for vedprøver. B. mucronatus kolymensis og B. macromucronatus likner på B. xylophilus i generell biologi og habitatvalg. Hvis vi antar en hypotetisk frekvens i forekomsten til B. xylophilus som er 100 ganger lavere enn for disse naturlig forekommende nematodene, dvs. 0,00009, kan det antall prøver som trengs for en påvisning av B. xylophilus med 95 % konfidensintervall estimeres til 30 801. Dette indikerer at vi i dag hypotetisk sett har nådd bare 26 % av det antall prøver som trengs for å kunne erklære Norge fri for furuvednematoden B. xylophilus.
Authors
Auvikki de Boon Camilla Sandström Ugo Arbieu Inger Hansen Lisa Lehnen Agnese Marino Mari Pohja-Mykrä Camilla Risvoll Geir-Harald Strand Katrina RønningenAbstract
Policy mixes (i.e. the total structure of policy processes, strategies, and instruments) are complex constructs that can quickly become incoherent, inconsistent, and incomprehensive. This is amplified when the policy mix strives to meet multiple objectives simultaneously, such as in the case of large carnivore policy mixes. Building on Rogge and Reichardt's analytical framework for the analysis of policy mixes, we compare the policy mixes of Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany (specifically Saxony and Bavaria), and Spain (specifically Castilla y León). The study shows that the large carnivore policy mixes in the case countries show signs of lacking vertical and horizontal coherence in the design of policy processes, weak consistency between objectives and designated policy instruments, and, as a consequence, lacking comprehensiveness. We conclude that creating consistent, coherent, and comprehensive policy mixes that build on multiple objectives requires stepping away from sectorized policy development, toward a holistic, systemic approach, strong collaborative structures across policy boundaries and regions, the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, and constant care and attention to address all objectives simultaneously rather than in isolation.
2019
Abstract
Norway has a political goal to minimize the loss of cultural heritage due to removal, destruction or decay. On behalf of the national Directorate for Cultural Heritage, we have developed methods to monitor Cultural Heritage Environments. The complementary set of methods includes (1) landscape mapping through interpretation of aerial photographs, including field control of the map data, (2) qualitative and quantitative initial and repeat landscape photography, (3) field recording of cultural heritage objects including preparatory analysis of public statistical data, and (4) recording of stakeholder attitudes, perceptions and opinions. We applied these methods for the first time to the historical clustered farm settlement of Havrå in Hordaland County, West Norway. The methods are documented in a handbook and can be applied as a toolbox, where different monitoring methods or frequency of repeat recording may be selected, dependent on local situations, e.g., on the landscape character of the area in focus.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered