Deciduous forests are, according to the National Environmental Quality Objectives, a priority area. Deciduous forests are rich in species and the occurrence of dead wood is an important factor for Biodiversity. In order to identify valuable deciduous forests for bio-diversity, conservation needs good analyses and planning tools. Habitat models combined with geographic information systems can be used to study the spatial structure of suitable habitat. The Lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) has been proposed as an indicator species for deciduous forests, since this species is highly specialized on insect larvae in dead wood and requires large areas of deciduous-rich environments. Many riparian forest with high species richness and high nature conservation values are found along the Ume river in Umeå municipality.

Det traditionella svenska skogsbruket bygger på ett trakthyggesbruk som tillämpas på största delen av arealen. Generell hänsyn lämnas vid skogliga åtgärder i form av levande och döda träd samt orörda områden. Utöver detta lämnas hela bestånd och nyckelbiotoper. Denna modell har fått kritik för att den skapar ett fragmenterat och variationsfattigt landskap med dåliga förutsättningar för många skogslevande arter att reproducera och sprida sig. Ett alternativ är triadskogsbruk där arealen delas upp i zoner med olika mål.

Wetlands play an important role in the ecosystem. They reduce the impact of flow flux in the drainage area, acts as upholder of Biodiversity, as an esthetic and recreational component in the landscape and they have the ability to reduce nutrients such as nitrogen, and help preventing eutrophication in costal areas.The number of wetlands in Scania have, due to the intensified agriculture been reduced to maximize the area suitable for crops.However since the mid 80th the consequences of this has been acknowledged, and many wetlands have been restored.This master?s thesis aim to see what impact this development have had on wetlands in Scania over the last 60 years. And also look at some of those factors important for the efficiency of nitrogen removal in wetlands. During the process a detailed manual for inventories of this sort was created.The material used to execute the inventory of wetlands where aerial photographs over Scania from the 1940th, 1980th and 2000.

To reach objectives within EU?s Habitatdirective and the national environmental objectives, more information about semi-natural pastures is required. The expression semi-natural pasture is used for pastures that during the latest time are uncultivated and unfertilized. Semi-natural pastures are important in many respects for example to conserve the Biodiversity and for our cultural history. The aim of my study was to compile and calculate the area of semi-natural pastures by use existing sources of information.

Objekt för undersökningen är en nyplantering av bok på en mindreskogsfastighet i sydöstra Blekinge. Bok och ek, som är de viktigaste ädlalövträden för den biologiska mångfalden, intog i dessa trakter en stor andel avskogsbeståndet fram till 1960-70-talet, men har sedan minskat i takt med attde ersatts av planterad gran. Det finns idag, bland annat i Skogsstyrelsensriktlinjer, en uttalad strävan mot en högre andel ädellövskog på debreddgrader som ingår i dessa trädslags naturliga utbredningsområden. På såsätt kan det projekt, som studien beskriver, anses ligga rätt i tiden.Inledningsvis ger rapporten en översikt över skog och skogsbruk somkunskapsområde och bakgrunden till att vi nu ser tendenser till att detraditionella formerna av skogsbruk, där ekonomi är den dominerandestyrfaktorn, börjar ge vika för skogsbruksmetoder som gynnar ävennaturvårds- och sociala värden. Detta är en tendens som nu börjar fågenomslag såväl i myndigheters styrdokument som i forskning ochkunskapsutveckling.I rapporten beskrivs utvecklingen av en tio-årig plantering av bok, delsresultatet av den första fasen, etableringsfasen, och dels en bedömning av hurden framtida planeringen kan göras utifrån de uppställda målen med fokus påde skötselformer som kan betecknas som ?hyggesfria? eller ?naturnära?metoder.I analysen av studiens resultat görs jämförelser dels med liknande studier ochdels med schabloniserade tillväxtprognoser för bok.

To curb greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change is one of the biggest challenges human society face today. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has accumulated rapidly in the atmosphere as a consequence of burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The aim of this study is to explore two methods to store carbon dioxide in geological formations and biological sinks. The aim is also to discuss the two mitigation options from a sustainable perspective and whether it can lead to a better environment and benefits for local and global societies. The research questions are: Which method to store carbon dioxide, geological or biological, is the most effective? Which method to store carbon dioxide, geological or biological, has the greatest potential to promote sustainable development for local communities?The method used is a comparative case study and presents four case studies that explore the potential for CO2 storage offshore in Norway and Brazil; and in tropical forests in Mexico and Brazil.

I dag råder det brist på död ved i Sveriges skogar. Detta på grund av det intensiva skogsbruket där man kalhugger och plockar bort all liggande ved. Dock är det viktigt med många döda träd i olika nedbrytningsstadier för många skogslevande arter. Svenska skogar har få urskogar där naturliga avdödningsprocesser av träd får ske och därför minskar den biologiska mångfalden i skogen. Tre arter som endast trivs i naturskog är tickorna ullticka, Phellinus ferrugineofuscus, gränsticka, Phellinus nigrolimitatus och vedticka, Phellinus viticola.

The acid deposition of sulphur- and nitrogenoxides from combustion of coal and oil cause acidification that lowers pH and gives increased contents of metals and altered aquatic Biodiversity in the stream. The liming of lakes and streams, which was introduced to resist the acidification, demand large economic resourses despite of the decreased deposition of the acidifyng substances. Some of the streams are influenced by the acid deposition, while others are naturally acidic. It is therefore importaint to separate the anthropogenically acidified waters from the naturally acidic, in order to optimize the use of governmental fundings for liming. This thesis aims to estimate the acidity status and impact of acidification on 24 catchments upstream liming dispensers, which is part of the liming activities at the County of Dalarna.The acidity status of the streams was classified according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency old classification system (Naturvårdsverket 1999) as very acid to acid, with small ability to withstand a pH-change (alkalinity) due to acid deposition.

F?rt?tningen av st?der skapar en utmaning f?r bevarandet av de t?tortsn?ra skogarna. V?rden som skapas av m?nniskans upplevelser i skogen kan sammanfattas i begreppet skogens sociala v?rden, som visat sig ha en stor betydelse f?r folkh?lsan. D? m?nga kommuner ?ger t?tortsn?ra skog, ?r det av intresse att studera hur de planerar f?r skogens sociala v?rden.

Around the world, forests are generally being fragmented and as plant populations decline in both sizeand number of individuals, the genetic variation will also decrease whitch in the end leads to totalextinction of the plant. In this paper, I wanted to investigate what specific species of trees and shrubsyou usually find in the edge and core habitats in some of the forests in the Baltic Sea region. I alsowanted to identify the edge effects and their sources and finally compare the results between thedifferent regions.The data sources used are derived from the ongoining research project Landscape structures, patterns ofBiodiversity and conservation strategies in the Baltic Sea region by Kari Lehtilä, Patrik Dinnétz ochTiina Vinter who have made a record of all herbaceous plant species in four randomly chosen forestregions situated around the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Skåne, Södermanland and Germany. I made statisticalanalyses, using the computer program R, concerning the distribution of species in the edge habitats ofthe forests as well as in the core habitats. I performed generalized linear models and then variationanalyses with the factors light and biomass in order to investigate wether edge effects might appear dueto these factors.

A geographical position and its social, cultural and political context as well as climate and specific physical characteristics define the scope for a landscape design project. This has become clearer for us in our master project where we have made a Design Program for the outdoor environment of Wollo University in Dessie, Ethiopia and analysed and reflected on the work and process. The aim for the project has been to design an attractive and functional outdoor environment for the Campus, based on the inventories and the needs and wishes of clients and users. But, the aim has also been for us as landscape architect students to gain a greater knowledge about landscape architecture and the design process by position ourselves outside our usual context. The method has been open and seeking where the site, literature studies, dialogues with people and our own experiences from the field study in Ethiopia has influenced the work. Wollo University is situated 400 kilometers north of Addis Ababa, in a mountainous landscape. It faces problems of heavy rainfall during the summer, soil erosion, a lack of essential facilities, and is still a construction site with empty spaces in-between buildings and infrastructure.

The loss of habitat is one of the greatest threats to global Biodiversity today. Consequences to a species inhabiting fragmented habitats include: group size changes, altered diets and altered foraging behaviours. In my study I observed Colobus anlgolensis palliatus troops living in the forests of Diani, a highly developed area on the Kenyan coast. I looked for differences in behaviours between three troops inhabiting pristine forest patches and three troops inhabiting highly degraded forest areas. I used focal animal sampling with instantaneous sample points.

I dag råder det brist på död ved i Sveriges skogar. Detta på grund av det intensiva skogsbruket där man kalhugger och plockar bort all liggande ved. Dock är det viktigt med många döda träd i olika nedbrytningsstadier för många skogslevande arter. Svenska skogar har få urskogar där naturliga avdödningsprocesser av träd får ske och därför minskar den biologiska mångfalden i skogen. Tre arter som endast trivs i naturskog är tickorna ullticka, Phellinus ferrugineofuscus, gränsticka, Phellinus nigrolimitatus och vedticka, Phellinus viticola.

Nature conservation on certified small private forest owners- a comparison between the two certification systems FSC and PEFC in southern Sweden Today two different certification systems are used in Sweden to certify forest, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Pan European Forest Certification). During the last years certification of forests in general and different certification systems have frequently been debated. FSC is a globally widespread system and about 10 million ha out of 23 million ha Swedish forest is FSC-certified. The FSC-standard is mainly used by major forest companies and to some extent also by smaller private forest owners. PEFC is a European system and about 2 million ha Swedish forests is PEFC-certified today.

Gothenburg municipality has a lot of natural water. This paper enhances the function and importance of water in the city. It also deals with the problems of sewage water and flooding. Gothenburg has reached an advanced stage of water planning. By developing a Waterplan, the municipality highlight that water has an important position in the urban planning.