The examination of the adequate nature conservation methods in a natural reserve, to conserve a specific species and / or increase biological diversity is the subject of this study. This work is based on four species, that can be found during the Spring season, liverleaf, wood anemone, brimstone and woodpecker. The incidence and availability is studied and closely observed for these species in twenty forests, i.e. ten forests which are nature reserves and ten forests with the similar characteristics as the nature reserves habitat, but are not nature reserves in Gnesta mucipality, Södermanland. Measurements of the tree crown and the diameter of the tree trunks where noted to study how these factors could affect the outcome of the abundance and incidence of the four species.

The aim of the thesis is to analyze the role of regional development planning concerning a regional perspective of green structure and to reflect on its future role. The target group of the study is foremost practitioners but also students of regional planning and development. Three questions are examined. 1) What view concerning green structure has the regional planning body of Stockholm County Council (RTK) communicated through the years? 2) Has this view contributed to generating a common understanding concerning green structure among the actors in the county? 3) Has this common understanding been referred to by actors in discussions concerning how this green structure should develop? The empirical material consists of documents from rtk, the County Administrative Board, the municipalities of the county, a network of ngo:s, as well as interviews with representatives from the above mentioned organizations.

Pine twisting rust (Melampsora pinitorqua) is a parasitic rust fungus found all across Sweden causing damage resulting in lower quality and reduced tree growth in pine stands. In Sweden, the fungus is dependent on two alternate hosts; European aspen (Populus tremula) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Pine twisting rust has five different spore stages, two of them (uredinio- and teliospores) on the leaves of aspen. Injures on aspen caused by pine twisting rust is not extensive. On the other hand, when it infects the annual shoots of Scots pine it often results in a bent steam or even a top shoot breakage.

Many wood living insects are considered threatened by modern forestry due to the reduction in amount of dead wood. During the last decade various methods have been used to enhance the quantity of dead wood in managed forests. However little is known how and if these methods are aiding saproxylic insects. The threatened tenebrionid beetle, Upis ceramboides, is already extinct in southern Sweden. It develops in white rotted dead birch (Betula spp) and requires sun-exposed sites.

Ammerån which is a small forest river in eastern Jämtland is a well-known river that has been a popular fishing river for a long time. The actual Ammerån begins downstream the lake Solbergsvattnet at Hammerdal and flows into the Indalsälven 10 km upstream Hammarstrand. The river environment switches between forests with wilderness feeling and open agricultural land. The entire Ammerån is today a nature reserve and protected from hydropower development. Fishing in Ammerån has mainly been focused on trout and grayling, and is so even today.

The thesis first objective was to develop field instructions for forest planning of native forests in Andean Patagonia, and the second objective was to test the plan on an actual property in the area. The thesis was limited to studies in the province of Rio Negro. Today, there are no official forest management plans for native forests in the Argentinean province of Rio Negro; thus, there is an obvious need for an official forest management plan with clear guidelines. To be granted permission to manage, i.e. through thinning, the native forests on a property it is required to have a forest management plan that is approved by the Forestry Board in the province in question (Thill, B.

The visions of the United Nations concerning sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity can only be realized if the human population succeeds in creating coexistence between human and wildlife. Landscape architects are able to influence on how landscapes are to be maintained and developed. The negative impact of infrastructure on wildlife has become a critical problem in Sweden and other parts of Europe. Wildlife crossings has been developed as a solution for the problems of road barriers in the landscape. The crossings are made to give animals a better opportunity to cross roads.

Today green tree retention, together with leaving dead wood, is a common practice with the aim to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity and environment due to clear-felling. To better understand whether this conservation practice also makes a long-term difference, it is important to know what happens to these trees after harvest. Few studies have made an assessment of what happens to retention trees over a longer time period. In this study I inventoried retention trees that were left at clear-cuts six, twelve and eighteen years ago. I carried out a re-inventory of 57 retention patches (divided into free-standing tree groups, small swamp forests and edge zones) and free standing dead trees, spread over 25 previous clear-cuts in central Sweden.

This master thesis deals with two case studies in environmental archaeology and battlefield archaeology focusing on two major events in the late history of the Swedish coastal town Umeå and its nearby village Sävar. Established in the early 1600's, Umeå was known for its export of timber and import of cereals. The town has suffered from numerous fires, the fire in 1888 being the most devastating. Few written records of the town remain from before the 1900's. The latest war in Sweden's history is documented in historical sources and took place at Krutbrånet, Sävar where the Swedish troops suffered defeat against the russian forces in 1809.

Along with other European farmland birds, the skylark (Alauda arvensis) has declined rapidly since the 1970?s. Between 1975 and 2003, the Swedish population of skylarks declined with 64 %. In Britain, the decline is often explained by alterations in farming practices in general and the shift from spring-sown to winter-sown cereals in particular. The dense vegetation structure of winter cereals is limiting the number of breeding attempts possible, causing the entire population to decline.

Low stumps represent on their own up to 80% of the dead wood remaining on clear cuts and therefore supply suitable habitat for saproxylic insects i.e. insects depending on dead wood for their survival. Recent stump harvesting activities threaten this substrate of ecological importance and increase the anthropogenic negative impacts on these species. Because of technical and environmental reasons (nutrient leakage, erosion) guidelines for stump harvesting recommend to retain stumps standing in wet parts of clear cuts. However, stumps in wet positions might not be a satisfactory substrate for saproxylic insects and therefore might not be as much used as stumps in dry positions.

Stränder och strandnära områden utgör i många avseenden en värdefull miljö som i Sverige skyddas tack vare vår strandskyddslagstiftning. Strandskyddslagstiftningen är en naturvårdsföreskrift som syftar till att trygga allmänhetens tillgång till stränder och bevara goda livsvillkor för växt- och djurlivet. Skyddet är generellt, dvs gäller alla stränder i Sverige och innebär bl a ett förbud mot uppförande av ny bebyggelse. Fastighetsbildning inom strandskyddat område utgör en åtgärd där hänsyn måste tas till strandskyddsbestämmelserna. Åtgärden kräver en bedömning där förrättningslantmätaren, efter vederbörligt samråd med kommunen eller länsstyrelsen, avgör om strandskyddets syfte motverkas eller inte.

Wildlife contributes with many benefits to humans but also brings economic costs. From being eradicated in Scandinavia the grey wolf (Canis lupus) is returning to South-Western Sweden and people are not used to its presence. In Scandinavia carnivores have to co-occur with humans in a landscape used for many different interests. Consequences of wolf establishments are e.g. competition for moose, depredation on sheep and attacks on hunting dogs.

Rörelsemönster och habitatanvändning hos ormar är ett område där relativt lite forskning har gjorts trots tecken på minskande populationer på flera platser i världen. Snoken (Natrix natrix) är en vanligt förekommande orm i Sverige som tycks vara på nedgång, troligen på grund av en sämre tillgång på äggläggningsplatser. Vanliga äggläggningsplatser i Sverige utgörs av gödselstackar och komposter vilka ger den stabila temperatur som äggen behöver. Dessa har dock blivit både färre och mer svårtillgängliga under det senaste århundradet. Huvudsyftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilka äggläggningsplatser som används i ett område där gödselstackar saknas och hur anpassningsbara snokhonor är till nya områden.

The Angola black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis palliatus) is a subspecies of Colobus angolensis inhabiting fragmented forests in coastal Kenya and Tanzania. C. angolensis is regarded as Least Concern in the red list of IUCN because its populations are abundant. However, the populations of C. a.