Effects of Implemented Restoration Measures

The aim of this initiative is to provide knowledge of the effects of implemented restoration measures in areas necessary for fulfilling the general mandates of the Swedish EPA and SwAM. The overall goal is to support future management by supplying the quantifications and background material required to plan and prioritise the most effective restoration measures.

Target groups are desk officers and analysts at SwAM, the Swedish EPA, county administrative boards, and other authorities.

Environmental restoration measures are resource intensive. It is therefore important to systematically map and evaluate different measures in terms of cost-effectiveness, ecological goal fulfilment, and synergistic or conflicting effects. When several measures are implemented simultaneously, potentially producing cumulative effects, management also needs to identify which combinations of actions are most effective, as well as goal conflicts.

Previous Swedish and European research on environmental effects and cost effectiveness of restoration measures spans a wide range of topics, from the effectiveness of individual measures to evaluations of policy instruments and broader analyses of environmental strategies. The Swedish EPA has carried out socio-economic impact assessments of environmental measures and mappings of such analyses, while the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment has followed up the effects of environmental actions in coastal and marine areas.

We seek projects that generate knowledge about the effects of implemented restoration measures. Each project must focus on one or more of the following knowledge needs.

• Terrestrial restoration measures
  • Assess the effects of standard restoration methods on habitats and species.
  • Assess the effects of alternative management or restoration methods that mimic natural processes (e.g. fire) or traditional practices (e.g. scything) on habitats and species.
  • Assess the effects of control measures and subsequent management of natural environments affected by invasive alien species.
• Aquatic restoration measures
  • Assess the effects of restoration measures on hydrology and geomorphology from a landscape perspective.
  • Review the effects of nature-based solutions linked to aquatic restoration.
  • Assess the effects of restoration targeting function, quality and natural processes (e.g. water-level dynamics, ecological flows, ice scouring).
  • Assess the effects of control measures in environments affected by invasive alien species.
  • Assess the effects of retrieval operations for lost fishing gear in aquatic environments.

Each project must consider at least one of the following overarching perspectives 

• Right measure in the right place – evaluate effects on both small and large scales, and at national and regional levels.
• Different time frames – evaluate short- and long-term effects.
• Combination effects and system perspective – provide data and tools to assess ecological, economic and social effects of one or several measures from a systems viewpoint.

The total call budget is approximately SEK 30 million; a maximum of SEK 4 million may be requested per project for up to three years starting in 2026. Applications of sufficient quality will be prioritised so that a balanced portfolio covering both terrestrial and aquatic restoration measures is funded.

The relevance of the project to the mandates of the Swedish EPA and SwAM must be clearly stated. Both monodisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects are welcome. Collaboration with companies, authorities and sectors is considered an advantage. If collaboration is planned, describe the intended partners and the form of cooperation in the application. Letters of support are not part of the assessment.

The principal investigator must hold a PhD and be employed by a university, university college, research institute or authority that conducts research as part of its mandate. The host organisation must have a Swedish corporate identity number. Final reports from previous projects funded by the Swedish EPA, where the project period has ended, must have been submitted and approved before new funding can be granted.

Applications requesting more than the maximum amount stated will not be considered.

Grant-holders are expected to participate in research conferences of relevance to the funders, yearly programme meetings, and to allocate resources for communication with authorities and other stakeholders.

See also the Swedish EPA policy for the further use of data and information (pdf).

• Application deadline: 18 September 2025 at 14:00 CEST.
• Decision on funding: January 2026.
• Funded projects may start: March 2026.

Applications should be written in English, as they will be reviewed by international experts, and must be submitted electronically via the Swedish EPA application portal Prisma.

Prisma application portal

Instructions for applicants

Patrik Lindenfors
E-mail: patrik.lindenfors@naturvardsverket.se
Phone: +46 10 698 18 56

Neda Farahbakhshazad
E-mail: neda.farahba@naturvardsverket.se
Phone: +46 10 698 12 50

Jenny Lindström
E-mail: jenny.lindstrom@havochvatten.se
Phone: +46 10 698 60 61

Emma Sernland
E-mail: emma.sernland@havochvatten.se
Phone: +46 10 698 62 70

• Havsmiljöinstitutet 2022 Uppföljning av miljöåtgärders effekter på kust och hav. Rapport 2022: 8.
• Naturvårdsverket 2008 Samhällsekonomisk konsekvensanalys av miljöåtgärder, Handbok med särskild tillämpning på vattenmiljö. Rapport 2008: 4.
• Naturvårdsverket 2020 Samhällsekonomiska analyser inom miljömålsarbetet – en kartläggning av analyser 2008–2019. Rapport 6935.