Call for research funding: Indicators of biological diversity at landscape level

Part A is a synthesis and analysis of existing knowledge to improve the knowhow about nature values, structures, functions and conservation status in protected areas and how these areas develop compared with the rest of the landscape in non-protected areas. The focus is on development of indicators. All types of protection are included, for example national parks, nature reserves, biotope protection and Natura 2000.

The work of the Swedish EPA and SwAM aims, among other things, towards protection and sustainable use of biodiversity. In the extended evaluation of the 2015 environmental objectives ⁽¹⁾ and in particular in the chapter on ”Ett rikt växt och djurliv”, the loss of many biological species has been linked to intensive land use, different forms of exploitation and climate change. Also, the ceasing of customary land use, floods and fire affect biodiversity.

Protecting of areas is one of the tools used to protect biological diversity. Work to protect and maintain areas with high natural values is supported in the Swedish Environmental Code. As the protected areas only cover a small percentage of the total area, the application of other policy instruments (legislation, sector responsibility, management, cooperation) are likewise important for the protection of biodiversity at a landscape level.

The current indicator of protected nature is measured in hectares. At the start of 2016, 4.5 million hectares (approximately one tenth of the Swedish area) were protected as national parks, nature reserves or biotope protection areas. Including Natura 2000 areas, about 13 percent of the country is protected representing 12,500 different areas ⁽²⁾. This knowledge does not provide a measure of the quality of biological diversity or how natural values, structures, functions and status are developed over time in protected areas. In other words, today we lack tools to evaluate the results of formal protection of the environment. For this reason, there is a need to develop further tools designed to reflect other characteristics than site dimensions to protect the biological diversity.

We require a synthesis and analysis of existing knowledge of what the protected areas contribute in the form of natural values, structures, functions and conservation status that can lead to tools to assess the results of formal protection of areas. The project must have relevance for Swedish and Nordic conditions. The synthesis and analysis should cover all or part of the following questions:

• can one or several tools be designed to provide support for protection and preservation of biological diversity in protected terrestrial areas? How should such tools be used?
• is the distribution of protected areas and the type of nature in between important for biological diversity? How can the individual protected areas coexist in a network of areas to better benefit biological diversity?
• how are natural values affected as a cause of customary land use and by means of, for example, floods and fire?
• how can cost effectiveness be defined and measured in the establishment and management of protected areas? How can cost effectiveness be changed by changing the use of areas?

The synthesis must be compiled and analysed using existing publications. In addition to peer-review literature, the compilation should include authority reports and other "gray" literature relevant for Swedish and Nordic conditions. Furthermore, the project should present a combined analysis of the issues and identify any knowledge gaps. The synthesis should provide the EPA with background information for a possible upcoming research call on the development of indicators to measure the quality of and benefit for biological diversity in protected areas at a landscape level.

In the project's initial phase, it is desirable that the engaged research groups in cooperation with the EPA will arrange a workshop with the aim of determining the central issues in Part A.

Part B concerns research that will increase knowledge about the effects of fragmentation on biological diversity and important ecological structures and functions at a landscape level and proposals on how this can be measured.

Globally, fragmentation of landscapes is an important factor in the loss of biodiversity ^{(3, 4)}. The fragmentation of habitats is caused by a number of different factors, including changes in the land use such as urban planning and transport infrastructure, intensive use of land, and uses of natural resources.

In the extended evaluation of the environmental objectives from 2015 ⁽¹⁾, it is envisaged that several measures will be required to counteract habitat loss and fragmentation and thus reduce the loss of biological diversity as well as changes in the landscape's ecology.

Current efforts on green infrastructure contribute to the development of an implemented planning at landscape level to reduce fragmentation of important habitats, to optimise the use of natural resources and lead to conservation measures. The development of regional action plans for green infrastructure will support the planning of concrete natural resource measures and contribute to the promotion, coordination and analysis of environmental status and environmental objectives.

There is no simple way to follow up on the effect of fragmentation for different habitats in the landscape. The development of measures and thresholds that can show the effects for different habitats are needed. It may therefore require one or several indicators to measure the effects of fragmentation, to be able to follow changes taking place in the landscape and to assess how these changes relate to land use changes and the associated effects on biodiversity.

Established methods based on the collection of information in the field, as well as new approaches via remote analysis, may provide data that could be used for the development of indicators. Analysis of ground cover data together with changes in land use can be a possibility.

The research effort should develop one or several quality indicators as well as quantitative indicators for fragmentation and changes in habitats. The indicators must be able to report on how changes in land use of natural and cultural environments affect the ecological context of different species, their habitats, structures and functions in the landscape in a Nordic context. The project can include one or several of the following questions:

• how can fragmentation of habitats be measured by analysing different data material on land use from field inventories, for example land use cover data and historical land use data?
• how can the current public statistics on the agricultural and forest sciences be the basis for indicators for fragmentation and how should statistics possibly be developed?
• how can fragmentation in different types of habitats be measured on different scales and in what resolution is data required?
• how do existing policy instruments work within the agricultural and forest sciences and do they provide support for action proposals, for example in the action plans for green infrastructure?

We welcome both subject specific and interdisciplinary projects and encourage researchers from different scientific disciplines to cooperate. We encourage interdisciplinary and border-crossing work. It is important that the relevance for the Swedish EPA and SwAM is clearly stated in the application.

Funds for Part A can be sought with SEK six million divided over two years (2019-2020). The objective is to fund one project in the area. The total budget for Part A is approximately SEK six million.

For Part B, funds can be allocated up to SEK five million over three years (2019-2021). The objective is to fund several projects in the area. The total budget for Part B is approximately SEK 15 million.

Separate applications must be submitted for Part A and B. The two parts will be evaluated separately, and it is possible to apply within only one of the parts.

The main applicant must hold a PhD and conduct research at universities, colleges, research institutes, or government agencies carrying out research as part of its mandate. The main applicant should be affiliated with a Swedish organization with a Swedish corporate identity number (“organisationsnummer”).

The applications are reviewed by international experts and therefore the application should preferably be written in English. The application is made electronically via the Swedish EPA's application portal.

The granted projects are expected to participate in the Swedish EPA's annual research conference, annual project meetings, and to allocate resources for communication with the Swedish EPA and other stakeholders.

• September 13^th, 2018: Deadline for applications
• December 2018: Funding decision
• January 2019: Project start

• Instruction for applicants
• Application portal

Forskningssekreterare Hannah Östergård Roswall
hannah.ostergard.roswall@naturvardsverket.se
Phone: 010-698 16 81

Forskningssekreterare Karin Hansen
karin.hansen@naturvardsverket.se
Phone: 010-698 13 28

(1)    Mål i sikte, Analys och bedömning av de 16 miljökvalitetsmålen i fördjupad utvärdering. Naturvårdsverket, Rapport 6662, Maj 2015.
(2)    SCB 2016;12;31, Statistiska meddelanden, MI 41 SM 1701, Skyddad natur.
(3)    Haddad N.M., Brudvig L.A., Clobert J., Davies K.F., Gonzalez A., Holt R.D., … Townshend J.R., 2015. Habitat fragmentation and its lasting impact on Earth’s ecosystems. Science Advances, 1(2).
(4)    IPBES, 2018. Summary for policymakers of the thematic assessment report on land degradation and restoration of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. https://www.ipbes

Regeringsuppdraget ”Indikatorer för miljökvalitetsmålen och generationsmålet”.

På europeisk nivå finns i nuläget en indikator för fragmentering på eea.europa.eu

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Uppföljning av skyddade områden i Sverige NV rap. 6379 juni 2010. ISBN 978-91-620-6379-5 (pdf 1 MB)

Sveriges arbete med bevarande av biologisk mångfald utifrån bevarandemål för landmiljön i den strategiska planen för biologisk mångfald som antogs vid CBD:s partsmöte i Nagoya 2010.

Redovisning av ett regeringsuppdrag till Naturvårdsverket och Skogsstyrelsen, M2012/71/Nm Naturvårdsverkets skrivelse 2012-03-30.

FN’s hållbarhetsmål på globalamalen.se