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Landskap, terrestriske økosystemer og biomangfold, friluftsliv og kulturmiljø (LAND) 1 Wolverines in a Changing World Prosjektansvarlig: NINA Hovedadm. Prosjektleder: Landa, Arild Seniorforsker Prosjektnr: 152782/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2003-31.12.2007 2003: 600,000 2004: 612,000 2005: 623,400 2006: 634,200 2007: 344,400 The principal objective is to gain better insight in the ecological role wolverines have in ecosystem dynamics and their adaptation to ecosystem change. This is important to accomplish viable and inter-connected wolverine populations and its implications for sustainable management of the natural environment. This objective will be achieved by focussing on the following research aims. - Investigate fine-scale interactions between wolverines and intra-guild species to evaluate competition and possible connemensalism effects among large carnivores. - Investigate habitat requirements of wolverines and the impact of landscape changes to predict availability of suitable habitat and the degree of inter-connectivity of wolverine populations. Predators are important keystone species in the structuring of communities, and ultimately of the integrity and health of ecosystems. By accelerating the rate and expanding the scope of disturbance and habitat change, man has undermined the resilience and viability of large carnivore populations causing widespread declines. The wolverine, whose fragmented range is now limited to central and northern Fennoscandia, is generally labelled as vulnerable, but with distinct populations at the risk of extinction. Investigating the role wolverines have in ecosystem dynamics and their adaptation to ecosystem changes are important to ensure effective wolverine conservation and maintaining a healthy ecosystem diversity. Focussing on the possibly isolated South Norwegian wolverine population, the project is designed to enable predictability of the impact wolverines have on ecosystem dynamics, including human conflicts. Studies of intra-guild interactions to evaluate the competition and possible commensalism effects among large carnivore species are also included. If conservation and management is to be successful, knowledge of habitat requirements and population dynamics are equally important in determining the ability of individuals to travel between sub-populations in order to preserve viable populations. Adaptability to changing environments will be studied along with habitat requirements, to predict the availability of suitable wolverine habitat. 2 Coastal Sami landscapes: Communities and management regimes in the twenty-first century Prosjektansvarlig: Tromsø Museum Universitetsmuseet,Universitetet i Tromsø Prosjektleder: Eythórsson, Einar Seniorforsker Prosjektnr: 153237/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2003-28.2.2008 2003: 178,050 2005: 672,300 2006: 204,705 2007: 696,000 2008: 135,038 Principal objective: to explore the institutional preconditions for implementation of the principles in Agenda 21, chapter 26, on indigenous people and their communities, in management and policy regimes which interfere with coastal Sami landscapes and use of natural resources in coastal Sami areas. Sub-goals: (1) Analysis of the demographic and economic situation in four coastal Sami communities (2) Documentation of local understandings of coastal Sami landscapes (3) Analysis of the responses ofcoastal Sami communities to new challenges listed in project summay (4) Analysis of opportunities of coastal Sami communities to influence management and policy regimes The project will analyse the conditions in coastal Sami communities, for realisation of the principles laid down by the Sami Rights Commission and in Agenda 21, regarding the rights of indigenous people and their communities to participate in decision making on management, use and development of their lands, territories and other resources. It is a study of local communities in coastal Sami areas, and the opportunities of these communities to exert influence on existing managment and policy regimes which interfere with coastal sami landscapes. The focus is on six specific challenges/development trends: 1. Changes in agricultural policy related to the WTO negotionations and to multifunctional agriculture. 2. Growth of the aquaculture sector, creating pressure on marine environments. 3. Introduction of the Alaska king crab into the Barents Sea. 4. Extended area conservation by national parks and marine reserves. 5. Extended land use for recreational and tourism purposes. 6. Offshore gas production in Finnmark. The main research question is how the coastal Sami communities are responding to these challenges, and what kind of influence the communities are able to exert on planning, management and policy regimes that affect the outcomes of these processes. 3 Reindeer and caribou; tolerance limits to habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic activities Prosjektansvarlig: Biologisk institutt,Universitetet i Oslo Prosjektleder: Reimers, Eigil Professor Prosjektnr: 154020/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.2.2004-31.1.2007 2004: 1,267,500 2005: 1,321,000 2006: 1,312,000 2007: 58,000 Critically evaluate the international litterature on interference between Rangifer and humans and publish the result as a review paper. - Determine vigilance and fright and flight behavior in Norwegian subpopulation of reindeer of different origin. -Determine reindeer area use in relation to tourism and various construction activities and test the hypothesis that avoidance of developed areas affects much larger areas than that of the physically altered footprints of development. - Establish methodology necessary for the evaluation of key population parameters (calf recruitment, calf mortality and body weight) and possible paramenter responses to various human impacts. Reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) is a prominent key species in the Arctic/Alpine environment. Anthropogenic activities including oil, gas and mineral exploration, hydroelectric development, and tourism have expanded rapidly in these environments during the last decades. In spite off numerous publications and annotated reviews on the issue of anthropogenic effects on Rangifer, the debate is as heated as ever among scientists and hence among the public. There is time for a critical evaluation of the current state of the art on anthropogenic effects to be published as a review article. A follow up of the national conservancy responsibility for the species requires additional in dept studies of vigilance, fright and flight behavior, and habitat avoidance related to human infrastructure. In order to apply the primary behavioral effects to energy budgets and secondary effects on animal body size, reproduction and mortality, one needs to develop and refine methods for remote estimation. 4 Phylogeny and biogeography of lamioid mints as affected by Tertiary and Quaternary environmental change in northern latitudes Prosjektansvarlig: Naturhistorisk museum,Universitetet i Oslo Prosjektleder: Roaldset, Elen Museumsdirektør Prosjektnr: 154145/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2003-1.4.2008 2004: 1,777,584 2005: 1,039,200 2006: 605,900 2007: 112,666 2008: 56,334 This project will assess the impact of environmental events at different time scales on the diversification of a worldwide lineage of mints (Lamioideae: Lamiaceae) represented in Scandinavia by several independent lineages. The intent is to dissect out the components of diversity within Lamioideae and relate them to geological, climatic aud ecological conditions of the past. Specifically, phylogenetic evidence will be sought for biogeographic correlates of episodic environmental changes, particularly with reference to transatlantic versus transberingian relationships, intracontinental disjunctions, hybrid ciadogenesis, and the interglacial invasion of Fennoscandia. Historical biogeography conjectures that cladogenesis, the origins of species and lineages of organisms, is directly related to geographic migration and isolation of clade members over time. The geologic and environmental history of the Northern Hemisphere shows great consistency with most organismal phylogenies that have so far been produced. Barriers to plant migration have been created and lifted alternately throughout the Tertiary and Quaternary, leading to some general geographic patterns that are repeatedly recovered in phylogenetic studies of disparate flowering plant groups. The project will utilize members of the monophyletic mint subfamily Lamioideae (Leppeblomstfamilien) to uncover phylogenetic evidence for episodic environmental changes, particularly with reference to transatlantic versus transberingian relationships, intracontinental disjunctions, hybrid cladogenesis, and the interglacial invasion of Fennoscandia. Results of the project will form a case study toward the development of a model for mosaic evolution of the Northern Hemisphere flora, and will advance knowledge of the phylogeny and taxonomy of a species-rich and ecologically important lineage of the mint family. 5 Ecosystem Finnmark: Determinants of changes in structure and function of an Alpine/low Arctic tundra ecosystem Prosjektansvarlig: Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet,Universitetet i Tromsø Prosjektleder: Ims, Rolf Anker Professor Prosjektnr: 154440/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2003-31.12.2008 2003: 1,887,000 2004: 3,887,000 2005: 3,928,000 2006: 3,122,000 2007: 1,468,666 2008: 734,334 Main objective To investigate the roles of environmental and social forces in shaping the current geographic variation in reindeer density and production in Finnmark and its consequenses for ecosystem sustainability. Subobjectives - To provide an analysis of spatial and temporal variation in reindeer density and habitat use, its environemtal correlates and the realation to herd productivity. - To analyse the socio-cultural mechanisms that may contribute to geographic variation in reindeer numbers and how these mechanisms may interact with decisions by management authorities and spatial and temporal environmental variability. - To explore the possibility for transitions between alternative states of vegetation structure and primary productivity, and to assess the feedback of such transitions on reindeer productivity. Reindeer husbandry constitutes one of the main pillars of Saami cultural identity in Finnmark, the northern-most district of the European continent. Yet how reindeer husbandry is presently practised is controversial, as the grazing intensity has been claimed to be non-sustainable. The project is interdisciplinary covering the axis ecologysocial sciences aiming at identifying the determinants of how reindeer husbandry is presently practised and what are the consequences. The novelty of the research approach is that it focuses on the often ignored large, geographic variation in reindeer numbers and production in Finnmark. These geographic differences have been temporally persistent for at least 20 years. The paradigm is the following: If one is to devise efficient management strategies, according to internationally recognised goals for ecosystem sustainability, one needs to understand the political, socio-cultural and environmental basis for the current variation in reindeer husbandry and its consequences. The project will conduct studies that analyze spatial variability in environmental and socio-cultural factors. It explicitly addresses the hypothesis that a shifting pattern and intensity of reindeer herbivory in conjunction with climatic variability and internal dynamics within plant communities can bring about long lasting transitions in vegetation structure and quality which may feed back on the produetivity within reindeer herds. Productivity will be studied with respect to the influence of reindeer density, habitat/resource use and climatic variation. The social science studies are based on the expectation that socio-cultural processes and variable economic constraints at the level of the "siidas" (Saami reindeer herding units), as well as their interactions with the decisions of management authorities, will be forceful social and political determinants of reindeer herding practices and reindeer numbers. Reindeer numbers/husbandry practice/production as well as the general spatial research design will be the main interdisciplinary denominators of the project. 6 Land use and ecosystem function in Norwegian forest landscapes Prosjektansvarlig: Universitetet for miljø- og biovitenskap,Institutt for naturforvaltning Prosjektleder: Ohlson, Mikael Professor Prosjektnr: 154442/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.5.2003-30.7.2009 2003: 2,147,850 2004: 3,821,200 2005: 4,434,200 2006: 3,178,200 2007: 1,557,733 2009: 778,867 The principal objective is two-fold: (i) to analyse the interaction of human land-use, ecosystem function, biodiversity dynamics, and abiotic factors in Norwegian boreal forests, and (ii) to develop improved policy instruments for managing biodiversity in forests. Sub-goals: 1) Determine the relative importance of forest history, habitat configuration and habitat quality as determinants of species distributions; 2) Establish improved indicators of biological diversity; 3) Identify forest management strategies to secure ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, and to restore damaged forest ecosystems; 4) Analyse the efficiency and risks of different policy means. The relationships between human use of forest, natural ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, ecosystem function, and long-term change of forest ecosystems are complex and occur at different spatial- and temporal scales. Analyses of such complex relationships must be focused and at the same time require expertise from several disciplines. The approach entails multi-disciplinary modelling involving forest ecology, forest history, archaeology, quantitative palaeoecology, population biology, economics, and stake holder involvement. Observationally and experimentally assessed measures of habitat qualities, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes will provide information on present-day ecosystem and landscape properties. Combinations of several retrospective vegetation history and archaeological methods will provide information on long-term natural changes, human settlement, timber logging, grazing pressure, economics, and human wellbeing. The project will thereby be able to analyse patterns in biodiversity and ecosystem processes in relation to human land-use and landscape history. The project will study forest landscapes along east-western gradients in South-and Central Norway, in particular forest landscapes close to Oslo, where strong and different interests are in conflict as regards the value, management, and use of the forests. The modelling approach enables us to produce decision relevant information through more efficient incorporation of existing knowledge and new data collected in the project. and intensity of reindeer herbivory in conjunction with climatic variability and internal dynamics within plant communities can bring about long lasting transitions in vegetation structure and quality which may feed back on the produetivity within reindeer herds. Productivity will be studied with respect to the influence of reindeer density, habitat/resource use and climatic variation. The social science studies are based on the expectation that socio-cultural processes and variable economic constraints at the level of the "siidas" (Saami reindeer herding units), as well as their interactions with the decisions of management authorities, will be forceful social and political determinants of reindeer herding practices and reindeer numbers. Reindeer numbers/husbandry practice/production as well as the general spatial research design will be the main interdisciplinary denominators of the project. 7 8 Ecosystem Finnmark: Determination of changes in structure and function of an Alpine/low Artic tundra ecosystem. Samfinansiering 154440/720 Prosjektansvarlig: Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet,Universitetet i Tromsø Prosjektleder: Ims, Rolf Anker Professor Prosjektnr: 158307/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2003-31.12.2007 Reindeer husbandry constitutes one of the main pillars of Saami cultural identity in Finnmark, the northern-most district of the European continent. Yet how reindeer husbandry is presently practised is controversial, as the grazing intensity has been claimed to be non-sustainable. The project is interdisciplinary covering the axis ecologysocial sciences aiming at identifying the determinants of how reindeer husbandry is presently practised and what are the consequences. The novelty of the research approach is that it focuses on the often ignored large, geographic variation in reindeer numbers and production in Finnmark. These geographic differences have been temporally persistent for at least 20 years. The paradigm is the following: If one is to devise efficient management strategies, according to internationally recognised goals for ecosystem sustainability, one needs to understand the political, socio-cultural and environmental basis for the current variation in reindeer husbandry and its consequences. The project will conduct studies that analyze spatial variability in environmental and socio-cultural factors. It explicitly addresses the hypothesis that a shifting pattern Land use and ecosystem function in Norwegian forest landscapes. Samfinansiering 154442/720 Prosjektansvarlig: Universitetet for miljø- og biovitenskap,Institutt for naturforvaltning Prosjektleder: Ohlson, Mikael Professor Prosjektnr: 158308/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2003-31.12.2007 The relationships between human use of forest, natural ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, ecosystem function, and long-term change of forest ecosystems are complex and occur at different spatial- and temporal scales. Analyses of such complex relationships must be focused and at the same time require expertise from several disciplines. The approach entails multi-disciplinary modelling involving forest ecology, forest history, archaeology, quantitative palaeoecology, population biology, economics, and stake holder involvement. Observationally and experimentally assessed measures of habitat qualities, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes will provide information on present-day ecosystem and landscape properties. Combinations of several retrospective vegetation history and archaeological methods will provide information on long-term natural changes, human settlement, timber logging, grazing pressure, economics, and human wellbeing. The project will thereby be able to analyse patterns in biodiversity and ecosystem processes in relation to human land-use and landscape history. The project will study forest landscapes along east-western gradients in South-and Central Norway, in particular forest landscapes close to Oslo, where strong and different interests are in conflict as regards the value, management, and use of the forests. The modelling approach enables us to produce decision relevant information through more efficient incorporation of existing knowledge and new data collected in the project. 9 A molecular phylogeny of the brown-spored agarics (Basidiomycota) Prosjektansvarlig: Biologisk institutt,Universitetet i Oslo Prosjektleder: Schumacher, Trond Professor Prosjektnr: 164731/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-30.6.2008 2005: 713,000 2006: 734,000 2007: 635,000 Main objective: Our superior goal is to use sequence data from multiple loci in understanding historical relationships, taxonomy and character evolution (morphology/ecology) between brown-spored agarics of the families Cortinariaceae, Strophariacae, Bolbitiaceae and Tubariaceae. Sub-goals: Re-analyse the current classifications schemes of the brown-spored agarics and define monophyletic groups. Track and analyse the evolution of various mycorrhizal and saprotrophic life-forms. Analyse infrageneric molecular phylogeny in Galerina and test species boundaries and character evolution, using a multi-locus phylogenetic approach. Perform a critical examination of the G. atkinsoniana and G. marginata species complexes, using a combination of multi-locus sequencing and AFLP fingerprints. The agarics with brownish spore prints embrace the families Cortinariaceae, Strophariaceae, Bolbitiaceae and Tubariaceae. In the Northern hemisphere, there is a vast number of brown-spored agarics, adapted to a variety of habitats. The phylogenetic relationships between the large, brown-spored genera Cortinarius, Inocybe, Hebeloma, Galerina and Pholiota are largely unexplored. The main objective is to accumulate knowledge on the taxonomy, phylogeny and ecological diversification of brown-spored agarics. The genus Galerina, which includes ca. 350 species world-wide, will be particularly focused. Species and infrageneric units in Galerina have hitherto been based on morphological and to a less extent ecological characters. We will infer the molecular phylogeny and test species boundaries and character evolution of the brown-spored agarics and the genus Galerina. The project is a DNA-sequence-based multi- locus phylogenetic approach. In addition, the AFLP technique, microscopy of sporocarps and compatibility testing of living culture isolates of species complexes in Galerina will also be accomplished. The genetic variation will be analysed by likelihood and parsimony-based inferential techniques. The project includes a PhD candidate and the contributions from four senior researchers. 10 The management of cultural heritage in marginalised coastal communities Prosjektansvarlig: Universitetet i Tromsø Prosjektleder: Bertelsen, Reidar Professor Prosjektnr: 165683/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 1,249,000 2006: 594,666 2007: 1,126,334 Principal objectives 1. To investigate models for local involvement in the management of cultural heritage. 2. To establish an efficient and reliable method of mapping the cultural resources through focus on landscape and to develop tools for prognosis 3. To establish a scholarly cultural history which is closely linked to the cultural landscape of the study areas. Secondary goals 1. To improve the capacity of the regional museums to maintain a consultative function in the cultural heritage management 2. Make available resources for development of local strategies for the use of marginalized cultural landscapes The cultural heritage management works within the political, economic, cultural and social reality of the modern society not the past society. The sum of priorities does not always mirror the diversity throughout time and space. One typical category of landscape to be left out is what we call the marginalised coastal communities. This project aims at investigating the cultural heritage resources of this landscape type as well as its potential. Another field of inquiry is to establish a professional network and introduce new methods and strategies for a new management regime with active participation of the local population and the municipal administration. The project brings together different research disciplines, different management levels and institutions that have no tradition for cooperation. 11 Design, change and management of Sami resicences in Tysfjord Prosjektansvarlig: Samisk høgskole,Nordisk samisk institutt Prosjektleder: Skålnes, Sunniva Forsker Prosjektnr: 165689/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-28.2.2008 2005: 841,000 2006: 740,000 2007: 776,000 2008: 116,000 The principal objective is to interpret the modern built landscape, focusing on private dwellings, as they appear in a coastal Sami environment today. Sub-goals are: - to develop new knowledge on Sami vernacular architecture in the post war period. - to reveal changes and development of dwellings - to analyse variations and developments of the symbolic value of dwellings - to discuss the role of social housing programmes carried out in the area and the meeting between the bureaucratic level and the local level - to offer insight for management strategies in residential areas - to develop new theoretical understandings of vernacular arcitecture as material and symbolic manifestations - to include a minor comparative study of dwellings in a village in the eastern Sami border area Notozero in Northern Russia. The project´s objects of study are Sami dwellings in the Tysfjord area in Nordland, and the period chosen is from the 1960´s and up to today. For comparison, a small study will be carried out in a village in the eastern Sami area Notozero, by the Lotta River on the Kola peninsula in Northern Russia, where the inhabitants were centralized and relocated around 1960. A dwelling can be interpreted as both product and process. As a product, it has tangible character, and can be seen as communicating with the landscape. It also has abstract connotations, associated with memory, symbolic value, emotional ties and identification. The dwelling as process involves those who participate in the process and the conditions they have for participation. The landscape of private homes (dwellings) is formed through an interplay between the house builder and the framework defined by public management policies and practices. The architecture thus mirrors the society´s principal and partly invisible conditions and perequisites, as well as the buildes´s possibilities and choises. National aprogrammes for social and economic development in Sami areas in the post-war period included in Tysfjord a programme for relocation of inhabitants and erecting homes in central areas. This affected the built landscape in a substantial way, and also demanded new social and economic strategies. The project´s theoretical perspective is broad-spectered, including theories on vernacular architecture, on attachment to places (topophilia) and on the meanings and effects of materiality. The analyses will focus on - the dwelling as product; in the landscapes and on the parcel - the dwelling and work - the dwelling and the social environment - the dwelling as process - the dwelling as symbol 12 Spatial economic analyses in wildlife management Prosjektansvarlig: Biologisk institutt,Universitetet i Oslo Prosjektleder: Gundersen, Hege Høgskolelektor Prosjektnr: 165695/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.4.2005-30.11.2007 2005: 705,000 2006: 696,000 2007: 169,000 The aim is to study the spatial economics of moose, which is a species of high harvest value in Norway. I will introduce the application of continuous spatial distributions to analyse habitat - moose relations. Spatial ecological data (e.g. distribution of organisms and their habitat) are often sampled as points in space, or linear transects. I will explore how I can use the whole landscape as smoothed spatial distributions to: 1) Study the spatial distribution of a species with a high economic value - the moose. I will use already existing large datasets in this approach, by the use of Kernel probability density distributions. 2) Study the predictability of the spatial model from smoothed distributions by extrapolating to larger landscapes with known moose distribution. 3) Study the various landowners economics associated to moose. 4) Simulate habitat changes and study the various landowners' economic profit in a game theoretical framework. In this project I will explore how continuous spatial distributions of habitat may be applied to explain the spatial distribution of a species with high economic value - the moose. Continuous habitat distributions may be estimated from spatial data for instance by the use of Kernel methods. The Kernel method estimates the density of a given habitat variable at each spatial location given the whole spatial distribution of that habitat. Compared to the traditional use of discrete point- or grid cell estimates, continuous habitat distributions have some beneficial properties: 1) Smoothing out missing observations; 2) it is partly independent of arbitrary choice of spatial resolution; and 3) continuous habitat distributions may be an index that describes the whole aspect of the landscape mosaic and may therefore give better predictability to the spatial model. Here, I suggest correlating continuous spatial habitat and animal distributions to map the association between habitat and organism. I will further extrapolate the spatial model into larger areas to study the predictability of the model. The actual landowner configuration will then be used to study the spatial economics of the species and how this may vary through various changes of the landscape. The economic profit for each landowner dependent on how the various landowners manage their habitat may then be studied by applying game theory. I will develop these ideas at the CEES at UiO in close collaboration with prof. Nils Chr. Stenseth and his group. In addition I will collaborate with highly competent environments at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fairbanks, where I plan to stay for a 10 month period. The large datasets and the knowledge of the ecological system to be studied will be elaborated through researchers working on bio-economics at HUC and a large mammal group at NINA in Trondheim. 13 Coastal landscape changes at the top of Europe: Threats and opportunities for maintenance, restoration and development (TOPCOAST) Prosjektansvarlig: NINA - Tromsø Prosjektleder: Tømmervik, Hans Forsker Prosjektnr: 165786/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 1,100,000 2006: 1,100,000 2007: 1,100,000 The main objective of the present project is to identify, by the use of an inter-disciplinary approach, significant landscape changes in the archipelagos of Lofoten and Vesterålen, Northern Norway. Objectives include the following subgoals: 1) To identify and document significant coastal landscape changes, by use of various scientific techniques, in Lofoten and Vesterålen, with emphasis on the shipping lane - used by the coastal express liner (Hurtigruten) between Svolvær and Harstad. 2) To explore how landscapes and landscape changes are perceived by foreign passengers on the coastal express liner and motor tourists from abroad. 3) To evaluate implications of landscape changes on biodiversity, cultural heritage values, agriculture, forestry, reindeer husbandry, and tourism. 4) To advance methods for identification, analysis and assessments of landscapes and landscape qualities. 5) To propose measures for countryside maintenance, restoration and (novel) rural tourism that can have a balanced and sustainable effect on the landscapes. Norwegian coastal landscapes are now subject to change, both physically, due to changes in climate, agricultural policy, industry and housing development but also resulting from transformations in perception, because of new knowledge and transformations of local ways of life, such as dissemination of romantic attitudes among both tourists and locals. Among the most significant visual alterations both in the case area and elsewhere are general re-growth and overgrowth. These changes might lead to problems such as overgrowth of cultural remains, decrease in biodiversity, deterioration of the vistas for sightseers, reduced local access to valued values, and probably also a loss of placeness to the local population. The main objective of the present project is to identify, by the use of an inter-disciplinary approach, significant landscape changes in the archipelagos of Lofoten and Vesterålen, Northern Norway, to evaluate implications of such changes, and to clarify foundations for maintenance and restoration together with opportunities for development, especially accentuating tourism-related issues. Moreover, the project will explore how landscapes and landscape changes are perceived by tourists and evaluate implications of landscape changes on biodiversity, cultural heritage values, agriculture, forestry, reindeer husbandry, and tourism. The project will advance methods for identification, analysis and assessments of landscapes and landscape qualities and finally propose measures for countryside maintenance, restoration and novel rural tourism (new employment opportunities) that can have a balanced and sustainable effect on the landscapes. 14 Cultural heritages and value creation. Estimating economic effects of cultural heritage in the city of Røros Prosjektansvarlig: ECON Analyse a.s Prosjektleder: Bowitz, Einar Forsker Prosjektnr: 165787/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 1,040,000 2006: 1,320,000 2007: 640,000 The overall objective is to estimate economic effects of cultural heritage in the community of Røros; including both the effects of cultural heritage in general, and the effects associated with the site’s World Heritage registration. Other objectives include revealing how management of cultural heritage can affect economic value, and exploring the inherent conflicts between value creation and conservation of cultural heritage. The study aims to increase the knowledge about the possibilities and limitations in the management strategy “conservation through use” to support a common understanding among local actors of the action space for use and management of cultural heritage. Management of cultural heritages in a manner that generates values are of importance in order to obtain a sustainable development (SD). Cultural heritage can affect the three objectives for SD; environmental, social and economic development. There is a need for more knowledge especially of the economic and social effects. The economic values associated with cultural heritage can arise from development of commercial activities, and from making a place more attractive both for people and business. Despite growing awareness that cultural heritage can generate potential value, data and methods that confirms this linkage is lacking. Knowledge of how cultural heritages create values, and hence affects the economy, and methods to estimate these values are of main concern in this study. In the project we will estimate the economic effects of the use and management of cultural heritage at Røros. The study will visualise and make the material and immaterial values linked to cultural heritage concrete, together with methods to assess and distribute the value in an experience and/or business related setting. The project consists of 7 work packages: 1) Identifying and analysing the cultural heritage management regime at Røros during the last 20 years. 2) A theoretic approach to value creation incl. a literature survey and establisment of a theoretic model. 3) Estimating value created in business sectors, directly and indirectly (e.g., branding). 4) Estimating values among inhabitants through mobility surveys. 5) An in-depth analysis of conflict handling between conservation and use of cultural heritage. 6) A synthesis of the previous WP, adjusting the theoretical model with the empirical findings. 7) A scenario project for Røros. Central outcomes will be: a method to estimate value creation from cultural heritage; establisment of a knowledge base for central and local administration and other actors, especially with regards to the policy perspective “conservation through use". 15 Critical components for sustainable development of National parks (PARKS) - The interactions of social, ecological and economic factors Prosjektansvarlig: NINA,Avd. for naturbruk Prosjektleder: Nellemann, Christian Forsker Prosjektnr: 165795/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 1,000,000 2006: 1,000,000 2007: 1,000,000 To identify the role, mechanisms and impacts of public and private sector investments in and surrounding national parks for promoting sustainable development, including the interactions between local communities and the public sector, economic activity and environmental protection. The project will specifically analyze and identify best-practices from mountain park management in Norway, USA, Canada, and Nepal. This will include cross-disciplinary studies of: • the demand for tourism products contingent upon protected areas • the collaboration, strategies, realization and extent of public investment, local participation and private business; • impacts of different tourism management policies on distribution and range use of ungulates including critical thresholds and buffer zones; • the role of the parks for hosting large predator communities and subsequent conflicts with domestic livestock; • produce scenarios for environmental pressures given different management regimes In recent years, a large number of mountain protected areas and parks have been established in Norway, Nepal and North-America, including what is now the largest continuous protected area in continental Europe. Pressures from the private sector to develop economic activities in and surrounding parks in return for foregone development opportunities are increasing substantially, but there are few or no major assessments available to identify the criteria crucial for balancing environmental protection with economic development. Furthermore, development pressures are increasing in the perimeter of the parks. Little experience is available in Norway on how parks can be managed to promote economic activity, involve local communities, and maintain protection of areas. There is also limited knowledge on how activity in the perimeter of the parks impacts the ecology of the protected areas, such as by increase in generalist predators, increased disturbance of migration routes of migratory animals and birds, or by potential increase of larger predators within the parks. Despite many controversies, there are no assessments in place to document the potential disturbance of wildlife caused by trails and trekking tourists within the parks in Norway. In USA, Canada, and Nepal, there are both recent and longterm experiences with mountain park management, park research, income generating tourism in protected areas, and economic activity that could provide crucial knowledge to Norwegian authorities on best-practices and the local assumptions and requirements needed for successful implementation of such activities. This study will provide a cross-disciplinary assessment of the ecological, economic and social components required for sustainable development in mountain parks, and generate scenarios of environmental pressures given different management, business regimes and mitigation systems. 16 Large carnivores and human communities II: Conserving interacting species in the transboundary south-central Scandinavian ecosystem Prosjektansvarlig: NINA Hovedadm. Prosjektleder: Linnell, John D. C. Seniorforsker Prosjektnr: 165814/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 1,100,000 2006: 1,100,000 2007: 1,100,000 o Develop tools and provide advice relevant for managers implementing carnivore management policy. o Promote ecosystem level thinking by giving geographic identity to the research that is being conducted on large carnivores and large herbivores in south-central Scandinavia. o Explore similarities and differences between the conservation of, and conflicts associated with, large carnivores on both sides of the border in this transboundary ecosystem. o Investigate attitude patterns concerning wildlife in general and large carnivores in particular to assess the impact of such attitudes on the feasibility of management options. o Profile the multi-disciplinary research in this ecosystem to make it into a classic research area for the study of conservation in multi-use landscapes o Stimulate inter-disciplinarity by focusing on a common sense of place (the ecosystem) and a common purpose (large carnivore-human coexistence). o Continue limited, but targetted field research on large carnivores. To meet the escalating demands for scientific knowledge, to help address human-wildlife conflicts, research activity on large carnivores (LCs) and large herbivores (LHs) has been intense in the last decade in Scandinavia. This research has been available to politicans formulating policy. In the coming years there is a need to to focus on four main areas. (1) Develop tools to help implement policy. (2) Monitor the effect of policy implementation on the conflicts. (3) Place the enormous body of existing knowledge into a holistic, ecosystem context. (4) Continue the limited collection of field data on certain targetted areas. In order to address these needs we propose a new project that seeks to expand upon the partnerships established in the NFR funded ROSA project (2000-2004). In this phase the project will contain integrated components on wolves, moose, lynx, roe deer, bears and human dimensions. Integration will occur by examining these species along four conceptual axes. (1) The use of harvest and control in active management which involves collection of LC demographic data and surveys of human attitudes to various management measures. (2) The effects of LC predation on LH populations, and how this is modulated by prey movement and landscape, which requires studying LC kill rates and LH mortality. (3) Intraguild interactions between LCs (and human hunters). These elements will be further unified by embracing them within a geographically defined area, the transboundary South Central Scandinavian Ecosystem (Østlandet & Svealand). The differences between Norwegian and Swedish management systems, in similar landscapes, provides a unique opportunity to study how these different systems affect wildlife populations, human attitudes, and the form of human-wildlife conflict. We will also examine to what extent management practices in one country affect those in the other. Throughout the project we will interact with managers at all levels from both sides of the border. 17 Redefining Rural Resources; Local capacity-building in sustainable management of cultural historic environments of mountain summer farming Prosjektansvarlig: Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning Prosjektleder: Swensen, Grete Forsker 2 Prosjektnr: 165817/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 1,100,000 2006: 1,100,000 2007: 1,000,000 Main goal - to analyse the planning praxis in use to govern potential conflicting interests in areas of active mountain summer farming - to examine the interplay that takes place between these cultural environments being used in active farming and the representation they make as heritage products, and scrutinise the role they play today in a value-creating process Sub-goal - through a selection of empirical case-studies throw light upon what functions these environments fill in to days farming. - look closer at alternatives in use that ensure a sustainable development of such cultural historic environments by maintaining historic values as well representing an economical basis to their owners. - establish relevant international contacts and thereby gather information about the present situation in a selection of European countries where mountain summer farming historically has played an important role and exchange ideas about means of revitalising such resources One of the major cultural historic asset that hillside and mountain regions in Norway offer is mountain summer farming (”seter”). Today their owners find themselves in the intersection between several tendencies: agricultural readjustments leading to either reduction or discontinuance of mountain summer farming – a developing tourism industry appreciating national heritage products – and expanding areas of modern holiday homes and sport-centres in central mountain regions. The project will analyse the opportunities as well as the threats these important cultural historic areas are facing, and through empirical examples bring forward suggestions towards sustainable use and management. Sustainability reflects a growing concern for the environment. While the environmental impact of tourism has been given attention for some time, focus is now directed towards an increasing tendency to develop new attractions in former remote mountain areas where the ecological balance as well as a declining tradition of mountain summer farming needs special consideration. When such vulnerable resources are being redefined according to modern economical opportunities and settings, the planning process as well as the cultural environments must be scrutinised to add to the identification, understanding and possible solutions to potential subsequent problems which the process of value creation may arise. The methods and sources which are being applied, are founded on an interdisciplinary basis (geography, planning, archaeology, ethnology). The results will be published in international journals as well as in userorientated magazines. Emphasis will be placed on building up international contacts, and an international workshop will be arranged where focus is directed towards environmental effects as well as challenges arising when active farming is being combined with tourism. 18 How to make it. Private-public partnerships in mananging sustainable development in mountain regions. Prosjektansvarlig: Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning Prosjektleder: Hovik, Sissel Forsker Prosjektnr: 165821/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 475,000 2006: 735,000 2007: 790,000 The main purpose of this project is to investigate conditions for sustainable development in terms of a balance between nature, landscape and culutral qualities and rural development in mountain regions. We will lay emphasis on partnership models and their capacity to initiate and achieve sustainable development in three mountain regions in Norway. Our main assumption is that the capacity of the partnership to create a sustainable development will depend both on the actors participating in the partnership and on institutional features. In addition, we will compare the findings from the Norwegian study with the experiences with similar arrangements in Sweden. The Swedish -Norwegian comparison will be based on this research proposal and compatible research projects in the Swedish Mountain MISTRA research programme. Sustainable development in rural areas is currently a major political focal point. Public – private partnerships for rural development have been established, with the aim of utilizing local nature resources and qualities for commercial purposes, in an ecologically sustainable manner. The main purpose of this project is to investigate conditions for partnerships to plan and implement sustainable development in terms of a balance between nature protection and rural development in mountain regions. Our main assumption is that the system capacity of partnerships for sustainable development will depend both on the actor constellation and the institutional setting of the cooperative process. Thus, our theoretical point of departure is an actor-centred institutionalism. The focus is how different private – public partnership established and manage to achieve sustainable and rural development in mountain areas. The success of these initiatives - or their problem solving capacity- will be measured in their ability to effectively develop legitimised strategies, and achieve legitimised economical and ecologically sustainable development. The input is the different partnerships and their problem solving capacity. Their achieved results are divided between policy output and policy outcome. Policy output is development of strategies and plans, and decisions on allocation of resources for these purposes. Policy outcome is about actual results. The reseach proposal includes a formalised cooperation with Umeå Univeristy, a core institution in the Swedish "Mountain MISTRA research programme". The aim for this cooperation is to compare different kinds of management and their problem solving capacity in mountain regions in Norway and Sweden - both partnerships and the public management system. 19 Down by the riverside: Urban public nature-related attitudes and activities as a knowledge base for river restoration and management Prosjektansvarlig: NINA,Avd. for naturbruk Prosjektleder: Krange, Olve K. Prosjektnr: 165823/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 500,000 2006: 500,000 2007: 500,000 Principal objective: Identify attitudes, cultural interests, use, and inhibitors for use in demographic groups (emphasising youths and ethnic minority groups), and relate data to quality of life, place identity, and physical/ecological management of an urban river corridor. Sub-goals: 1) Measure nature-related attitudes and activities among children and adolescents; identify use, barriers, and influencing cultural/socialising variables. 2) Measure nature-related attitudes, activities, and cultural interests among adults, identify preferences regarding river restoration, and relate urban residential outdoor activities to quality of life. 3) Identify culture-specific norms and socialisation factors influencing nature-related activities among various minority groups. 4) Use data on nature-related attitudes, outdoor activities and uses, and reported preferences of types of river corridor restoration measures, to develop strategies for further river restoration efforts and management The beneficial, restorative effects of activities and experiences in natural environments are well documented. Since a majority of the population live in urban areas, more attention should be given to the establishment, availability, use, and management of urban natural areas. Such areas usually include an abundance of remains of former human activities, the result being a landscape or environment where nature and culture are integrated in a mosaic being of large importance for the outdoor activities taking place there. In this interdisciplinary project the main aim is to identify relations between quality of life, use patterns, attitudes, preferences, and use-inhibiting factors, and restoration and management of the greenway area along the Alna River in Oslo. This research area has a large variety of natural milieus as well as cultural remains from various historical periods. Five main foci constitute this project. First, attitudes, preferences, and out door activities of children and adolescents (10-17 yrs.) will be surveyed. Second, these issues will be analysed targeting a representative sample of the adult population in the area, with the additional aim to relate out door experiences and activities to people’s quality of life. Third, a focus will be on the importance of ethnicity for residential nature-related activities and attitudes, emphasising influences of differential socialisation and culture-specific norms. Fourth, the importance and effects of the information about and existence of historically and culturally central sites and events along the river corridor will be measured. Finally, as a synthesis, information collected in these four parts will be related to existing and future landscape planning in the area. 20 Harvesting strategies for optimizing size and structure of Norvegian moose popultions: Constraints and optiones Prosjektansvarlig: NINA Hovedadm. Prosjektleder: Sæther, Bernt-Erik Professor Prosjektnr: 165827/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 950,000 2006: 950,000 2007: 900,000 The purpose of the present project is to " examine theoretically how different harvest strategies that involve changes of the structural composition of moose populations affect the rate of loss of genetic variance, " analyze quantitatively how the demography of moose change with size and structural composition (sexratio, age-composition) of the population, and " examine the decision processes involved when management goals and harvest strategies for local populations are determined, From this, we will " give recommendations for different regions of maximum population densities to avoid serious densitydependent reduction in the productivity of the moose populations, " derive a set of overall goals for the structural composition of local moose populations that can serve as local management guidelines, " give general guidelines for local management bodies to avoid unwanted or unforeseen effects from local processes, and to improve interactions between local authorities and intermunicipal or regional bodies, and " develop from 'Sett elg'-data robust indices of changes in the size and structural composition of the population that can be rapidly used by local managers . During the last decades Norwegian there has been a large increase in the size of Norwegian moose populations. However, large moose populations also represent a considerable cost. Thus, the central challenge will be to derive management strategies that give fluctuations of moose populations around some predetermined population level. Our aim is based on a new theoretical framework to derive recommendations about optimal population sizes for different types of Norwegian moose populations. These population levels will however not only influenced by density-dependent processes but will also be strongly affected by structural changes in the ageand sex-composition because of harvest strategies that are directed against certain age- and sex-groups. Another aim with this project will therefore be to derive robust harvest strategies that minimizes the risk of loss of genetic variation. Furthermore, a potential unfortunate consequence of the large local influence on the choice of harvest strategies is the development of large local variation in management practices even within the same region. Thus, we will study the decision processes involved when the goals and strategies for the development of the local moose populations are chosen. This knowledge will be useful for obtaining more unified management practices of moose population over larger areas. Such information is badly needed because previous studies of moose population dynamics have shown that regulation of moose numbers through hunting requires that local moose managers rapidly obtain information on population fluctuations and are able to convert this knowledge immediately into decisions about changes in quotas. To shorten this time-delay, a central focus for this project will be by advanced statistical methods to obtain indexes based on ‘Sett elg’-data that can be used by local managers for obtaining information about changes in the size and structural composition of the moose population. 21 Cultural landscapes, agricultural activity and Arctic goose populations; a possible combination? Prosjektansvarlig: NINA,Avd. for arktisk økologi Prosjektleder: Tombre, Ingunn Forsker Prosjektnr: 165836/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 393,000 2006: 260,000 2007: 347,000 In the present project we use an interdisciplinary approach to study processes in a conflict system linked to the cultural landscapes along the coast of Norway. Based on a cumulative body of knowledge from a previous integrated project, we will develop innovative solution models to provide guidelines for the long-term management and conservation of resources. Although the intention is to support local resolutions, the models will be applicable for corresponding systems, hence giving the project a general and broad perspective. The conflict between agricultural interests and geese will be the main focus of the project. Objectives: A) To compare the vulnerability of agriculture to goose grazing, with an integrated focus on differences in farming and cultural landscapes. B) To evaluate the attitudes to the problems of geese grazing among farmers, administrators and wildlife managers. C) To measure and predict ecological responses in Arctic goose populations to perturbations and management schemes in the cultural landscape. D) To merge the findings from A), B) and C) in innovative solution models balancing the various interests from involved parts, in order to develop an interdisciplinary foundation for a cost-effective and integrated solution to management. In the present project we use an interdisciplinary approach to study processes in a conflict system linked to the cultural landscapes along the coast of Norway. Due to increasing goose populations in Europe, conflicts between farmers and geese foraging in the agricultural landscapes have intensified. Finding optimal solutions for these conflicts is a challenge for the authorities. Based on a cumulative body of knowledge from a previous integrated project, we will in the present project develop innovative solution models providing guidelines for the long-term management and conservation of resources, based on existing knowledge from previous projects. Although the intention is to support local resolutions, the models will be applicable for corresponding systems, hence giving the project a general and broad perspective. In the project we will compare the vulnerability of agriculture to goose grazing in two spring staging sites for geese, with an integrated focus on differences in farming and cultural landscapes. Furthermore we will evaluate the attitudes to the problems of geese grazing among farmers, administrators and wildlife managers and measure and predict ecological responses in Arctic goose populations to perturbations and management schemes in the cultural landscape. Finally we will merge the findings in innovative solution models balancing the various interests from involved parts in order to develop an interdisciplinary foundation for a cost-effective and integrated solution to management. 22 Ecological effects of sheep grazing and the economy of sustainable husbandry in alpine habitats Prosjektansvarlig: Biologisk institutt,Universitetet i Oslo Prosjektleder: Mysterud, Atle Professor Prosjektnr: 165846/S30 Bevilgningsperiode og finansiering fra Norges forskningsråd: 1.1.2005-31.12.2007 2005: 800,000 2006: 800,000 2007: 800,000 Determine the links between sheep density and key ecological effects in alpine habitats, and to evaluate what are the economic costs of reaching these specific sheep density levels on Hardangervidda and in Setesdal Vesthei and Ryfylkeheiene. Sub-objectives By a combination of small-scale experiments and monitoring within our unique landscape-scale experimental facility (2.7 km2); we aim to: 1: Determine how plants respond to sheep grazing in two contrasted alpine habitats at different spatial and temporal scales, and determine the demographic mechanisms behind these patterns for selected herbs. (seed addition experiments; long-term monitoring) 2: Determine the interaction between sheep, plants and voles during the winter season (experimentally release individually marked (with pittags) voles under snow and monitor survival and movement; follow plant community to assess relative impact of large and small herbivores on plants). 3: Determine the relationship between sheep density and bird communities. 4: Determine the role of sheep grazing for important plants for game species, in particular lichens and Salix spp. used extensively by reindeer. 5: Determine what factors affect sheep foraging at different temporal and spatial scales. Further, given these links between sheep density and ecological effects and production, we aim to 6: Calculate the economic costs of reaching specific (sustainable) density levels of sheep on 1) Hardangervidda and 2) Setesdal Vesthei and Ryfylkeheiene relative to alternative husbandry options. 7: Linking explicitly ecology and economy by constructing a bioeconomic (dynamic) model to analyse the vegetation-sheep interaction and determining the optimal stocking level and grazing pressure. Sheep husbandry is an important part of the rural economy in Norway, with a tradition going some 5000 years back into the Bronze age. However, increases in numbers (2-2.5 million sheep on summer pasture) and a more extensive use of alpine habitats (made accessible by roads) during the last century have caused considerable controversy during the last decade. On the one hand, it is urgent from a conservation perspective to assess the role of sheep grazing as a potential factor for some observed recent and dramatic changes in mountain ecosystems (e.g., more irregular rodent cycles). On the other, it is urgent for sheepherders to get documentation of sheep grazing effects, as the uncertainty in itself has lead to several grazing contracts not being renewed. Here we propose a multi-disciplinary project analysing ecological and economic factors determining the optimal degree of sheep grazing for the two most controversial alpine ranges in Norway – Hardangervidda and Setesdal Vesthei og Ryfylkeheiene. The novelty of our project is the explicit landscape-scale experimental design addressing scaling issues, the three levels of grazing enabling assessments of sustainable grazing levels, the contrast between fairly rich (such as Hardangervidda) and poor (Setesdal Vesthei og Ryfylkeheiene) alpine habitat, and the inclusion of economic calculations of what reaching (suggested) sustainable levels (as defined by explicit ecological effects) will cost to the sheep herders and landowners as well as to the society. In the research proposal, we describe both specific botanical and zoological studies and analyses empirically addressing how sheep grazing effects (on plants, rodents and birds) depend on sheep population density, temporal and spatial scales and ecosystem properties (such as nutrient levels). The economic part of the project aims first to assess the various cost and income components of sheep farming, and the various indirect income effects in the study areas. Next, based on this cost and benefit structure, a bioeconomic (dynamic) model analysing the vegetationsheep interaction will be formulated. Through model simulations, the costs of reaching specific (‘sustainable’) sheep density levels may be quantified. The focus on assessment related to different levels of sheep density on alpine ranges will be the main interdisciplinary denominator of the project.