Citizens’ jury deliberates over the future of municipal forests in Voxnadalen

On November 9th 2024, 22 randomly-selected citizens from the municipalities of Bollnäs, Ljusdal and Ovanåker assembled in Alfta for the first day of the Voxnadalen citizens’ jury about the management of municipally-owned forests. This initiative is a collaboration between the LANDPATHS research programme and Voxnadalen biosphere reserve. Through small-group discussions, informational presentations and a field trip to some forest plots, this diverse group of people learned, shared and discussed perspectives on the different values of forests. 

Participants listening to a presentation at Ol-Anders Gård. Photo: Judith Lundberg-Felten

Lead facilitator Johan Hammarlund from Kairos Future, who designed the process together with Tim Daw and Vera Telemo from the LANDPATHS team, introduced the concept of a citizens’ jury. The process emphasises considered, open and respectful dialogue, and the exchange of perspectives. These aspects were reflected in the first exercise the participants completed: each table of 7-8 people defined their own rules of discussion for the day, such as respectful language, letting people make their point, and turning phones to silent. 

Learning about ecosystem services in the woods

The group then went out together to visit a forest, stopping at two different sites. On the way, Urban Larsson from the Swedish Forest Agency, the first of the day’s knowledge-brokers, introduced the participants to the four groups of ecosystem services that were discussed during the day: provisional, cultural, regulating and supporting services. 

The first stop was a 2.7 hectare key habitat from 1996 that is protected by a nature conservation agreement. The participants made a steep descent to where the clear Långbäcken stream winds calmly through a forest of lichen-covered spruce trees, softly illuminated by the November sun on the day of the excursion. They gathered around Urban Larsson, who asked the participants how they felt in this place. There were expressions of calm, peace and seeing beauty, as well as a forest “as it should be”, with appreciation of the untouched appearance due to both dead and living trees. Urban also asked the participants to mention the different ecosystem services they could see. Examples mentioned by the participants included mushroom and berry provision, a place for hunting, cultural services such as a place to experience calm, and a place of cultural history where water has an important function. The area is also home for several endangered species such as the fungus Phellinidium ferrugineofuscum and freshwater pearl mussels. 

Visit to the key habitat. Photo: Jonathan Mattebo Persson

The second stop of the excursion brought the participants to Gammel-homna, a demonstration site for restoration of water streams and part of the local project Rivers of Life. A short walk through rocky terrain, surrounded by blueberry-covered ground under spruce, pine and birch trees, brought the participants to the border of a small, lively flowing river.

Here, the second knowledge-broker, Helén Berggren, Head of Culture at Bollnäs municipality, introduced the importance of cultural values of the forest and her work in Bollnäs with young people to help them experience and create a relationship with the forest. Helén’s talk was accompanied by the appearance of two teenage girls dressed in white, dancing through the forest and creating a magical ambience around the participants. Some participants opened up to share how they had experienced the forest in their childhood and how they built a relationship to the forest, as well as how raising the topics of local culture and history can be a way to create identities and roots for young people in their local environments.

At Gammel-holmna Helén Berggren talked about cultural activities and how to create opportunities for teenagers to experience the forest. Photo: Johan Hammerlund

Two teenage “forest dancers” from Bollnäs (in white dresses) share their joy of being in the forest. Photo: Tim Daw

From forest products to red-listed species

Back at Ol-Anders Gård, the participants shared a lunch before listening to the other two knowledge sharers of the day. The first was Anders Lundberg from Billerud Korsnäs, who presented a variety of products from the forest such as timber and microcellulose that is used in medical drugs, packaging, soap, hygiene products, fabric, and novel packaging such as paper bottles. Anders also emphasised the economic importance of forest-based production nationally, and especially in Gävleborg. The participants engaged in a lively discussion about Anders’ contributions over the following coffee break. Next, Matthias Ahlstedt from Naturskyddsförening in Dalarna informed the participants about planetary boundaries, the carbon balance in the forest and what the effects of harvesting are on the balance, as well as the rationale behind the red-list for endangered species.

Diverse forest products. Photo: Tim Daw

Creating visions and unlocking new perspectives

Participants ended the day by deliberating about the pros, cons and interest conflicts related to the different values and uses that had been identified throughout the day. Each participant wrote down their own visions for the municipal forests in 15-25 years from now. Collectively, the participants expressed appreciation for the process and the opportunity to talk with people with different backgrounds and experiences. One participant phrased her experience as “unlocking her own thinking” and that she got to open up to new perspectives. Hanna Alfredsson from Voxnadalen Biosphere Reserve expressed gratitude for the opportunity to hear voices from a wider variety of people than are usually represented in discussions about the management of the biosphere.

Participants discuss novel forest products with Anders from Billerud Korsnäs. Photo: Tim Daw

Sofie Zetterlund from Bollnäs municipality is keen to hear about the results of the citizens’ jury and hopes that they will inspire new ways of management. During the second day of the process on November 23rd, representatives of forest management in each of the three municipalities, as well as local politicians, are invited to receive the suggestions from the participants about their perspectives on management of the municipal forests to encourage versatile and multifunctional use and values.

Research on citizens’ juries

In the LANDPATHS research programme, Fanny Möckel (Uppsala University) and Tim Daw (Stockholm Resilience Centre) are studying the scientific process of citizens’ jury both in Voxnadalen and in Nämdö, through on-site observation, a before-and-after survey, and interviews with the participants. Read all of the news about the LANDPATHS minipublics.

The team that organized, observed and documented the first day of the citizens’ jury in Voxnadalen were delighted with the experience.
First row (left to right): Fanny Möckel, Vera Telemo, Anna Bohman
Second row (left to right): Elias Marin, Judith Lundberg-Felten, Jonathan Mattebo Persson, Johan Hammarlund, Tim Daw
Photo: Fanny Möckel

For more information about the mini publics being organised within LANDPATHS, contact Tim Daw at Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Citizens’ Jury on the Nämdö archipelago Biosphere Reserve underway

On Saturday 19 October, the participants in Nämdöskärgården’s citizens’ council gathered for the first time. The council brought together 25 citizens with different opinions and connections to the Nämdöskärgården. Some were year-round residents while others were part-time or summer residents. After an educational and information-rich first day, the preparations for the next gathering, which will take place on November 16, now begin.

This blog post is an English translation of an article we wrote on the Nämdö Green Archipelago (NGA) website (see the NGA article in Swedish).

The citizens’ jury in the Nämdö archipelago connects with the process of establishing a Biosphere Reserve around Nämdö and its surrounding islands. A collaboration between LANDPATHS and Nämdö Green Archipelago, the citizens’ jury is tasked with generating input on the future development of the archipelago, with a specific focus on which initiatives should be prioritized in the local actors’ continued work to establish the biosphere area.

During the first day, the participants learned more about what a Biosphere Reserve is and listened to different perspectives on the challenges and opportunities the faced in Nämdö. 

Speakers during the first day: 

  • Nämdö Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, Ann Aldeheim, Nämdö Green Archipelago
  • Preserve on land and below the surface, Elin Dahlgren, SLU
  • Community service and development, Anna Gabrielsson, Värmdö municipality
  • Infrastructure and transport, Sune Fogelström
  • Business and tourism, Martin Rosén, Stavsnäs Båttaxi
  • Social meeting places and culture, Kerstin Sonnbäck, Lower Dalälven Biosphere Reserve

After each presentation, the participants had the opportunity to reflect in small groups on the presented perspectives, ask questions and discuss their views and experiences. Afterwards, the participants were encouraged to write a future vision to describe how they imagine the Nämdö archipelago in the coming years. The day ended with shared reflections and impressions from the day, as well as expectations for the future.

With information, experiences and reflections from the first day, the group will gather again on Saturday 16 November. The focus of the second day will be on delving into the different perspectives, and prioritising and analysing the advantages and disadvantages of different efforts. 

The result of the citizens’ jury will form the basis for Nämdö Green Archipelago’s continued work to establish a biosphere area in the landscape.

A big thank you to all participants for your time and commitment!

More information about the citizen jury method

In a citizens’ jury, citizens are selected according to criteria that ensure a broad representation of the public in a small group. Over several days, the participants hear different perspectives, opinions and expert knowledge, and then get to discuss the issue in depth. The process usually ends with a joint conclusion or recommendations. Citizens are compensated for their participation in this process.

For more information about the citizens’ juries taking place within LANDPATHS, contact Tim Daw (leader of the Barriers and opportunities for change project).

Analysis of Sweden’s strategic plan for implementing the EU Common Agricultural Policy

LANDPATHS researchers Tuija Hilding-Rydevik and Johanna Tangnäs (both from the SLU Centre for Biological Diversity and the sub-project on agricultural landscapes) presented their article ‘Problem representations of farming and biodiversity in the Swedish implementation of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027’ at the annual conference of the Political Science Association in Sweden, October 2-4, Umeå.

Johanna Tangnäs discusses the LANDPATHS paper with researcher Elsa Reimersson, chair of the thematic session on environmental politics

About 150 researchers participated in the conference with the aim of presenting and receiving feedback on both finished and early drafts of research articles and doctoral theses. The participants were primarily political scientists, and everyone followed a particular thematic session over the three days, with presentations followed by ample time for designated reviewers to present their questions and suggestions for improvements. Everything was done in a collegial and constructive spirit.

A discussion in the environmental politics thematic session

The LANDPATHS paper presented during the thematic session on environmental politics analyses Sweden’s strategic plan, which implements the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy in Sweden. The plan encompasses contributions and payments to Swedish farmers, totalling over 60 billion kronor. The analysis employs a theoretical framework that facilitates understanding how problems in a policy are realised. By this we mean that it is the proposals for action (in our case, the proposals for contributions and payments) that are seen as the problem definition, not what is stated to be the problem.

With this foundation, conclusions can then be drawn about the effects this has on:

  • how we talk about a political problem (which influences which solutions we see as possible;
  • the positions of different actors that are enabled (e.g., the role assigned to farmers); and
  • what the practical consequences are for efforts related to multifunctionality and biodiversity in the agricultural landscape.

Our preliminary conclusion is that we observe, as in previous research, that there are challenges in how farmers and their perspectives and circumstances are described and handled within the framework of the EU’s agricultural policy, in relation to both production and biodiversity.

The conference took place in the Humanities building at Umeå university

For more information, contact Tuija Hilding-Rydevik, leader of the agricultural landscapes sub-project.

Community representatives are being recruited to take part in a Citizens’ Jury on forests

LANDPATHS sub-projects on Citizen dialogue and Forest Landscapes are now in the process of recruiting local citizens in the municipalities of Ovanåker, Ljusdal, and Bollnäs to discuss forest-related issues in a Citizens’ Jury. Tim Daw (Stockholm Resilience Centre) spoke more about the Jury during the Förmiddagen i P4 Gävleborg radio show on September 2, 2024.

View over Voxnadalen
View from Växbo in Bollnäs municipality. Photo: Max Whitman.

The Citizens’ Jury aims to provide local people with an opportunity to discuss how municipal forests should be used. According to Tim, Citizens’ Juries provide a great tool for tackling complex issues like the polarized debate over forest use. The use of the forest for production, recreation, and the preservation of biodiversity are often seen as conflicting priorities.

Participants in a Citizens’ Jury are randomly selected and receive an invitation letter with instructions for how to sign up to the process. No prior knowledge is required, as experts will be present to give brief presentations. In addition, participating citizens are encouraged to contribute their local knowledge and values to the process. Those taking part will have plenty of time for discussion and the goal is to provide a platform that allows for a deeper discussion than what typically occurs in polarised debate in (social) media. It is the intention that the Citizens’ Jury will offer an opportunity for local people to listen to one another and foster a better understanding of each other’s views and values regarding the forest. Listen to Tim’s interview with Sveriges Radio P4 here.

“Deliberative mini-publics, such as the Citizens’ Jury, are a promising method to discuss wicked and complex challenges in polarized societies, such as the question of forest management in Voxnadalen. In addition, they provide a great tool to listen to and incorporate local knowledge of residents living in the biosphere reserve. We are working together with those managing the Voxnadalen biosphere reserve to assess whether this method can be a valuable tool for incorporating local residents’ knowledge into management plans. This is a rather novel approach, so we are excited to witness what will happen with the Citizens’ Jury in Voxnadalen this autumn.”

FANNY MÖCKEL, DOCTORAL STUDENT IN LANDPATHS

The Citizens’ Jury about forest use will take place over two Saturdays in October and November.

Earlier this year, Tim successfully led a Citizens’ Assembly on Climate, which created an open forum for discussing climate-related issues among community representatives from across Sweden. The process resulted in recommendations that were submitted to political representatives.

For more information, contact Tim Daw (Stockholm Resilience Centre) or Fanny Möckel (Uppsala University).

The Need for a Nature Policy Framework in Sweden

Biodiversity — the variation of species, genes, and ecosystems—is crucial for all life on Earth, including humanity. Research shows that one million species are globally threatened by extinction due to human activity, a situation that also affects Sweden. This summer, several opinion pieces were published in Swedish newspapers about the relationship between development and the environment, with contributions from Tuija Hilding-Rydevik, a professor with the LANDPATHS program.

The corn bunting can be found in agricultural landscapes but is severely threatened in Sweden due to intensified farming and the use of pesticides. Picture credit: MandrillArt Pixabay

Nature protection and development as rivals

In May 2024, representatives from Sweden’s Moderate Party wrote an article in DN Debatt, arguing that the protection of “common species” is often prioritized over development, which they believe requires political change. According to the Moderate Party’s policy program, environmental policy should focus on human needs for natural resources and development, even if it involves compromises that negatively impact endangered species. They also proposed that landowners in forestry and agricultural landscapes who promote biodiversity should have greater freedom in how they use their land. The article also questioned the general decline in biodiversity.

Reactions

The article written by the Moderate Party sparked a wave of responses and articles in the Swedish press. Tuija Hilding-Rydevik, a professor emeritus in Environmental Assessment at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and leader of LANDPATHS Agricultural Landscape subproject, co-authored two articles responding to the Moderates’ claims.

“My reaction was clear: how uninformed the authors must be about humanity’s dependence on biodiversity, and the threats that ultimately affect us and our societies. Preserving and promoting biodiversity means keeping human needs in mind—today and tomorrow. The second reaction was that it’s good to have their positions stated so clearly, so they can be countered.”

Tuija Hilding-Rydevik

Researchers warn of widening gap between humans and nature

The first response was published as an opinion piece in Altinget Miljö och Energi in June 2024, co-authored by over 20 researchers. They criticized the Moderates’ claim of a conflict between development and the environment. According to the researchers, this misconception creates a dangerous polarization between humans and nature. They stressed that biodiversity is essential for human survival and economies, and warned that the Red List Index shows an accelerating loss of species globally—a clear sign of ecosystem distress.

The researchers also emphasized that the full value of biodiversity is difficult to quantify in monetary terms. With a planet already dominated by human activity, this poses an urgent threat to ecosystem services such as food, clean water, protection from disease, and climate disasters.

Proposal for a nature policy framework

A follow-up to this opinion piece came in July 2024 in Göteborgsposten, where over 50 researchers and civil society representatives warned that the loss of biodiversity is a threat to humanity’s future, to the same extent as climate change.

The authors called for the introduction of a “nature policy framework,” similar to the existing climate policy framework, to stop and reverse the loss of species and habitats. They proposed a natural law, a nature policy goal, and a nature policy council.

The nature crisis requires societal transformation

The article criticized cuts to conservation budgets and decreasing support for making sectors like agriculture and forestry sustainable. Addressing the nature crisis requires a societal transformation, with all sectors contributing. The nature and climate crises are closely linked, and solutions to one must consider the other.

The authors suggested that by establishing a nature policy framework with concrete goals and resources, Sweden could take a leadership role in reversing the trend and ensuring a sustainable future. The government and parliament are urged to act immediately and implement this proposal to protect nature and thus humanity’s future.

Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes

Fifty percent of the more than 4,700 red-listed species are found in agricultural landscapes. This environment is critical for about one-third of these species. Threats to plants mainly stem from changes in land use, leading to overgrowth, increased nutrient loads, reduced land management (e.g., less grazing and mowing), climate change, and reduced connectivity for the movement of plants and animals (fragmentation). Agriculture relies on ecosystem services provided by nature, such as pollination from insects, contributions to favourable soil structure for cultivation, and pest control by naturally occurring predators.

Therefore, it is important that the 64 billion SEK in subsidies and payments to Sweden’s farmers through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy benefit both farmers’ production and biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. This issue is being studied in depth in the Agricultural Landscape subproject within LANDPATHS.

Highlighting multifunctional landscape governance at conferences

In June 2024, LANDPATHS researchers contributed to the NESS and POLLEN conferences through presentation of their research and by arranging workshops and panel discussions. We summarize here how these activities have encouraged discussion on multifunctional landscape governance in the Nordics.

LANDPATHS at the Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference

The 16th Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference (NESS) was held in Åbo, Finland early in June 2024. At this years edition of the biannual conference, environmental social science scholars as well as researchers from other disciplines discussed various aspects around the central topic “Co-creation for sustainability”. LANDPATHS researchers submitted manuscripts to two out of the 28 different workshops at NESS and co-organized a total of three workshops. The manuscripts submitted are listed below and will be sent to scientific journals for publication in the coming months.

  • Blicharska G et al.: Landscape multifunctionality as a pillar of biodiversity governance? Insights from Sweden. 
  • Westerberg C, Tafon R, Gilek M: Navigating conflict and exclusion in conservation and sustainability governance of the Nämdö archipelago, Sweden 
  • Öhman F, Karlsson M: Promoting multifunctional landscapes – a policy coherence analysis
  • Tickle L, Hedblom, M: Doing Multifunctionality in Urban Woodlands: How Bottom-Up Initiatives are Negotiated and Resisted in Urban Governance
  • Lundberg-Felten J, Kristensson D, Karlsson M: Who cares about fungal diversity? Exploring the voice of mushrooms among individual private forest owners in Sweden 

Besides LANDPATHS’ own NESS workshop on multifunctional governance (see below), Tim Daw and Fanny Möckel co-organized a workshop on the impacts of deliberative mini-publics on environmental governance and attitudes, and Sara Holmgren co-led a workshop entitled “Story telling as, and for, sustainable thinking”.

Åbo harbor to which the LANDPATHS researcher delegation attending the NESS conference arrived by overnight ferry from Stockholm.
Workshop on Multifunctional Governance for Biodiversity

LANDPATHS researchers Michael Gilek, Mikael Karlsson and Neil Powell organized a workshop at NESS on multifunctional governance for biodiversity. Articles were presented on envisioning nature futures for Europe and, more specifically, on transformative initiatives for biodiversity restoration in the relation to the flower bulb industry in rural areas of the Netherlands.

Other submissions to the workshop were concerned with exploring concepts in connection with multifunctional landscapes such as social learning in multi-use forestry, area neutrality in city planning, and the implementation process of protected areas in marine and coastal areas. The latter study was presented by Charles Westerberg, PhD student in subproject marine and coastal landscapes. Most of the articles presented were qualitative studies. Nevertheless, one quantitative study assessed the acceptance of conservation policies.

Frida Öhman, PhD student in LANDPATHS subproject transformative governance pathways, presented a new framework for policy coherence for multifunctional landscape governance. The LANDPATHS review paper on landscape multifunctionality, co-ordinated by LANDPATHS programme leader Malgorzata Blicharska and co-authored by numerous LANDPATHS colleagues was also presented. The participants of the workshop had fruitful discussions regarding landscape approaches, methods and institutional challenges for halting biodiversity loss. 

Towards Just & Plural Futures

Just one week after the NESS conference, the Political Ecology Network Conference POLLEN 2024 took place in Lund under the theme ‘Towards Just and Plural Futures’.  At the conference, LANDPATHS PhD student Fanny Möckel discussed our ongoing work in collaboration with different biosphere reserves in Sweden, in a panel consisting of transdisciplinary researchers working with biosphere reserves and political ecologists. Guided by the question “How can Biosphere Reserves be Places of Environmental Justice?”, the panel explored the potential of biosphere reserves as places that address issues of environmental justice. Participants in the panel shared both empirical and theoretical insights into their work. They addressed different ways in which biosphere reserves can be places that enable just transformations towards more sustainable futures, and what such processes could look like.

Within the LANDPATHS programme, studies are being carried out in Voxnadalen, an established biosphere, and Nämdö Skärgård, a biosphere under establishment. In autumn 2024, LANDPATHS researchers together with local biosphere reserves will organize deliberative mini-publics

Mikael Karlsson writes a column about Sweden’s landscapes

Mikael Karlsson, leader of LANDPATHS project Transformative Governance Pathways, recently wrote a column in Miljö & Utveckling (Environment and Development), a magazine for those working with environmental and sustainability issues within Swedish business and the public sector.

In the article, Mikael writes about how the concept of landscape is used in Swedish environmental monitoring and target-setting, and how ideas of landscape should focus on the various values of stakeholders.

Mikael raises concerns that Sweden is not living up to the obligations of the European Union’s Landscape Convention, and highlights some good examples of Swedish public authorities and others who are bucking that trend.

Read the full article here (using Google Translate for an English version): https://miljo-utveckling.se/landskap-pressade-men-forbluffande-stryktaliga/

Multifunctional mountain landscapes – a challenge with ancient origins

The LANDPATHS sub-project Mountain Landscapes revolves around a literature study on the Swedish state’s attempts to create multifunctional mountain landscapes. The starting point is the Environmental Quality Objectives for the mountains, which emphasizes that a pasture-based mountain landscape depends on reindeer, and that reindeer depend on winter grazing in the forested areas. Below, researcher Stefan Sandström (SLU) tells us what we have learned so far about the state’s actions by looking back in history.

Regulation of conflicting interests through legislation

Preliminary results of the literature study show that the Swedish state has long grappled with the issue of planning for different interests and claims to land at the landscape level. The solution for landscape planning has often been through the implementation of new legislation. To some extent, this would solve conflicts of interest between different land use interests, and in other ways counteract undesired consequences of previous decisions. There are examples of such legislation that are over 100 years old. The Reindeer Grazing Act was introduced in 1886, at the same time as the introduction of private land ownership rights in the form of division of land and land consolidation was in its final phase. The Reindeer Grazing Act was supposed to be a tool for regulating the then opposing interests of reindeer husbandry and agriculture, but that was not the case in practice. Since then, the state has continued to try to reconcile these opposing interests, and new interests have emerged over time.

Complexity of interests and state organization complicate landscape planning

Early attempts to create multifunctional landscapes were based on different strategies. In some cases, it was believed that different interests could co-exist, while in others that certain interests could tolerate a certain degree of intrusion/restriction. It was also suggested that land use interests can be separated in time and space, in some contexts. Initially, land use interests were few and manageable. But as time has passed, the interests have become more numerous and harder to oversee.

Norrbotten, industrial development in the landscape over time.

At the same time, sustainability aspects have consistently shown a negative trend, especially regarding biodiversity, which the state has partially tried to counteract by establishing nature reserves since 1964.

Nature Reserves, development over time.

An obstacle to state landscape planning is that it has long been divided into sectors in which different authorities deal with their own topics separately in so-called ’silos’. This makes it difficult to oversee the cumulative effects that occur when many interests operate within the same landscape.

Persistent conflicts in mountain landscapes have become a legal issue

The original research question in the project has now become a legal issue. For the mountain area, this concerns hunting and fishing rights currently being investigated through the work of the state-led Committee on Reindeer Lands. Here, hunting interests are colliding with reindeer husbandry interests, and the issue has also taken on a political dimension with political parties taking different positions on the issue. In addition, a land conflict has recently arisen in the forested areas between Boden and Luleå, where landowners are questioning whether reindeer husbandry rights apply to their properties and whether reindeer grazing should be prohibited. Both of these conflicts have clear origins from conflicts that were supposed to be resolved with the first Reindeer Grazing Act of 1886.

“Doing multifunctionality” in urban woodlands

Stabby woodland is located about 3 km west of Uppsala city center. The area consists of hills covered with mixed coniferous and deciduous trees and grasslands used for sheep grazing. Stabby woodland is a popular place for recreation for those living nearby. This year, the woodland became the stage for a student project in landscape architecture. Lara Tickle from LANDPATHs sub-project Urban Landscapes has been studying the project and tells us about how the students’ project promotes multifunctionality in urban woodlands.

Collaborative learning 

In the LANDPATHS Urban Landscapes project we had the opportunity to follow and study the annual collaboration between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Uppsala municipality. A greenspace within the municipality is selected for students to design and revitalise as part of SLU’s Landscape Architecture course ‘Design through practice and management’ (‘Gestaltning genom Förvaltning’). In 2023, the students, who have learned various theories and methods (including multifunctionality in the management of urban greenspaces) were assigned a large area of the Stabby woodland to apply their ideas. Here the students could work creatively with new theories in a bottom-up fashion, and in a collaborative and co-learning environment with employees at the municipality. In this way, they ‘started with the doing’ and not, as is so often the case, with policies and plans.

A design drawn up for Stabby woodland by a group of students. Picture by Lara Tickle

The project is seen as an exchange of learning and skills between the university and municipality. It is facilitated by the creative setting, space for experimentation and its bottom-up working structure led by the students. Over the years that the course has been running, students have learned how to work practically. In exchange, the municipality has picked up new strategies and methods for understanding and managing urban greenspaces. Discussions are also in process about the potential to apply this cooperative model in other Swedish municipalities interested in involving more landscape architects in the management of their urban greenspaces.

Students working together with people at the municipality. Picture by Lara Tickle.

Managing urban woodlands

Urban woodlands are structurally similar to forests and are hubs of rich biodiversity in urban areas. They are highly popular spaces for locals and used in various ways, especially for health, recreation and educational purposes. Children from nearby schools often play amongst the trees and greenery. Joggers regularly run along the paths, passing others who are enjoying a daily stroll that enriches their mental health in a diverse and natural environment. The students considered all of these stakeholders, together with the concern for biodiversity, which was included in several ways. For example, prior practice by the municipality consisted of removing forest debris. The students inspired the idea of working with these local materials. Dead wood and other materials are considered a primary indicator of biodiversity in a forest ecosystem that houses and sustains many species and has therefore become a popular new method for working with biodiversity in design.

 

As a results of the students’ work, municipal foresters now aim to leave materials such as logs, leaves, branches and other debris in neat formations wherever they have been working. Students used and arranged these materials to make benches, play areas, hedges to emphasise a space or even weave local plants into a labyrinth for children to play in. Also, people from the municipality were encouraged to use their skills in other ways. For instance, one person who was especially skilled with a chainsaw made wooden sculptures to highlight features and species in an area. 

A wooden sculpture of a fox one of the log benches from trees in the area.
Picture: Lara Tickle

“Doing things multifunctionally” in urban woodlands

During the collaborative work, we could observe how people apply principles of multifunctionality and nature-based thinking, or as one lecturer at the university says, “nature-based doing”. Students often strived to highlight or bring out certain features out of the landscape they were working in. For example, they scouted out and observed the area prior to the week in which they would be implementing their designs. After they had drawn up the plans that were presented to the municipality, one idea was selected as the main guide. Nevertheless, the work still allowed for a lot of freedom to try out other ideas on site. The co-creation process opened up new spaces and paths through the forest and refreshed old spaces. The students cleared overgrown paths and used woodchips from local roads to make easy walking or jogging paths. Historical sites were also enhanced visually in the landscape by clearing overgrown vegetation and placing benches close by. Furthermore, hedges were made from leaves and twigs to form habitats for insects.

 

Students and municipal representatives presenting different parts of the forests and their designs and efforts at an opening event at the end of the project. Picture by Lara Tickle.

Evaluating and reflecting on the process

After an intense week of work in Stabby woodland the students presented their work to the public as part of a guided tour during an opening event. Each group presented the work they had done, as well the intentions behind their ideas and designs, who they were aimed at, and the qualities they tried to highlight and support in the woodland. In addition, department heads and other senior officials from the municipality emphasized during their presentation that the project was a successful cooperation between the two institutions.

In focus group meetings arranged by the LANDPATHS urban landscapes project, students mentioned that there are very many functions that need to be fulfilled by urban greenspaces, especially compared to other urban areas. They understand the challenges and difficulties that they can be faced with in their work, although this project still had a very positive atmosphere surrounding it. Engagement by local users of the woodland was high, and social values were very much highlighted in the woodland. Also, the importance of keeping areas like this one accessible to people in the city was raised, as such environments fill lots of important roles. Despite this, urban greenspaces face a lot of pressure.

Rich picture after a workshop discussing the effects on stakeholders after the changes made to the woodland and the values that guided their work.
Foto: Lara Tickle

At the end of the annual collaboration the students reflected on these points and more through rich picture exercises and dialogue with LANDPATHS researchers. They emphasized that greenspaces are essential, yet while they continue to decline they must also fill a growing number of functions that are sometimes conflicting.

Looking back and looking forwards: taking stock of our progress so far

In November 2023, the LANDPATHS team gathered for a two-day workshop at Häverö Kursgard near Hallstavik. This was a chance for us to share and reflect on what we have learned so far, and plan the next stages of the research. In a programme as large as LANDPATHS, these types of meetings are vital to ensure coherence and co-production within and across the nine sub-projects.

As the first winter snow arrived, so did all the LANDPATHS team at a beautiful kursgård east of Uppsala. We meet regularly to discuss our work but this meeting was over two days and away from our ‘normal’ work environments. This allowed us to get into more depth in our discussions and get to know each other even better in a relaxed setting.

LANDPATHS team photo
Members of the research team after a successful two days together (back row, L to R: Marcus Hedblom, Charles Westerberg, Lucas Dawson, Michael Gilek, Tuija Hilding-Rydevik, Fanny Möckel, Stefan Sandström, Neil Powell, Magnus Florin, Max Whitman; front row, L to R: Lara Tickle, Jayne Glass, Malgorzata Blicharska, Tim Daw, Frida Öhman, Alejandra Figueredo, Judith Lundberg-Felten). Photo: Marta Kubacka

We had a full agenda of items to discuss, beginning with the important activity of updating each other on our work in each of the sub-projects. There was lots to report, with all sub-projects having carried out interviews or workshops in each of the landscapes in recent months (read more about the forest landscape workshops here).

Research team discussing around tables
Many of our discussions related to our evolving understandings of multifunctional landscapes in Sweden

Ahead of presenting our work in a session on ‘Collaborative Multifunctional Governance for Biodiversity’ at the upcoming Nordic Environmental Social Science conference in Finland, we also dedicated some time to unpacking our understanding of multifunctional landscapes in Sweden. This included reflections on how the people we have spoken to in our research interpret multifunctionality in a landscape context, and what other approaches and terms they use in their day-to-day work.

Research team completing a timeline exercise on a long table
Planning our activities and discussing integration of the subprojects

Getting together for an extended period of time also allowed us to plan the next stages of our work and get to know each other even better. We enjoyed a ‘landscape walk’, inspired by educational materials developed alongside the European Landscape Convention. Our challenge was to create and present an artwork that captured our experiences in the local area and the multifunctionality that we experienced in this area. The five groups had used different materials or sounds collected during their walks and combined this creatively with written poems or set it up as installations. We were impressed with the diversity of the results and the different messages the artworks conveyed.

Graveyard with old church on a winterday
Häverö church and graveyard where many LANDPATHS researchers took a walk and found signs of multifunctionality. Photo: Judith Lundberg-Felten

Michael Gilek, Lucas Dawson and Judith Lundberg-Felten presenting their piece of multi-biomaterial artwork in the shape of a cross representing the various social, cultural, economic, religious and ecosystem services provided by land owned by the church of Sweden. Photo: Charles Westerberg

Per Sandström and colleagues setting up their art installation using natural and human-made materials found close to Häverö kursgård. The artwork represented the changing nature of landscapes and their multiple functions over time and was accompanied by a poem recital. Photo: Charles Westerberg

We also had the pleasure of learning about the work of Marta Kubacka, a visiting researcher from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland. Marta gave us a presentation about her research on landscape diversity and how diversity relates to the provision of cultural ecosystem services.

Researcher presenting her work next to a screen with other researchers sitting in the audience
Marta Kubacka presenting her research. Photo: J. Lundberg-Felten

Thanks to Ingrid at Häverö Kursgård for such a comfortable and welcoming place to stay for a meeting like this.

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