Management of Ecosystems in a Changing Climate – Freshwater ecosystems

The Swedish EPA seeks to fund a synthesis analysis in the area of management of ecosystems in a changing climate with focus on freshwater systems. Deadline for applications is 15 August 2017.

With this call the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA) and Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) are seeking to fund a synthesis analysis that summarizes how the management of biodiversity and ecosystems should be adapted to prevent the negative impacts of climate change. The starting point should be to evaluate methods for the restoration of freshwater environments and their transition zones, and how could these methods be applied so that the biodiversity and ecosystem functions of the ecosystems are restored in a changing climate.

Synthesis analysis means a literature review and a summary analysis.

The term freshwater environments in this call refer to the inland surface waters.

The Swedish EPA invites organizations, individual researchers or research groups to submit applications for the synthesis analysis in the order of up to SEK 1.5 million (including overhead costs) for a period of 18 months. Only one application will be funded. We encourage researchers from different disciplines to work together. The deadline for applications is the 15th of August 2017.

Challenges in environmental management

Climate change and its impact on natural environments have caused new challenges in environmental management. The Swedish EPA’s latest in-depth evaluation of the Swedish Environmental Objectives [1] shows that long-term efforts are required in order to limit the impact of climate change. Meanwhile we need further knowledge of how the management of ecosystems and natural resources can be designed to handle both current and future impacts of climate change. This is also an important conclusion of SMHI’s investigation "Foundation for control station 2015 for adaptation to a changing climate" [2]. (in Swedish)

In the Swedish EPA’s government assignment: ”Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in a changing climate” [3] (in Swedish) it is described that the changes in temperature and rainfall will have both direct and indirect impacts on the ecosystems in Sweden, for example direct impact on biodiversity but even to a higher degree indirect impacts through a changed land and water use, as a result of efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. These challenges require strategies for climate adaptation within the management of our ecosystems. Applied research is mentioned in the government assignment as an important part of strengthening the decision making processes for climate adaptation purposes. This is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of various EU directives, to reach the environmental quality objectives [4] and to create sustainable management of cultivated ecosystems.

The Swedish EPA and SwAM expect to benefit from the results of synthesis analysis in the following areas:

  • National strategies, action plans and other policy documents for the protection of valuable nature.
  • Manuals and guides for various forms of protection, care and management of valuable nature.
  • Support the county administrative boards with regional action plans for green infrastructure.
  • Restoration of degraded ecosystems.
  • Action plans for endangered species.
  • Monitoring, evaluation and further development of the Environmental Quality Objectives, specifically: Flourishing lakes and streams, A rich diversity of plant and animal life, and Thriving wetlands.

Priorities

The synthesis should include analysis and evaluation of the restoration methods for the freshwater systems and how these methods could be applied in a changing climate.

The synthesis should provide a basis for the development of guidance documents, such as "Ecological restoration of rivers" [5], give recommendations for changing the management of valuable nature as well as result in increased dissemination of knowledge about climate adaptation. The work should also consider how the restoration methods affect downstream environments and investigate whether these methods can contribute to climate change adaptation for example by reducing risk of floods or drainage.

The synthesis should summarize previous studies and identify knowledge gaps on the topic. The Swedish EPA and SwAM should be able to benefit directly from the results in practical environmental conservation.

The synthesis should first and foremost cover studies of the freshwater environments and their transition zones between different habitats in the Nordic region. Studies from other geographical areas that are relevant to the Nordic region may also be included. Gray literature can be included where relevant. It should be clear which impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functions that the climate adaptation strategies are targeting.

Who can apply?

The main applicant must hold a PhD and conduct research at university, college, research institute, or at a government agency carrying out research as part of their mandate. “Research institute” refers to organizations that have research as their sole or principal part of their mandate. The main applicant must be affiliated with a Swedish organization with a Swedish corporate identity number (“organisationsnummer”).

How to apply:

Timeline for the call

  • 15th of August 2017: Deadline for applications
  • 1st of November 2017: Decision on financing
  • 1st of December 2017: Project starts

Responsible officer

Neda Farahbakhshazad

E-mail: neda.Farahba@naturvardsverket.se

Telephone: 010-698 12 50

Supporting literature

References

  1. Bevarande och hållbart nyttjande av biologisk mångfald i ett förändrat klimat
    Naturvårdsverket regeringsuppdrag, 2015
  2. Mål i sikte. Analys och bedömning av de 16 miljökvalitetsmålen i fördjupad utvärdering
    Volym 2 Rapport 6662, Naturvårdsverket, 2015
  3. Underlag till kontrollstation 2015 för anpassning till ett förändrat klimat
    SMHI rapport, 2015
  4. Det svenska miljömålssystemet
  5. Ekologisk restaurering av vattendrag

Additional documents