Ása L. Aradóttir

Ecological and social dimensions of ecosystem restoration in the nordic countries

An international overview of the extent and type of ecological restoration can offer new perspectives for understanding, planning, and implementation. The Nordic countries, with a great range of natural conditions but historically similar social and political structures, provide an opportunity to compare restoration approaches and efforts across borders. The aim of this study was to explore variation in ecological restoration using the Nordic countries as an example. We used recent national assessments and expert evaluations of ecological restoration. Restoration efforts differed among countries: forest and peatland restoration was most common in Finland, freshwater restoration was most common in Sweden, restoration of natural heathlands and grasslands was most common in Iceland, restoration of natural and semi-cultural heathlands was most common in Norway, and restoration of cultural ecosystems, mainly abandoned agricultural land, was most common in Denmark. Ecological restoration currently does not occur on the Faroe Islands. Economic incentives influence ecological restoration and depend on laws and policies in each country. Our analyses suggest that habitat types determine the methods of ecological restoration, whereas socio-economic drivers are more important for the decisions concerning the timing and location of restoration. To improve the understanding, planning, and implementation of ecological restoration, we advocate increased cooperation and knowledge sharing across disciplines and among countries, both in the Nordic countries and internationally. An obvious advantage of such cooperation is that a wider range of experiences from different habitats and different socio-economic conditions becomes available and thus provides a more solid basis for developing practical solutions for restoration methods and policies.

The Nature and Restoration of Denuded Areas in Iceland

Denuded areas in Iceland can be divided into the following categories: glacial deposits, sandy areas, postglacial lavas, alluvial and colluvial materials, and areas covered with pumice. Of these, glacial deposits are most extensive. The paper describes the nature of the denuded areas with emphasis on the glacial deposits. The denuded glacial deposits generally have sparse plant cover (< 5%) and suffer from wind abrasion and cryoturbation. The soils are deficient in organic matter (about 1%). The texture is sand and loamy sand. Despite the lack of organic materials and the coarse texture, the sum of exchangeable cations ranges from 5 to 15 meq 100 g–1 dry soil.Revegetation with agronomic grasses and fertilization under subarctic conditions in the Icelandic highlands has increased the vegetative cover to over 50% after 5 yr of fertilization. Little increase in soil organic matter is apparent after 5 yr.Objectives for revegetation in Iceland include (1) reclamation of disturbed areas; (2) stabilization of mo...

Interactions of Biological Soil Crusts with Vascular Plants

Biocrusts and vascular plants interact on many levels. The nature and consequences of these interactions vary with biocrust and plant characteristics and environmental conditions and throughout the plants’ life cycle. Biocrust structure and surface texture—shaped by its species composition and the environment—interacting with seed shape and size, determine whether the crust facilitates or deters seed capture and thus seedling establishment. In general, biocrusts tend to enhance plant growth through improved availability of nutrients, but root architecture plays a role in determining the effect of crusts on nutrient uptake. Furthermore, exchange of nutrients between biocrusts and vascular plants can occur through different pathways, including fungal linkages. Vascular plant communities also affect biocrust development, composition, and function through canopy shading, litterfall, and root activity and their effects on microclimate. The vascular plant canopy tends to favor certain biocrust species groups over others and usually enhances biocrust formation; however, a dense canopy can deprive crusts of adequate light for photosynthesis. Likewise, light litterfall may protect or favor biocrusts by improving the microclimatic conditions, while heavy litterfall can bury, damage, or destroy the crusts.

Ecological and social aspects of ecological restoration : new challenges and opportunities for northern regions

ABSTRACT. Interest in ecological restoration has recently intensified as scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders userestoration in management strategies to address and mitigate global climate change and biodiversity loss. Northern ecosystemsoffer special challenges to restoration managers because of their short growing seasons and long recovery periods. This specialfeature of Ecology and Society on ecological restoration in northern regions draws together 11 papers based on presentationsfrom the conference “Restoring the North”, convened in October 2011 in Selfoss, Iceland. We summarize two themes of thisconference: (1) setting objectives and evaluating success in restoration, and (2) legislation, policy, and implementation ofrestoration. We conclude that northern countries altogether comprise a significant knowledge base and suggest five actions toenhance restoration practices within them: (1) improved documentation of restoration actions, including objectives, measuresand results, (2) regular evaluation of restoration progress and outcome, (3) coordination of conservation actions among northerncountries, including location of restoration actions to sites where they are most useful in a global context, (4) formation of acommon platform to strengthen development of research about ecological, political, social, and technical aspects of ecologicalrestoration, and (5) education of new generations of restoration actors who can work in diverse biogeographic settings and cultures.Key Words:

Evaluating the process of ecological restoration

We developed a conceptual framework for evaluating the process of ecological restoration and applied it to 10 examples of restoration projects in the northern hemisphere. We identified three major ...

Ecological Restoration: Approaches and Impacts on Vegetation, Soils and Society

Ecological restoration has a growing role in policy aimed at reversing the widespread effects of environmental degradation. It includes activities to assist the recovery of ecosystem structure and function, and the associated provision of goods and services. Rooted in ecological theory, ecological restoration requires an integrated approach of different disciplines; including soil science, hydrology and conservation biology, together with the relevant socioeconomical and political frameworks. Ecological restoration interventions also rely on applied fields such as agronomy, horticulture and forestry. We clarify some of the main approaches and challenges of ecological restoration in order to encourage cooperation of professionals with a wide array of background and skills needed for successful restoration practices. We also discuss the diverse impacts of ecological restoration on ecosystems and societies. Restoration of soil quality together with improved nutrient cycling, water retention, pollination services and regulation of soil erosion can benefit traditional agricultural production through improved crop or forage production. It also enhances the provision of other important ecosystem services, including clean water, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration and recreation. Payments for such ecosystem services are a growing source of income for rural inhabitants. Ecological restoration can also create new job opportunities in rural areas, e.g. nature-based tourism, game hunting and businesses based on native plant materials. Agricultural extension services should support these kinds of initiatives by putting ecological restoration to a larger degree on their agenda and provide expertise in this field.

ReNo : Restoration of damaged ecosystems in the Nordic countries

The ReNo network has consolidated knowledge on ecological restoration work in the Nordic region and facilitated exchange of this knowledge within and between the Nordic countries. Scientific papers ...

Designing seed mixtures for restoration on alpine soils: who should your neighbours be?

Questions (1) When alpine vegetation is actively restored by seeding, how is vegetation cover influenced by seeding treatments and soil conditions? (2) How does the cover of species differ when they are seeded in a mixture and how is their response influenced by soil conditions? (3) Do individual species perform better or worse in a mixture than when sown separately? Location Hjerkinn, Dovrefjell, Norway. Methods In a factorial, randomized field experiment, we recorded the percentage cover of Festuca ovina, Luzula multiflora ssp. frigida, and Poa alpina seeded in four different soil types for three years after seeding. We seeded the three species separately and in a mixture in organic topsoil, peat soil, mineral fine soil and mineral coarse soil. We also recorded seedling emergence in a greenhouse experiment, using the same seeding treatments. Results In the field experiment, vegetation cover established fastest when F. ovina was sown in monoculture followed by the seed mixture. After three years, mean cover of F. ovina was 1.4 higher than mean P. alpina cover and more than three times higher than mean L. multiflora cover for single-species treatments, and four (P. alpina) and 15 (L. multiflora) times higher when the species were seeded together. L. multiflora germinated slowly in the greenhouse experiment, which could partly explain its poor field performance. In the field experiment, establishment was faster in organic soils than mineral soils for all seeding treatments. The largest difference between F. ovina and L. multiflora performance in the mixture treatment was found in the organic soil types, where overall cover was larger than in the mineral soils. In the organic soils, F. ovina was slightly facilitated in the mixture treatment, while the opposite was found for L. multiflora. Conclusion When the restoration goal is to quickly establish a vegetation cover, seeding monocultures of rapidly establishing species may be more effective than seeding mixtures even in alpine sites where interspecific facilitation may prevail. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Ecosystem Restoration for Mitigation of Natural Disasters

The Nordic network ERMOND, Ecosystem Resilience for Mitigation of Natural Disasters, reviewed information on natural hazards and ecosystem conditions in the Nordic countries. Many natural hazards p ...

Stakeholder Interaction in Participatory Land Restoration in Iceland: Environmental Officers' Challenges and Strategies

Participatory approaches involve stakeholder interaction but environmental agency employees engaged in participatory undertakings often lack training for interaction tasks. This study explored how district officers at the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland (SCSI) experienced and dealt with stakeholder interaction in participatory land restoration. We made semi-structured interviews with all district officers with at least 1-year experience; seven in total. A thematic content analysis revealed five challenges facing the officers in their interaction activities and seven strategies that they used to deal with these challenges. The core challenge was to establish and maintain contacts with farmers and other stakeholders as it enabled the SCSI to support and influence their land restoration practices. Other challenges were to: accomplish SCSI’s objectives; represent the SCSI and the government; have adequate skills, knowledge, and background; and deal with ones own emotions. Four of the strategies seemed to promote collaboration: create win–win scenarios; “go local”; direct and positive communication; and motivation and knowledge sharing. The other strategies: supportive district officer team; self-reliance and personal background; and self-control supported the officers in their interaction tasks. Factors undermining their collaboration efforts included insufficient time and other resources, an unsupportive organizational culture and a legal duty to assess the condition of vegetation cover on farmland. Increased resource allocation to the SCSI’s local operations, more attention to emotional issues, and efforts to develop a more flexible and learning organizational culture that supports collaboration could counteract these factors.