Bo Normander

Nature as a nuisance? Ecosystem services and disservices to urban lifestyle

The lifestyle of people living in urban areas has profound direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity. However, the role of urban lifestyle as a driving force of biodiversity change is not very well understood. This is partly because there is a gap between a social science approach focusing on lifestyle and a natural science approach focusing on biodiversity. We propose that the concept of ecological services and disservices is useful in connecting these approaches. Ecosystem services produced by urban green areas are the focus of a wide range of environmental studies, but disservices – such as safety issues in dark parks or pollen causing health problems – have gained only sporadic attention in environmental studies focused on urban ecosystems. We review and discuss different urban ecosystem disservices from a Northern European perspective. We conclude by addressing the key limitations and possibilities of the use of the concept of ecological disservices in urban biodiversity studies.

Development and Implementation of a Near-Real-Time Web Reporting System on Ground-Level Ozone in Europe

ABSTRACT This article presents the development and results of Ozone Web—a near-real-time Web-based approach to communicate environmental information to policy makers, researchers, and the general public. In Ozone Web, ground-level ozone information from 750 air quality measurement stations across Europe is collected on an hourly basis, filtered, interpolated, and presented on zoomable maps and graphs. Compared with other environmental information initiatives, the main aspects of this Website is the allowance for user interactivity, free access to data, and high timeliness. Data are published 2 to 3 h after actual monitoring. In a response to the acute characteristics of air pollution, the basic principle is that up-to-date and accurate information about air pollution levels will help 1) citizens to protect their health, 2) policy makers in assessing the state of the environment, and 3) researchers in exchanging data and knowledge. Near-real-time information systems on the Web seem to be a valuable complement to future environmental reporting, and the European Environment Agency is currently investigating the requirements needed to extend the use of near-real-time data, including reporting on air pollutants other than ozone.

State of biodiversity in the Nordic countries : An assessment of progress towards achieving the target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010

The Nordic countries have agreed on a common target to halt the decline in biodiversity by 2010. This report aims at evaluating the 2010-target by presenting indicators that can describe trends in ...

Aggregation of indicators for biological diversity in the Nordic countries : Proceedings and recommendations from the workshop at Tune Landboskole, Denmark, 29 - 30 March 2006

The Nordic countries have a common goal to halt the decline in biological diversity by 2010. Indicators and indices are important tools to describe the development in biodiversity and hence evaluat ...