Centre researchers Thomas Elmqvist, Lisen Schultz and Marmar Nekoro held talks during the international conference Ecosystem Services — a tool for sustainable development which took place in Kristianstad, Sweden 10-11 June 2009. Elmqvist, who is centre theme leader for Urban social-ecological systems and globalization, was one of the introductory speakers to the conference.Centre PhD Lisen Schultz presented her work on ecosystem management and how to bridge organizations and local stewards.
- With an increasing number of people on the planet follows an equally increasing pressure on the natural resources we rely on. Sound ecosystem management therefore becomes increasingly important for societal development. Dedicated managers of ecosystems offer ground for optimism because of their capacity to make much out of little and mobilize key stakeholders in their work, said Schultz.
She recently defended her thesis on ecosystem management using the Swedish biosphere reserve Kristianstads Vattenrike - a former "water logged swamp" that has now been designated by UNESCO as a model for sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, as an example.
The uniqueness of Kristianstads Vattenrike
Marmar Nekoro presented together with former centre member Jennie Svedén their report on ecosystem services provided by the flooded meadows of Kristianstads Vattenrike (download report, pdf/external link). Their research showed how all ecosystem services groups are actually located in the biosphere reserve, ranging from regulating ecosystem services to supporting services (download report,
Centre affiliated researcher Magnus Tuvendal of Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, held a presentation entitled Identifying scales of management for ecosystem services: brownification and Kristianstads Vattenrike.
The conference, which gathered some 100 participants from Sweden, US, UK and South Africa, was co-organized by Stockholm Resilience Centre.
