Applications using estimates of forest parameters derived from satellite and forest inventory data

From the combination of optical satellite data, digital map data, and forest inventory plot data, continuous estimates have been made for several forest parameters (wood volume, age and biomass). Five different project areas within Sweden are presented which have utilized these estimates for a range of applications. The method for estimating the forest parameters was a ”k-Nearest Neighbor” algorithm, which used a weighted mean value of k spectrally similar reference plots. Reference data were obtained from the Swedish National Forest Inventory. The output was continuous estimates at the pixel level for each of the variables estimated. Validation results show that accuracy of the estimates for all parameters was low at the pixel level (e.g., for total wood volume RMSE ranged from 58-80%), with a tendency toward the mean, and an underestimation of higher values while overestimating lower values. However, when the accuracy of the estimates is assessed over larger areas, the errors are lower, with best results being 10% RMSE over a 100 ha aggregation, and 17% RMSE over a 19 ha aggregation. Applications presented in this paper include moose and bird habitat studies, county level planning activities, use as input information to prognostic programs, and computation of statistics on timber volume within drainage basins and smaller land holdings. This paper provides a background on the kNN method and gives examples of how end users are currently applying satellite-produced estimation data such as these

A toolbox for co-production of knowledge and improved land use dialogues

In northern Sweden, forestry, wind and hydropower, mining, infrastructure development and associated influence zones together constitute a complicated, land use situation that strongly impacts reindeer husbandry, a unique and extensive land use system. This situation has led to challenges for land managers and decision makers. Because of limited use of existing knowledge and lack of specific data on key resources, the land use dialogue among the reindeer herding communities, other land users and agencies has been inadequate. To overcome this problem, reindeer herding communities initiated a process to improve this situation together with researchers and with state and regional agencies. Key findings from the collaborative, process-focused papers in this thesis showed that the diverse groups that worked together could co-produce methods and tools that increased the engagement and the ability to negotiate and find solutions. Furthermore, the co-production of knowledge served as a heuristic, increasing the use and understanding of compiled information. The co-production further created an exigency for conventional research that then informed the tools, thereby increasing the potential contribution towards improved dialogue. Findings also indicated that significant declines have occurred in the amount and distribution of forest floor lichen, – a key reindeer winter grazing resource – since the introduction of modern forestry practices in the mid-20th century. Furthermore, forecasting alternative forest practices indicated that current forest practices would further diminish the forest floor lichen resource. Promising results demonstrated that satellite-based mapping of forest floor lichen can be carried out successfully and can identify crucial areas for directed forest management, which can improve conditions for forest floor lichen. In combination, the co-produced toolbox and the findings about the status, trend and distribution of the lichen resource can potentially improve future dialogue. The work represented in this thesis can potentially serve as a stronger foundation to safeguard the continuation of the complex land use system of reindeer husbandry, which constitutes both a fundamental component in the indigenous Sami culture, as well as a key to successful sustainable landscape management

Effects of mining on reindeer/caribou populations and indigenous livelihoods : community-based monitoring by Sami reindeer herders in Sweden and First Nations in Canada

This paper explores the effects of human disturbances associated with mine development in the Arctic on habitat and populations of reindeer/caribou (both Rangifer tarandus), and implications for reindeer husbandry and caribou hunting of indigenous Sami people in Sweden and First Nations in Canada. Through three case studies, we illustrate how Cree and Naskapi communities develop commu- nity-based geospatial information tools to collect field data on caribou migration and habitat changes, and how Sami reindeer herders use GIS to gather informa- tion about reindeer husbandry to better communicate impacts of mining on rein- deer grazing areas. Findings indicate impacts on the use of disturbed habitat by reindeer/caribou, on migration routes, and northern livelihoods. The three cases present novel methods for community-based environmental monitoring, with applications in hazards mapping and denote the active engagement of indigenous communities in polar environmental assessments, generating community-oriented data for land use management decisions. They also illustrate how technology can lead to better communication and its role for empowerment

Reindeer husbandry vs. wind energy: analysis of the Pauträsk and Norrbäck court decisions in Sweden

In 2019, the Land and Environmental Court of Appeal, Sweden’s highest court in environmental matters, authorized the establishment of two wind energy projects in the Norrbäck and Pauträsk areas on the winter grazing lands of Vapsten sameby in northern Sweden. These decisions overturned previous court rulings that rejected the two wind energy projects due to the expected impacts on nature and cultural values, and because the projects were seen to harm the interests of reindeer husbandry. In the analysis of these two legal cases, we seek to understand and explain the judicial conflicts between Sámi samebyar and wind energy developers. Based on the interpretation of the court decisions, we focus on the main features of the courts’ reasoning and examine how the courts have assessed the impact of wind turbines on reindeer husbandry. This chapter thus explains the main factors that have influenced and limited the court decisions and also concludes that these court decisions have failed to guarantee the right of the Sámi Indigenous people to practice sustainable reindeer husbandry in Sweden

Reindeer husbandry vs. wind energy : Analysis of the Pauträsk and Norrbäck court decisions in Sweden

In 2019, the Land and Environmental Court of Appeal, Sweden’s highest court in environmental matters, authorized the establishment of two wind energy projects in the Norrbäck and Pauträsk areas on the winter grazing lands of Vapsten sameby in northern Sweden. These decisions overturned previous court rulings that rejected the two wind energy projects due to the expected impacts on nature and cultural values, and because the projects were seen to harm the interests of reindeer husbandry. In the analysis of these two legal cases, we seek to understand and explain the judicial conflicts between Sámi samebyar and wind energy developers. Based on the interpretation of the court decisions, we focus on the main features of the courts’ reasoning and examine how the courts have assessed the impact of wind turbines on reindeer husbandry. This chapter thus explains the main factors that have influenced and limited the court decisions and also concludes that these court decisions have failed to guarantee the right of the Sámi Indigenous people to practice sustainable reindeer husbandry in Sweden.Peer reviewe

Language that Supports Sustainable Development: How to Write about People in Universal Design Policy

Universal Design (UD) is a design approach that recognises and anticipates diversity as a fundamental human condition. UD is also frequently referred to in relation to the social dimension of sustainable development. Central to both UD and sustainability is the way “everyone,” as the target of UD and sustainability goals, is understood. The purpose of the study is to identify how UD’s “everyone” is conceptualised in Swedish UD policy and to provide a set of recommendations for how to categorise people with regards to UD. A qualitative text analysis is used, which investigates semiotic modes in relation to the content, form, and social relations of texts. Based on the analysis, two challenges for UD policy are identified: (i) how to convey that UD is design for everyone, and (ii) how to move away from a thought pattern of norm and deviation. Seven recommendations for how to approach categorisations of people in UD policy are formulated. We argue that an adoption of UD has the potential to bring about sustainable living environments for all, if integrated with social, economic, environmental, and spatial dimensions of development, but that in order for this to succeed, careful attention needs to be paid to how UD is conceptualised, and a radically different way of categorising people is necessary

Planning for human diversity : design patterns of Universal Design

Ensuring the conditions for an inclusive society in the face of humandiversity places various demands on the built environment. Planning isessential for accommodating a wide range of individual preferences andabilities.This article examines the presence and absence of Universal Design (UD)in contemporary urban planning and construction in eight new or remodelledSwedish building and public space projects. The projects werestudied in-situ and via documentation from the planning and buildingprocess.The findings show two ways in which UD is present. The first is a patternwhere people are not separated from each other, whilst the secondis a pattern of facilitating equal use by placing low demands on users’abilities. It was revealed that UD was implemented more in remodellingprojects than in new constructions, which instead created new inequalitiesthrough categorisations of users and high demands on users’ abilities.They were also linked to an imbalance between green and socialsustainability.We argue that a change of mindset is pivotal for implementing UD.Human diversity must be a consideration throughout planning andbuilding processes, and creating a sustainable society requires UD. Thisarticle contributes new knowledge regarding patterns characterisingsuch a mindshift

D-glucose Stimulates the Na+/K+ Pump in Mouse Pancreatic Islet Cells

To determine the effect of D-glucose on the β-cell Na+/K+ pump, 86Rb+ influx was studied in isolated, -cell-rich islets of Umeå-ob/ob mice in the absence or presence of lmM ouabain. D-glucose (20 mM) stimulated the ouabain-sensitive portion of 86Rb+ influx by 65%, whereas the ouabain-resistant portion was inhibited by 48%. The Na+/K+ ATPase activity in homogenates of islets of Umeå-ob/ob mice or normal mice was determined to search for direct effects of D-glucose. Thus, ouabain-sensitive ATP hydrolysis in islet homogenates was measured in the presence of different D-glucose concentrations. No effect of D-glucose (3–20 mM) was observed in either ob/ob or normal islets at the optimal Na+/K+ ratio for the enzyme (135 mM Na+ and 20 mM K+). Neither D-glucose (3–20 mM) nor L-glucose or 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (20 mM) affected the enzyme activity at a high Na+/K+ ratio (175 mM Na+ and 0.7mM K+). Diphenylhydantoin (150 μM) decreased the enzyme activity at optimal Na+/K+ ratio, whereas 50 μM of the drug had no effect. The results suggest that D-glucose induces a net stimulation the Na+/K+ pump of β-cells in intact islets and that D-glucose does not exert any direct effect on the Na+/K+ ATPase activity