Fourteen of our sixteen Environmental Quality Objectives are not deemed to be achievable by 2020 with the current policy instruments and planned measures.
With this call, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) are aiming to fund a synthesis analysis that increases the knowledge about management-processes based on the ecosystem-approach, and how these can be applied in marine and fresh water environments.
The focus of the analysis is the ecosystem-approach, as summarized in SEPA’s guidance report (Ekosystemansatsen - En väg mot bevarande och hållbart nyttjande av naturresurser. Rapport 5782, Naturvårdsverket, 2007), as well as SwAM’s report on implementing this framework to marine spatial planning (Tillämpning av ekosystemansatsen i havsplaneringen, Havs- och vattenmyndighetens rapport 2012:14).
For the synthesis analysis, an interdisciplinary approach is required that lifts both the social science perspective on management processes as well as the underlying need from both natural and social sciences to understand and evaluate effects on nature and society.
The synthesis should contain a summary of successful experiences of using the ecosystem approach in environmental management, and an analysis of how this knowledge can be adapted to management of marine and fresh water environments. The goal is to identify and highlight examples of management, advisory processes and tools that can be used in fish, marine and water management in Sweden. Furthermore, the synthesis should consider how ecosystem-based management can be carried out given different constraints in timescales, geographical scales and administrative boundaries.
SEPA and SwAM 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 2017. We encourage researchers from different disciplines to work together. The deadline for applications is the 15th of September 2016.
Applications in environmental management
In order to reach the national Environmental Quality Objectives over time there needs to be a societal shift that prevents environmental problems. An ecosystem-based management could have a large impact for such a shift. Ecosystem-based management takes into account how humans, the environment and other species interact and affect each other, as well as how different interests can be involved in management processes.
There are great challenges in marine and water management with regards to taking responsibility for shared natural resources, to understand the causality links and to make trade-offs between different areas of use. For a long-term management and a sustainable use of national resources there is a need to view the ecosystem as a whole and to integrate different sectors in management. This is especially true when it comes to conflicts between different types of exploitation and environmental protection. To unify the management of living environments and natural resources, processes and tools are needed that can make the step from single-species management to managing the environments and ecosystem services in a comprehensive way. This raises demands on several ecosystem management process levels to cooperate (locally, nationally, regionally and internationally).
SEPA and SwAM expect to benefit from the results of synthesis analysis in, among other areas, the evaluation of the Environmental Quality Objectives: A Balanced Marine Environment, Flourishing Coastal Areas and Archipelagos, Flourishing Lakes and Streams and A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life. The synthesis can be especially useful in the context of fisheries management, protection of valuable natural environments, and in the possibility for humans to use nature in a sustainable way.
The results from the synthesis analysis will be used in SwAM’s work to apply the ecosystem approach to several management areas, as well as in developing a strategy for how an ecosystem-based fisheries management plan should be constructed, so that it can be an integrated part in achieving the targets for marine and water management.
Priorities
This synthesis work should contain:
- Good examples of management processes and advisory processes, strategies and tools for applying the ecosystem approach. The examples can come from all types of environments, but should be relevant for implementation in marine and fresh water environments.
- An analysis of how the presented examples can be utilized in the application of the ecosystem approach in fish, marine and water management.
- Identification of the pre-requisites and needs for the development of the management processes and advisory processes during the application of the ecosystem approach in environmental and natural resources management.
Who can apply?
The main applicant must hold a PhD and conduct research at universities, colleges, research institutes, or government agencies carrying out research as part of its mandate. “Research institute” refers to organizations that have research as their sole or principal part of their mandate. The main applicant should be affiliated with a Swedish organization with a Swedish corporate identity number (“organisationsnummer”).
For more information on how to apply see:
Preliminary timeline for the call
- 15th of September 2016: Last day for applications
- 1st of December 2016: Decision on financing
- 1st of January 2017: Project starts
Responsible officers
Cecilia Lindblad, Telephone: 010-698 12 95
Pia Norling, Telephone: 010-698 60 97
Background material
EEA, 2014. The DPSIR framework:
Europaparlamentets och rådets direktiv 2000/60/EG av den 23 oktober 2000 om upprättande av en ram för gemenskapens åtgärder på vattenpolitikens område:
Europaparlamentets och rådets direktiv 2008/556/EG av den 17 juni 2008 om upprättande av en ram för gemenskapens åtgärder på havsmiljöpolitikens område (Ramdirektiv om en marin strategi):
Europaparlamentets och rådets förordning (EU) nr 1380/2013 av den 11 september 2013 om den gemensamma fiskeripolitiken, om ändring av rådets förordningar (EG) nr 1954/2003 och (EG) nr 1224/2009 och om upphävande av rådets förordningar (EG) nr 2371/2002 och (EG) nr 639/2004 och rådets beslut 2004/585/EG:
Europaparlamentets och rådets förordning (EU) 2015/812 av den 20 maj 2015 om ändring av rådets förordningar (EG) nr 850/98, (EG) nr 2187/2005, (EG) nr 1967/2006, (EG) nr 1098/2007, (EG) nr 254/2002, (EG) nr 2347/2002 och (EG) nr 1224/2009, samt Europaparlamentets och rådets förordningar (EU) nr 1379/2013 och (EU) nr 1380/2013, vad gäller landningsskyldigheten, och om upphävande av rådets förordning (EG) nr 1434/98:
Havs- och vattenmyndigheten, 2012. Tillämpning av ekosystemansatsen i havsplaneringen. Havs- och vattenmyndighetens rapport 2012:14:
Naturvårdsverket, 2007. Ekosystemansatsen. En väg mot bevarande och hållbart nyttjande av naturresurser. Rapport 5782:
Naturvårdsverket, 2015. Styr med sikte på miljömålen. Naturvårdsverkets fördjupade utvärdering av miljömålen 2015. Rapport 6666:
SOU 2014:50 Med miljömålen i fokus – hållbar användning av mark och vatten, 2014: