Hilde Karine Wam

Seniorforsker

(+47) 920 10 746
hilde.wam@nibio.no

Sted
Ås - Bygg H8

Besøksadresse
Høgskoleveien 8, 1433 Ås

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Fra jakten på Storoksen i forgangne tider til dagens mål om bærekraftig forvaltning: elgens slaktevekter har vært viktige for mange. En tung elg har vært en bra elg. Men nå er ikke elgene så tunge lenger. Mangt et jaktvald har skutt hardt for å snu trenden, tilsynelatende forgjeves. Selv om reduksjonsavskytning fortsatt er viktig flere steder, er det tid for et bredere fokus.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har taksert elgbeite på oppdrag av Grenland Landbrukskontor i 2022-2023. Det rikeste beitetilbudet var i sørøst, mens nord var spesielt fattig på buskbeite, og sørvest mer furudominert og variabel. I rapporten er regionen delt inn i Nord, Vest og Sør. Særlig Vest hadde høy dekning av blåbærlyng, mens Sør skilte seg ut med høy dekning av høge urter og bringebær. Også Nord hadde bra dekning av blåbærlyng, men lite annet attraktivt feltsjiktbeite. Vi fant lavere enn forventet tetthet av trær i beitehøyde (30-300 cm) i alle delområdene. Takst etter samme metodikk i Kjose i 2005 indikerer at både tetthet av beitetrær og ubeita skudd-cm/tre har gått ned, til tross for yngre skog i dag. Det skyldes trolig høyt beitepress fra hjortevilt, og skogskjøtsel over tid. Se anbefalinger i utvidet sammendrag. Vi har beregnet at det er mat til maks 0.6 elg per km2 (vinterbestand) i Nord og Vest, og 1.3 per km2 i Sør. Dette er et maks optimistisk anslag, gitt at beiteplantene ikke hadde vært kuet, og hvor det må gjøres fratrekk for hjort. Et svært grovt anslag er at hjorten tar 30-50% av bæreevnen i Nord og Vest, og 15-25% i Sør. De siste 5 årene har beregnet tetthet av elg i snitt vært 0.6-0.9 elg/km2 i Grenland som helhet. Uten mer presis kunnskap om hjortens beiting er det vanskelig å si hvilken tetthet av elg som vil bidra til å friskmelde beitene. Et friskmeldt beite er en nødvendighet, men ingen garanti, for elg i god kondisjon. Elg har også andre og økende utfordringer som kan svekke kondisjonen, som et varmere klima, men beitene er fortsatt en viktig brikke i puslespillet av faktorer som bidrar til den vedvarende dårlige kondisjonen på elg i Grenland.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har taksert elgbeitene på 450 km2 i Levanger kommune i 2023. Vi fant at kommunen har et middels godt naturgrunnlag for elgbeite, med nokså høy andel låg bonitet. Per 2023 gir derimot en gunstig alder på skogen mer produktivt og variert elgbeite enn mye av Sør-Norge. Det til tross for at tørr og varm juni forut for taksten tilsier at skuddproduksjonen per tre var noe under normalen. Det var derimot stor lokal variasjon, med langt mer produktive beiter i overgangen mot kulturmarka enn i høyereliggende områder. Vi har estimert at den ernæringsmessige bæreevnen til 1.2 elg/km2 (grovt anslag for vinterbestand). Vi fant over gjennomsnittlig beitepress i Levanger over flere vintre (akkumulert), men delvis under snittet sist vinter. Dette tyder på at elg i Levanger er på vei inn i en forbedret beitesituasjon. Vi har beregnet dagens tetthet av elg til 1.1 per km2, med andre ord rett under bæreevnen. Sett-elg indeksen tilsier at bestanden har gått fra å øke til nylig å synke, i samsvar med lavt beitepress sist vinter. Gitt et forvaltningsmål om bærekraftig elgbeiter, anbefaler vi å ikke ta den forholdsvis gode beitetilstanden som grunn til å øke bestanden igjen. Slaktevektene i Levanger har gått ned over tid, og indikerer elg i dårligere kondisjon. Utfordringer for god kondisjon hos elg vil øke framover, med et stadig varmere klima (mer parasitter, mer konkurranse med hjort, varmestress, beitetørke, og endret plantefenologi m.m.). Vi anbefaler oppfølgingstakst hvert 5. år.

Sammendrag

NIBIO takserte i 2023 elgbeitene i Meråker (om lag 500 km2), for både beitetilbud og beitepress. Busksjiktet var artsfattig, men overraskende produktivt på elgbeite, til tross for nesten bare myr eller skog på låg bonitet. Beitetilbudet i feltsjiktet var også artsfattig, men det var like høy dekning av den viktige blåbærlyngen som for snittet av Sør-Norge. Beitetilbudet bestod hovedsakelig av bare 3 arter: blåbærlyng, bjørk og vier. I tillegg var det noe selje og furu. Nokså uventet fant vi større total tetthet av trær i elgens beitehøyde (30-300 cm) opp mot fjellet enn lenger ned mot hoveddalen av bygda. Særlig var det tett med vier generelt i Meråker, og tett med bjørk på hogstflater. Vieren var derimot så hardt beita at den knapt produserte ubeita årsskudd for elg å beite neste vinter. Også bjørk og selje var beita over plantenes antatte tålegrense. Vi anbefaler beitetakst hvert 5. år for å fange opp endringer. Vi har beregnet ernæringsmessig bæreevne til maks 0.8 elg/km2 (vinterbestand etter jakt). Dette er maks tetthet hvis beiteplantene ikke hadde vært hardt beita over tid (kuet). Vi har estimert tettheten siste 5 år til å ha vært 0.7 elg/km2 i snitt, altså nær maks bæreevne. Estimatet inkluderer ikke trekkelg som ankommer etter jakta. Sett elg tilsier at bestanden er økende, men beregnet tetthet korrigert for trend i fallvilt viser en nokså stabil bestand. Uansett bør bestanden reduseres tilstrekkelig til at vierbeitet kan repareres.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Democratizing learning is essential for environmental sustainability. Less privileged areas are crucial in this regard. Informal education has great such potential, but often fails to reach the less privileged, and to document learning. With the objective to identify and counter these issues, we here report on EDU-ARCTIC, an informal open schooling course in environmental science, aimed at European teachers with teenage pupils. Of the 1,181 teachers who enrolled, 73% were females and 43% were from less privileged nations (according to UN Human Development Index). This is a higher share of less privileged (females) than is the case for the general population of Europe. Teachers from less privileged nations also participated in more project activities than did those from more privileged nations, apart from in urban areas. For the project period, the teachers reported a significant increase in all the three categories of aspired learning outcomes for their pupils. We conclude that courses like ours can increase teenagers’ literacy and engagement in science and environmental issues, not the least in less privileged areas. Deliberate efforts are required to reach these target groups, who may be less inclined to join on their own.

Sammendrag

Join us on the dog sled! Immerse yourself in the beauty of Norwegian snow plains while you learn how to choose the right dog for the right task in the sled team and much more. The material was prepared for the project EDU-ARCTIC 2: from polar research to scientific passion – innovative nature education in Poland and Norway, which receives a grant of ca. 240 000 EUR received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under EEA funds. View with VR goggles or look around by moving your smartphone or by dragging the image left and right with the mouse.

Sammendrag

Sled dogs helped humans venture into the high North and settle in the Arctic. What makes these dogs so special? The material was prepared for the project EDU-ARCTIC 2: from polar research to scientific passion – innovative nature education in Poland and Norway, which receives a grant of ca. 240 000 EUR received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under EEA funds. View with VR goggles or look around by moving your smartphone or by dragging the image left and right with the mouse.

Sammendrag

Learn about the challenges and the beauty of farming on islands far off into the Norwegian sea. The material was prepared for the project EDU-ARCTIC 2: from polar research to scientific passion – innovative nature education in Poland and Norway, which receives a grant of ca. 240 000 EUR received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under EEA funds. View with VR goggles or look around by moving your smartphone or by dragging the image left and right with the mouse.

Sammendrag

Hundreds of years ago, indigenous people of the north domesticated wild reindeer and used them for food, clothing, housing and transport. See how Sami people of Norway still keep large herds of reindeer to produce meat for the market. The material was prepared for the project EDU-ARCTIC 2: from polar research to scientific passion – innovative nature education in Poland and Norway, which receives a grant of ca. 240 000 EUR received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under EEA funds. View with VR goggles or look around by moving your smartphone or by dragging the image left and right with the mouse.

Sammendrag

Did you know Santa’s reindeer are female (…or castrated males)? Watch our 360 video to learn why! The material was prepared for the project EDU-ARCTIC 2: from polar research to scientific passion – innovative nature education in Poland and Norway, which receives a grant of ca. 240 000 EUR received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under EEA funds. View with VR goggles or look around by moving your smartphone or by dragging the image left and right with the mouse.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Det första dom flesta tänker på när någon nämner älgbete är RASE. Rön, asp, sälg och ek är de mest eftertraktade betesväxterna för skogens kung i Skandinavien. Men de är ofta bara en liten del av den typiska älgdieten. Flera andra faktorer avgör också kvaliteten på älgbetesmarkerna.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Det første de fleste tenker på når en nevner elgbeite er ROS. Rogn, osp og selje (og eik i Sverige) er de mest ettertraktede beiteplantene for skogens konge i Skandinavia. De utgjør derimot ofte bare en liten del av den typiske dietten til elg. Flere andre faktorer avgjør også kvaliteten på elgbeitene.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Populations of large herbivores, including members of the deer family Cervidae, are expanding across and within many regions of the northern hemisphere. Because their browsing on trees can result in economic losses to forestry and strongly affect ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how best to mitigate resultant damage. Previous research has highlighted the importance of regulating deer density and the availability of alternative forage to reduce browsing damage levels in conifer production stands. However, often only one or two proxies of forage availability have been used instead of applying a broad foodscape approach and more knowledge is needed to understand which types of alternative forage best mitigate damage. We conducted field inventories of damage that occurred during the previous fall/winter in 112 production stands in southern Sweden, while also measuring forage availability and cervid faecal pellets in the surrounding landscape (16 ha). Local landowners provided data on supplementary feeding. We found that variation in cervid (Alces alces, Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus and Dama dama) browsing damage to top shoots or stems of young Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris, hereon pine), was better explained by the availability of alternative natural forage (using several indices and species of trees and shrubs) than by supplementary feeding. The proportion of damaged pine trees was higher in stands with a lower density of pine stems; in landscapes with a lower density of key broadleaf tree species (genera Sorbus, Salix, Populus and Quercus); and in landscapes with more open land (agricultural fields and paddocks). Damage was also higher in stands where relatively large amounts of moose faeces was found, while not related to the amount of faeces from other cervid species. The amount of supplementary feed (silage or other types such as root vegetables) did not explain variation in pine damage, but the result was possibly affected by relatively few study areas supplying sufficient data on supplementary feeding. The results from our inventory illustrate the efficacy of using naturally growing forage to mitigate browsing damage to young pine trees in managed landscapes. Creation of such forage is also recommended over supplementary feeding because of co-benefits to forest biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

There is increasing empirical support for the biodiversity and ecosystem service (ES) benefits of mixed-species production forests. However, few studies control for the spatial arrangement of the trees within mixtures to determine the influence that clustering the tree species (patch scale mixtures), versus evenly dispersing them (intimate scale mixtures), may have for biodiversity and ES outcomes. To highlight the potential implications of altering tree spatial arrangement in mixtures, and the need to fill related knowledge gaps, here we provide a qualitative multi-disciplinary overview of ecological and socio-economic drivers with the potential to alter biodiversity, ecosystem services, and management-related outcomes from patch versus intimate scale mixtures. We focused our overview on even-aged mixtures of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and birch (Betula pendula or B. pubescens) in Sweden, which enabled us to contrast findings within a biogeographical and silvicultural setting. Specifically, we targeted implications for biodiversity (understory vascular plants, epiphytic lichens, saproxylic beetles, birds), biomass production, harvesting costs, management ease, recreation and aesthetics, cervid game, as well as abiotic and biotic risks (wind, fire, pathogens, pests, browsing damage). In the absence of direct empirical evidence, we primarily relied on expert inference from theory and relevant empirical studies sourced from the Fennoscandian region, and further afield if needed. Collectively these efforts allowed us to develop a number of informed hypotheses indicating that for spruce-birch mixtures in this region, patch scale mixtures may have the potential to favour the diversity of several forest dependant taxonomic groups, cervid game and reduce harvesting costs, whereas intimate mixtures may have the potential to reduce pathogen and pest damage, and likewise, potentially benefit production outcomes. Current knowledge was too limited, inconsistent or context dependant to even tentatively infer outcomes for fire risk, wind damage, browsing damage, management ease, recreational and aesthetic outcomes. We emphasize that our hypotheses require testing, but are sufficient to (1) highlight the likely importance of spatial-scale to biodiversity and ecosystem services outcomes in mixed-species production forests, (2) caution against generalization from mixture studies that lack scale considerations, and (3) motivate the targeted consideration of spatial grain in future mixture studies.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har taksert elgbeite over ca. 3000 daa i Murudalen og Gausdal Vestfjell 2021 og 2022. Bjørk, vier, einer og furu var det eneste buskbeitet av betydning. Furu utgjorde kun rundt 5% av beitetrærne, selv i furudominerte Murudalen. Særlig flaene (= terrenget over ca. 900 m.o.h.) i Gausdal var rik på beitetrær. Dalsidene derimot hadde få beitetrær, men til gjengjeld om lag dobbel så høy dekning av feltsjikt med høy verdi for elg. Særlig bringebær hadde lokalt høyt oppslag, og bidrar til at dalsidene er godt sommerbeite, selv med få beitetrær. Det tradisjonelle elgtrekket om høsten fra lavt til høyt terreng i Gausdal, og fra Gausdal til Murudalen, fremstår som en naturlig følge av hvordan vinter- og sommerbeite er fordelt i landskapet. Vi har beregnet at ernæringsmessig bæreevne er maks 0.9 elg/km2 (vinterbestand etter jakt) i Murudalen, 1.6 elg/km2 på flaene i Gausdal og kun 0.4 elg/km2 i dalsidene av Gausdal, mot 1.0 elg/km2 generelt i Sør-Norge. Beitepresset (andel beita skudd) tilsier at vinterbestanden siste 5-10 år har vært rundt den maksimale bæreevnen. Det er viktigst å følge skuddproduksjon og beitepress på bjørk i disse områdene, hvor furu eller ROS (rogn, osp, selje) i dag utgjør lite av beitet. Taksten omfattet delvis 11 kommuner. Resultatene er representative også for nærliggende areal med samme naturgrunnlag og beitepress som et av delområdene i taksten.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Lier kommune utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av Vestmarka bestandsplanområde (Lier, Asker og Bærum kommuner) sommeren 2021, for å kunne si noe om beitetilbud og beitepress. Vi fant at Vestmarka hadde svært lav tetthet av beite-trær sammenliknet med andre områder i Sør-Norge, med vinterbeite til bare 1/3 så mange elg som snittet. Bjørk utgjorde nesten alt tilgjengelig buskbeite, dernest selje, samt annet lauv som normalt ikke utgjør stor del av elgens matfat (or, varmekjære treslag). Furu var av svært lav forekomst. Det er usikkert om fraværet av lauvoppslag til dels skyldes noe ved jordsmonnet, men intens husdyrbeiting og lukkede granbestand er klart medvirkende faktorer. I dag er hogstflatene dominert av tett grasmatte, som ikke gagner elgen. Av hensyn til elgbeite anbefaler vi at skogen holdes tilstrekkelig lysåpen i hele rotasjonsperioden for å øke dekningen av blåbær. Det vil også redusere grasdekke på nye hogstflater, som sammen med intens husdyrbeiting hemmer lauvoppslag. Alle våre indekser på beitepress tilsier at vinterbestanden av elg i Vestmarka per 2021 var for høy i forhold til plantenes tålegrense. Det er viktigst å følge beitepresset på bjørk i Vestmarka. Vi har estimert beitenes bæreevne til å være maks o.4 elg/km2 (vinterbestand), noe som er rekordlavt for Sør-Norge. Sett-elg data for området er usikre, men sammen med fellingstall indikerer de at bestanden etter jakt siste 5 år har vært betydelig høyere: mellom 0.7 og 1.8 elg/km2.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Et tema som vekker sterke meninger: Hva har sau og storfe i skogen å si for elgen? Eter husdyra opp elgmaten? Skremmer de bort elgen? Eller er det elgen som skremmer husdyra? Det er etter hvert gjort noen studier av dette, så la oss se på det med forskerbriller.

Sammendrag

Heavier rainstorms, more landslides, the winds howling more often, a longer summer… The good or bad of a warming climate! In this educational tool kit, your pupils will learn about northern climates, and possibly even sense it. Not the least, they will learn about climate changes in the north, which are not quite the same as in the south.

Sammendrag

Even in the most pristine of northern Europe, we have lost almost all the long stretches of intact natural lands. We build and travel all over the place. The environmental problems it creates are unsustainable. In this tool kit, the students learn about the good and the bad of our consumption of nature, and are challenged to be conscious about both.

Sammendrag

The Green Shift is like Jekyll & Hyde. Will it save the planet, or is it just greenwashing? In this tool kit, we try to get a practical grasp on this vague buzz-word. You will learn why 2+2 is never 4 in the green shift. The shadow side of it is still the same environmental issues as before. We reflect upon how the green shift indeed can be used to make changes, and not just greenwash our dirt.

Sammendrag

When humans decided to conquer the world, we took on the responsibility to manage most wildlife. This is not an easy task. Ecosystems are so complex. People have so differing opinions. In this tool kit, you'll learn about wildlife management! About the easy theory and the struggling practice. And, what may happen if we give wildlife “back to nature”.

Sammendrag

Technology has given humans a major upper-hand on other animal species. Here you will learn about ways in which humans use technology to monitor and manage wildlife, and we explore ethical dilemmas. For example, is it okay to catch and operate on wild animals? Do we want to know all the secrets of nature?

Sammendrag

Will the toughness of tundra animals be their benefit or their bane in a changing climate? The tundra is a harsh and brutally cold place in winter, with almost no plants to eat. Only the toughest of creatures survive here. In this tool kit, we explore how climate change affects the tundra and its animals. We advice that pupils first do part 1 (animal adaptability).

Sammendrag

Det Grønne Skifte er som Jekyll & Hyde. Vil det redde kloden, eller er det bare grønnvasking? I denne læringspakka prøver vi å få praktisk grep om dette vage ny-ordet. Du vil lære hvorfor 2 + 2 aldri er 4 i det grønne skiftet. Skyggesiden er de samme miljøproblemene som før. Vi reflekterer over hvordan et grønt skifte faktisk kan gi endringer, og ikke bare grønnvasking av avfallet vårt.

Sammendrag

Da mennesker bestemte seg for å erobre verden, tok vi over ansvaret for å forvalte det meste av dyrelivet. Dette er ingen enkel oppgave. Økosystemer er så komplekse. Folk har så ulike meninger. I denne læringspakka får du innblikk viltforvaltning! Om den enkle teorien og den vanskelige praksisen. Og hva som kan skje hvis vi gir viltet "tilbake til naturen".

Sammendrag

Kraftigere regnbyger, flere jordras, vinden som hyler stadig oftere, lengre somre ... Det gode eller det dårlige ved et stadig varmere og villere klima! I denne læringspakka vil elevene få innblikk i nordlige klima og muligens til og med sanse det. Ikke minst vil de lære om klimaendringer i nord, som ikke er helt det samme som i sør.

Sammendrag

Selv i det mest uberørte av nordlige Europa har vi mistet nesten alle større intakte naturområder. Vi bygger og reiser over alt. Det skaper miljøproblemer som ikke er bærekraftige. I denne læringspakka får elevene innblikk i det gode og det dårlige med at vi forbruker natur, og de blir utfordret på det å være bevisst begge sider.

Sammendrag

Tundra er et brutalt kaldt sted å være om vinteren, med nesten ingen planter å beite. Kun de tøffeste av skapninger overlever. Blir hardførheten til tundra-dyr en fordel eller til besvær når klima endrer seg? I denne læringspakka utforsker vi hvordan klima-endringer påvirker tundraen og dyrene der. Vi anbefaler at elevene først gjør del 1 og 2 av serien om dyr og klima.

Sammendrag

Teknologi gir mennesker store overtak på andre dyrearter. Her lærer du om hvordan mennesker bruker teknologi for å overvåke og påvirke dyrelivet, og vi utforsker etiske dilemma. Er det f.eks. greit å fange og operere ville dyr? Vil vi vite alle naturens hemmeligheter?

Til dokument

Sammendrag

At northern latitudes, large spatial and temporal variation in the nutritional composition of available foods poses challenges to wild herbivores trying to satisfy their nutrient requirements. Studies conducted in mostly captive settings have shown that animals from a variety of taxonomic groups deal with this challenge by adjusting the amounts and proportions of available food combinations to achieve a target nutrient balance. In this study, we used proportions-based nutritional geometry to analyze the nutritional composition of rumen samples collected in winter from 481 moose (Alces alces) in southern Sweden and examine whether free-ranging moose show comparable patterns of nutrient balancing. Our main hypothesis was that wild moose actively regulate their rumen nutrient composition to offset ecologically imposed variation in the nutritional composition of available foods. To test this, we assessed the macronutritional composition (protein, carbohydrates, and lipids) of rumen contents and commonly eaten foods, including supplementary feed, across populations with contrasting winter diets, spanning an area of approximately 10,000 km2. Our results suggest that moose balanced the macronutrient composition of their rumen, with the rumen contents having consistently similar proportional relationship between protein and nonstructural carbohydrates, despite differences in available (and eaten) foods. Furthermore, we found that rumen macronutrient balance was tightly related to ingested levels of dietary fiber (cellulose and hemicellulose), such that the greater the fiber content, the less protein was present in the rumen compared with nonstructural carbohydrates. Our results also suggest that moose benefit from access to a greater variety of trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses, which provides them with a larger nutritional space to maneuver within. Our findings provide novel theoretical insights into a model species for ungulate nutritional ecology, while also generating data of direct relevance to wildlife and forest management, such as silvicultural or supplementary feeding practices.

Sammendrag

Field-based monitoring of deer food availability and browsing on recruiting forest trees is a necessary but labour-intensive task. We explored how such estimates from a low-resolution multipurpose national forest inventory (NFI) (plot density 0.3 km−2) corresponded with estimates from local inventories that specifically and in greater detail monitor the availability of deer food and browsing intensity (LFI) (plot density 2–3 km−2). We used NFI and LFI data from 16 moose Alces alces ranges (mean area 276 ± SE 69 km2) in southern Norway. Only the height segment 30–130 cm of browsable trees could be obtained from the NFI data, while moose can browse trees from 30 to 300 cm in height. According to the LFI, the browse species did not have similar proportions of their browsable stems below 130 cm. Using only the stems from heights of 30–130 cm overestimated the availability of RAS (rowan, aspen and sallow) relative to birch (silver birch and downy birch) and Scots pine. The browsable biomass per stem of each species also varied between ranges, which introduces uncertainty to the food availability estimates that are based on stems only. Nevertheless, the NFI density of stems at 30–130 cm heights can be a useful index for species-specific comparisons of browse availability across ranges, because the variations between ranges in stem densities outweighed the biomass variations per stem. The NFI and LFI estimates of the species-specific densities of stems at 30–130 cm heights were significantly related and close to isometric (1:1), especially for RAS and pine. We did not find strong relationships between NFI and LFI in the browsing intensity (i.e. proportion of shoots that were browsed during the winter). The explained variation was only 11% (R2) for RAS (p = 0.281) and 32% for pine (p = 0.028). This was likely due to the small sample sizes of browsed trees in the NFI and methodological differences between the NFI and LFI in how browsing intensity is estimated. Conclusions Using data from national forest inventories can be an efficient but low-resolution way to monitor browse availability for deer, provided that the monitoring includes the full range of tree heights reachable for the deer (e.g., 30–300 cm for moose). It is also a prerequisite that the number of NFI plots is sufficient to cover the spatial variability of the area. Regarding browsing intensities, adjustments in both the NFI and LFI approaches are needed to make the two monitoring schemes more comparable.

Sammendrag

Et tema som vekker sterke meninger: Hva har sau og krøtter i skauen å si for elgen? Eter de tamme beitedyra opp elgmaten? Skremmer de bort elgen? Eller er det elg som skremmer husdyra? Det er etter hvert gjort enkelte studier av dette, så la oss se på det med forskerbrillene på.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Stjørdal kommune utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av kommunen i juli 2021, for å kunne si noe om beitetilbud og beitepress. Vi fant at den totale tettheten av beite-trær i elgens beitehøyde (30-300 cm) var over snittet for våre øvrige takster i Sør- og Midt-Norge. Mengde beitbar biomasse (årsskudd) var bare halvparten så stor i indre som i ytre sone (skille mellom soner satt fra Skjelstadmarka i nord til Elvran i sør). Ytre sone hadde mer biomasse enn snittet i øvrige takster, mens indre sone hadde betydelig mindre enn snittet. Bjørk utgjorde nesten alt buskbeitet i indre sone, mens det i ytre sone også var en del selje og furu. Tilbudet av viktig feltsjikt (blåbær, høge urter og til dels bregner) var høyest i lavereliggende skog, uavhengig sone. Av hensyn til elg anbefaler vi at disse delene av skogen holdes tilstrekkelig lysåpne gjennom hele skogens rotasjonsperiode. Alle våre indekser på beitepress tilsier at elgbestanden i Stjørdal per 2021 var for høy i forhold til plantenes tålegrenser. Det er viktigst å følge beitepresset på bjørk. Vi har estimert ernæringmessig bæreevne til å være maks 1.3 elg/km2 i ytre sone, og bare halvparten i indre: 0.7 elg/km2. Vi anbefaler å holde bestanden under maks en periode for å la beitene hente seg inn. Sett og felt elg data indikerer at bestanden etter jakt siste 5 år har vært en del høyere enn maks: om lag 1.5 elg/km2. Det kan likevel se ut som kommunen er i ferd med å få snudd trenden i tide, da pilene for elgtettheten peker i riktig retning og beiteplantene fortsatt produserer rimelig bra.

Sammendrag

In this educational tool kit, your pupils will learn about the amazing and sometimes odd ways animals have adapted to living, especially in polar extreme environments. This is part 1 of a series of three tool kits on the topic. Part 1 gives an introduction and explains principles of evolutionary adaptations in view of climate change. Part 2 is about animals in the taiga, while part 3 is about animals on the tundra.

Sammendrag

In this educational tool kit, your pupils will learn about why and where there is a region called Fennoscandia. We explore cultures for the outdoors that are shared between all the countries of the region. In role play, pupils will explore how one, by learning about another’s culture, one can more easily accept it even when one does not like it.

Sammendrag

Do you know what happens when an exotic species comes to a new place, where it does not belong? Can the planet be completely invaded by exotic species? What exactly is an exotic species? In this learning package, we look at how invasive species are a growing problem and how they can affect the environment, other species and even the entire global bioeconomy.

Sammendrag

I denne læringspakka vil elevene lære om hvorfor og hvor det finnes en region vi kaller Fennoskandia. Vi forteller om kulturer for utendørsliv, som man finner på tvers av landegrensene her. I en egen utforsker-lab vil elevene utforske livsmestring: at ved å lære om andres kultur, kan vi lettere akseptere den selv om vi ikke liker den.

Sammendrag

Vet du hva som skjer når en fremmed art kommer til et nytt sted, hvor den ikke hører hjemme? Kan kloden invaderes fullstendig av fremmede arter? Hva er egentlig en fremmed art? I denne læringspakka ser vi på hvordan invaderende arter er et økende problem og hvordan de kan påvirke miljøet, andre arter og til og med hele den globale bioøkonomien.

Sammendrag

I denne læringspakka vil du lære om de fantastiske (og noen ganger rare) tilpasningene som dyr har til det å leve i sitt miljø, spesielt under polare ekstreme forhold. Du vil få innblikk i hvordan forskerne tror disse dyrene vil takle et varmere klima. Dette er del 1 av 3 i en serie. Den er introduksjon til faget, mens del 2 og del 3 er om dyrene i taiga og på tundra.

Sammendrag

Forskningsformidling til ungdom 13-19 år. Et nettbasert undervisningstilbud som bruker naturforskning til å fremme ungdoms miljøbevissthet og interesse for vitenskap.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

I ‘Skogsbeite-prosjektet’ (2012-2015) undersøkte vi matvalg hos sau og storfe på beite i produktiv lavlandsskog. Studien ble gjort i tre områder med ulik tetthet av dyr (ca. 17 dyr/km2 i Nannestad, 36 dyr/km2 på Vestskauen i Sande-Eiker og 59 dyr/km2 i Ringsaker) (søye-ekvivalenter). Analyser av fersk møkk viste at gras dominerte dietten hos både sau (69% ± 18.7 SD) og storfe (81% ± 15.4). Satt opp mot felttakseringer av vegetasjonen fant vi også at begge dyreslag sterkt selekterte for gras, i tillegg til bringebær og for sau, også urter. Alle områdene hadde svært høy grad av diett-overlapp (76-92%) mellom dyreslagene. Det indikerer at de sterkt konkurrer om den samme typen mat. Mer storfe i et beiteområde betyr da mindre mat for sau, og visa versa. Ringsaker, med svært høy tetthet av dyr, hadde det høyeste diett-overlappet. Ringsaker hadde også mindre artsdiversitet i dietten både hos storfe og sau. Hvis målet er bærekraftig beitebruk bør enhver lokal forvaltning innhente detaljert kunnskap (f.eks. via radiobjeller) om hvordan dyreslagene lokalt påvirker hverandres arealbruk.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Diet quality is an important determinant of animal survival and reproduction, and can be described as the combination of different food items ingested, and their nutritional composition. For large herbivores, human landscape modifications to vegetation can limit such diet-mixing opportunities. Here we use southern Sweden’s modified landscapes to assess winter diet mixtures (as an indicator of quality) and food availability as drivers of body mass (BM) variation in wild moose (Alces alces). We identify plant species found in the rumen of 323 moose harvested in Oct-Feb, and link variation in average calf BM among populations to diets and food availability. Our results show that variation in calf BM correlates with variation in diet composition, diversity, and food availability. A varied diet relatively rich in broadleaves was associated with higher calf BM than a less variable diet dominated by conifers. A diet high in shrubs and sugar/starch rich agricultural crops was associated with intermediate BM. The proportion of young production forest (0–15 yrs) in the landscape, an indicator of food availability, significantly accounted for variation in calf BM. Our findings emphasize the importance of not only diet composition and forage quantity, but also variability in the diets of large free-ranging herbivores.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Citizen science is sometimes described as "public participation in scientific research," or participatory monitoring. Such initiatives help to bring research into, for example, the classroom and engage pupils in well-structured observations of nature in their vicinity. The learning and practising of observation may increase the understanding of complex conditions occurring in nature, related to biology, ecology, ecosystems functioning, physics, atmospheric chemistry etc. For school curricula and motivation of pupils, practical hands-on activities performed by school pupils themselves by using their own senses stimulate faster learning and cognition. For this, the EDU-ARCTIC project developed the monitoring system. All schools in Europe are invited to participate in a meteorological and phenological observation system in the schools’ surroundings, to report these observations on the web-portal and to have access to all the accumulated data. The schools and pupils become part of a larger citizen effort to gain a holistic understanding of global environmental issues. The students may learn to act as scientific eyes and ears in the field. No special equipment is needed. Reporting of observations should be made once a week in the monitoring system through the EDU–ARCTIC web-portal or the accompanying mobile app. A manual and a field guide on how to conduct observations and report are available through the web. Teachers may download reports containing gathered information and use them for a wide variety of subjects, including biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Meteorological parameters are reported as actual values: air temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, visibility reduction and wind force, in all 19 parameters. There are also reports on meteorological and hydrological phenomena, which occurred within the previous week: like lightning, extreme and other atmospheric phenomena, ice on lakes and rivers and snow cover, in all 23 parameters. The monitoring system also includes biological field observations of phenological phases of plants: birch, black adler, lilac, rowan, bilberry, rosebay willwherb and denadelion, in all 26 parameters. The occurrence of the first individual of five species of insects: bumblebee, mosquito, ant and 2 butterflies: common brimstone and European peacook, and the registration of the first appearance of the bird species: arctic tern, common cuckoo, white wagtail and crane. An app for the monitoring system has been developed in order to engage pupils more by making it more comprehensive to register the meteorology and the phenophases. Further, special webinars and Polarpedia (the project’s own online encyclopedia) entries are developed to strengthen the monitoring system. The EDU-ARCTIC monitoring system gathered more than 2000 reports from schools, with an average monthly number of more than 80 observations. They are freely available via the web-portal, but password access is needed in order to enter registrations and data.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

EDU-ARCTIC is an open-schooling project, funded by the EU for the years 2016-2019. The main aim is to attract young people (13-20 years old) to the natural sciences. The project is using Arctic to illustrate how research are carried out and put together in order to reveal what is happening in Arctic and how Europe ins influencing Arctic and how Arctic is influencing Europe. To achieve these goals, EDU-ARCTIC uses innovative online tools like webinars provided by scientists, Polarpedia (an online encyclopaedia) of scientific terms used in the EDU ARCTIC, as well as the monitoring system that is an open-access database including app for motivation on field registration. In addition, the EDU-ARCTIC offers Arctic Competitions, where pupils submit their idea for a science project as an essay, a poster or a video. During a three-step evaluation, a few lucky winners get the possibility to join scientists on expeditions to polar research stations during the summer. For school curricula and motivation of pupils, practical hands-on activities performed by school pupils themselves by using own senses stimulate to faster learning and cognition. The learning and practicing of observation increase the understanding of complex conditions occurring in nature, related to biology, ecology, ecosystems functioning, physics, atmospheric chemistry etc. For this, the EDU-ARCTIC project developed the monitoring system. All schools in Europe are invited to participate in a meteorological and phenological observation system in the schools’ surroundings, to report these observations on the web-portal and to have access to interesting accumulated data. The schools and pupils become a part of a larger effort to gain a holistic understanding of global environmental issues. The students may learn to act as scientific eyes and ears in the field. No special equipment is needed. Reporting of observations should be made once a week in the monitoring system at the EDU–ARCTIC web-portal. A manual and a field guide on how to conduct observations and report are available through the web. Teachers may download reports containing gathered information and use them for a wide variety of subjects, including biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Meteorological parameters are requested reported as actual values: air temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, visibility reduction and wind force, in all 19 parameters. It is also asking for reports on meteorological and hydrological phenomena, which occurred within the previous week: like lightning, extreme and other atmospheric phenomena, ice on lakes and rivers and snow cover, in all 23 parameters. The monitoring system is also include biological field observations, including plants, like Birch, Lilac, Bilberry in all 26 parameters. Then occurrence of first individual of five species of insects like Bumble bee, Mosquito, Ant and butterfly, and then registration of first appearance of the bird species Arctic tern, Common Cuckoo, White wagtail and Crane. An app for the monitoring system has been developed in order to engage pupils more by making it more comprehensive to register the meteorology and the phenophases. Further, special webinars and polarpedia entries are developed to strengthen the monitoring system. The web-portal is open source but password access is needed in order to enter registrations. keywords: observation system, natural science, interdisciplinary, stem.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Osen kommune utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av kommunen i juni 2019, for å kunne si noe om beitetilbud og beitepress. Vi fant at Osen har om lag like tett med beitetrær som andre områder vi har taksert i Sør-Norge, men bare halvparten så tett som nærliggende Stjørdal. Bjørk utgjør nesten alt buskbeitet, både i treantall og skuddproduksjon. Beiteplanter i feltsjiktet viser liten variasjon i Osen, men dekningen av blåbær – en viktig beiteplante – er som gjennomsnittet for Sør-Norge. Beitetilbudet varierer mye mellom områder i kommunen. Praktisk talt alt beite finnes i dalsidene ned mot bygda. På høydedragene er det få beiteplanter for elg. Kommunen har samlet sett et meget høyt beitepress, og trolig over også bjørkas tålegrense. Det er lite av andre lauvarter i området, så et svekket bjørkebeite kan ha stor betydning for fremtidig beiteproduksjon. Noe uventet fant vi generelt lavt beitepress på furu. Det kan ha sammenheng med at furu i Osen vokser på særlig næringsfattig mark, og befinner seg på høydedragene, som er mindre attraktive for elg vinterstid. Vi har grovt estimert nåværende ernæringsmessige bæreevne i Osen til å være maks 1.0 elg/km2 (bestand etter jakt). Sett og felt elg statistikken indikerer at bestanden etter jakt siste 5 år har vært opp mot 1.4 elg/km2, og at den er svakt økende (8% per år).

Til dokument

Sammendrag

EDU-ARCTIC is an open-schooling project, funded by the EU for the years 2016-2019 and managed by scientists, nature educators and IT technicians. The main aim is to attract young people (13-20 years old) to the natural sciences. Further, to raise awareness of how everything in nature is connected, and that STEM education therefore in part must be interdisciplinary across normal school curricula. To achieve these goals, EDU-ARCTIC uses innovative online tools with open-access, combined with nature expeditions. Four main modules complement each other, but can also be used independently: 1) Webinars, where scientists conduct online lessons about their own field of expertise. The lessons comes as packages with worksheets and online games. The lessons brings youth close to scientists. They can ask questions what it means to work with science. It is also a valuable tool for teachers to brush up their STEM knowledge and get inspiration for their own teaching. 2) Polarpedia, which is an online encyclopaedia of scientific terms used in the webinars. The science is kept easy-to-grasp, with the aim to stimulate the pupils’ curiosity to look for more information. 3) Monitoring system, which uses citizen science and the project’s own app to record observations of meteorology and phenology. Observations are open for everybody to use in their own teachings. 4) Arctic Competitions, which is the module that has engaged the pupils the most. They submit their idea for a science project in late autumn, work with the project over the winter and present it in spring as an essay, a poster or a video. Teachers come up with innovative ways to fit this work into the normal curricula. A few lucky winners get to join scientists on expeditions to polar research stations. After 2.5 years, EDU-ARCTIC has engaged at least 1093 teachers from 58 countries. There is a language barrier for some teachers, and it is difficult to fit webinars into the school timetable. However, the challenges are minor compared to the interdisciplinary success of having teachers meet across countries and curricula. Here we illustrate this in detail by presenting a way of interdisciplinary teaching (“the beauty of poetry and maths”) developed by one of the teachers in the project, Mr. Francisco José Gómez Senent. Starting from a single poem published in Nature, it innovatively combines mathematics, literature, history and linguistic competence. The teacher originally used it to stimulate curiosity about the aesthetic criterion in science. Science is not only about facts! The approach can be generalized to cover a wide range of curricula, and different teachers can use it in a team effort across classes. Conclusion: The EDU-ARCTIC project has demonstrated that letting teachers meet across countries and teaching fields facilitates inspiring and innovative cross-overs in the normal school curricula. When teachers are inspired we believe it creates a happy teacher – happy teaching effect. keywords: interdisciplinary, natural science, open schooling, research, transdisciplinary.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

The prevalence of livestock grazing in wildlife area s is increasing. This transformation of ecosys- tems into agroecosystems is concerning because the intr oduction of new species may cause niche displacement of the functionally related native species. We used a la rge-scale fence scheme and f ecal analyses to study the in fl uence of free-ranging livestock on moose diet on thr ee boreal forest ranges. We found low interspeci fi cdiet overlap between moose and livestock (mean Pianka ’ s O across ranges = 0.21, SD = 0.104), and the diet overlap with livestock did not differ between moose in areas with livestock and in adjacent control areas without live- stock. Still, moose sympatric with livestock had less fe cal nitrogen (a proxy for diet quality) than moose in the control areas. Our fi ndings suggest that interspeci fi c interactions other than direct food competition contributed to reduce the moose ’ foraging opportunities, such as altered forag e abundance and composition, or behavioral avoidance of livestock. We caution that displacement in the foodscape (i.e., spati otemporal use of food) can occur through pathways not evident in niche indices based on composition of plant species in the diet.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Gjøvik kommune og Gjøvik bestandsplanområde utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av kommunen i juni 2007, 2012 og 2018, for å kunne si noe om utvikling i beitetilbud og beitepress. Årets takst viser en markant økning av nylig hogst. Høydeklasse 0 (hogd siste året) utgjorde 5x mer av det takserte arealet enn typisk for våre elgbeitetakster på Østlandet. H.kl. 0 og 3, som begge har tilnærmet null elgbeite i Gjøvik, utgjorde nå til sammen 38% av arealet mot tidligere 15%. Dette gjenspeiles i redusert tilbud av beiteplanter, særlig av rognetrær (halvert tetthet). Noe av nedgangen forklares også med at vi utvidet årets takstlinjer til å bedre dekke et tverrsnitt av skogen (tidligere takster har vært noe konsentrert til de mest produktive arealene). I tillegg var forsommeren 2018 rekordtørr, og den foregående vinteren særlig snørik. Som ventet viser derfor årets takst et langt høyere beitepress enn tidligere, og betydelig over plantenes sannsynlige tålegrense for samtlige beitearter i busksjiktet. Det er derfor grunn til å advare om at elgbestanden var stor i forhold til beitenes nåværende bæreevne. Et for høyt beitepress på beiteplantene, selv over få år, kan føre til redusert beiteproduksjon som vedvarer til tross for en forventet snarlig økning i tilgang til h.kl 2. Vi har grovt beregnet beitenes nåværende bæreevne til maks 0.7 til 1.1 elg/km2 (vinterbestand), og bestanden er nå omlag 1.0 elg/km2 gitt null netto inn- og utvandring.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Vestre Toten kommune utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av kommunen i juni 2018, for å kunne si noe om beitetilbud og beitepress (grunntakst). Vi fant at Vestre Toten har like mye bjørk, rogn og Salix, men betydelig mindre furu og annet lauv enn øvrige områder vi har taksert på Østlandet. Vi fant et svært høyt beitepress på både rogn og Salix. Det var betydelig over plantenes sannsynlige tålegrense. Vi fant også et uvanlig høyt beitepress på bjørk, noe som kan ha vært forsterket av at forsommeren 2018 var rekordtørr og den foregående vinteren var særlig snørik (på hele Østlandet, ikke bare på Toten). Elgbestanden er for høy hvis målet er å opprettholde beiteproduksjon på både ROS og bjørk. Den synes derimot ikke for høy i forhold til det totale beitets nåværende bæreevne, forutsatt at det høye beitepresset vi nå observerte på bjørk er forbigående. Vi har grovt beregnet beitenes nåværende bæreevne til å være maks 1.0 til 1.7 elg/km2 (vinterbestand), mens bestanden nå er omlag 1.3 elg/km2 gitt null netto inn- og utvandring.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

The research literature on food selection by large herbivores is extensive. Still, we are generally lacking in our knowledge of the influence of potentially interacting chemical contents of the food. We made a qualitative review of a systematic literature search of studies that empirically link chemical contents of food to the food selection by northern cervids (genera Alces, Capreolus, Cervus, Dama, Odocoileus, Rangifer). We found that although the majority of the 98 relevant studies measuring any given food constituent (energy, protein, fiber, minerals, plant secondary metabolites) provided support for it acting as a driver of food selection (in either a negative or positive way), there was little support for the traditional hypotheses of maximization or limitation of any single constituent. Rather, because of the animals’ need to acquire an appropriate intake of several constituents at the same time, our review highlights how new empirical stud- ies need to focus on several food constituents in synchrony: (1) Study designs should capture sufficient variation in the content of food constituents in order to tease apart their many co-variations; and (2) insights about nutritional drivers may be lost if one uses only composite currencies such as crude energy, crude fiber, ash, or tannins, which may mask contrasting selection patterns of the lumped constituents. Season had an apparent influence on the selection of some food constituents, particularly various fiber frac- tions. In contrast, our review revealed a lack of evidence that cervids more strongly select for protein in summer than they do in winter. Our overall conclusion of the review is that interacting chemical contents of food make the nutritional value of a given food type into a varying entity. To better elucidate this varia- tion, we need new technologies that non-invasively capture nutrient intake of free-ranging animals, across seasons.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

The composition of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) extensively impacts ecosystem functioning. It is vital that we understand temporal patterns in the plants’ allocation of resources to PSMs, particularly those influenced by human activity. Existing data are insufficient in the long-term perspective of perennial plants (age or ontogeny). We analysed phenolic concentrations in foliage from birch (Betula pubescens Ehr.) considered to be undamaged and growing on 5, 10 and 15 years old clear-cuts in two boreal forest landscapes in Norway, sampled at the peak of the growing season. In sum, low molecular weight phenolic concentrations decreased with age. Apart from one apigenin glycoside, the low molecular weight phenolics co-varied similarly at all ages, suggesting a lack of temporal compound-specific prioritisation of this group. In contrast, the concentration of MeOH-soluble condensed tannins increased with age. The compositional shift fits well with several hypotheses that may provide proximate explanations for age patterns in PSM allocations, including both resource constraints and external pressures. Regardless of these explanations, our study adds an important perennial perspective (plant age) to temporal PSM patterns already well-known in boreal plant phenology (foliage age).

Sammendrag

Plant defence against environmental stressors often changes dramatically as plant develop. The composition of secondary compounds (PSM) in the vegetation of a landscape has extensive influence on ecosystem functioning. It is therefore crucial that we understand how various temporal factors affect plant content of PSMs, particularly those indirectly induced and controlled by human activity. One illustrative PSM group of major ecological interest is phenolics, which serve needs as diverse as herbivory defence, pathogen resistance, allelopathy or symbioses signalling, frost and drought hardiness, and photodamage protection. I will present results from our ongoing studies of defensive chemistry of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and birch (Betula spp) across seasons and ages, and discuss the results in relation to ecological theories and functionality of plant chemical defence.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Despite decades of intense research, it remains largely unsolved which nutritional factors underpin food selection by large herbivores in the wild. We measured nutritional composition of birch foliage (Betula pubescens) available to, and used by, moose (Alces alces) in natural settings in two neighboring regions with contrasting animal body mass. This readily available food source is a staple food item in the diet of moose in the high-fitness region, but apparently underutilized by moose in the low-fitness region. Available birch foliage in the two regions had similar concentrations of macronutrients (crude protein [CP], fiber fractions, and water-soluble carbohydrates [WSC]), although a notably lower variation of WSC in the low-fitness region. For minerals, there were several area differences: available birch foliage in the low-fitness region had less Mg (depending on year) and P, but more Ca, Zn, Cu, and Mn. It also had higher concentrations of some plant secondary metabolites: chlorogenic acids, quercetins, and especially MeOH-soluble condensed tannins. Despite the area differences in available foliage, we found the same nutritional composition of birch foliage used in the two regions. Compared to available birch foliage, moose consistently used birch foliage with more CP, more structural fiber (mainly hemicellulose), less WSC, higher concentrations of several minerals (Ca, Zn, K, Mn, Cu), and lower concentrations of some secondary metabolites (most importantly, MeOH-soluble condensed tannins). Our study conceptually supports the nutrient-balancing hypothesis for a large herbivore: within a given temporal frame, moose select for plant material that matches a specific nutritional composition. As our data illustrate, different moose populations may select for the same composition even when the nutritional composition available in a given food source varies between their living areas. Such fastidiousness limits the proportion of available food that is acceptable to the animal and has bearings on our understanding and application of the concept of carrying capacity.

Sammendrag

Natural and rural land provides resources for the majority of ecosystem services we need. Typical provisioning services from these resources are timber logging, collection of berries, mushrooms and hunting. Typical regulating services are carbon storage, regulation of flooding and temperature, and typical cultural services are education, science and nature based tourism. The use of one ecosystem service always affects the other services. How can we evaluate how the various use of services affect each other? In our research group, we work innovatively with multi-criteria analyses to find ways of trading-off contradicting interests in ecosystem services. The red tread is to consider «all» sides of multiuse and thereby reduce conflicts between stakeholders. To achieve this, it is necessary to combine conventional valuation methods (market-oriented recourse-economy) and new socioecological approaches.

Sammendrag

EDU-ARCTIC er et nytt og nettbasert undervisningsopplegg for å lære ungdom 13-19 år om naturfag og forskning. Mer enn 300 nettbaserte foredrag formidles direktesendt, og både lærer og elev kan stille forskeren spørsmål og få svar underveis.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Co-existing species at the same trophic level often segregate with respect to diet, habitat use, or spatial distribution, reducing their direct competition for resources. However, temporal patterns in species-specific habitat use, for instance due to climatic variation, may affect the strength of interspecific interactions, and generate temporal variation in niche partitioning. We assessed temporal variation in habitat overlap between a wild ungulate, moose Alces alces, and two freeranging domestic ungulates, sheep Ovis aries and cattle Bos taurus, on a boreal forest range in southern Norway. We also calculated the distance between species’ realised niches, as well as the width of their realised niches to evaluate the extent of temporal niche partitioning under different diurnal weather conditions. Analyses of each habitat variable suggested complex relationships between species-specific habitat use, photoperiod, and weather, related to species-specific behaviour and activity patterns. We found shorter overall niche distance between moose and sheep, compared to moose and cattle, and shorter niche distances during day and night than during the twilight hours. The niche distance between moose and sheep was positively related to temperature during night, but negatively during day. Moreover, niche distance between moose and both sheep and cattle was negatively related to precipitation at daytime. Moose niche width was narrower in periods with short niche distance to sheep, while we did not find such pattern towards cattle. A lack of similar moose response to cattle could be attributed to lower niche overlap between moose and cattle. Our results suggest that temporal niche partitioning between moose and livestock breaks down under the weather conditions that are predicted to become more common as climate change, potentially increasing wildlife-livestock interactions in the future.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

We are increasingly confronted with severe social and economic impacts of environmental degradation all over the world. From a valuation perspective, environmental problems and conflicts originate from trade-offs between values. The urgency and importance to integrate nature's diverse values in decisions and actions stand out more than ever. Valuation, in its broad sense of ‘assigning importance’, is inherently part of most decisions on natural resource and land use. Scholars from different traditions -while moving from heuristic interdisciplinary debate to applied transdisciplinary science- now acknowledge the need for combining multiple disciplines and methods to represent the diverse set of values of nature. This growing group of scientists and practitioners share the ambition to explore how combinations of ecological, socio-cultural and economic valuation tools can support real-life resource and land use decision-making. The current sustainability challenges and the ineffectiveness of single-value approaches to offer relief demonstrate that continuing along a single path is no option. We advocate for the adherence of a plural valuation culture and its establishment as a common practice, by contesting and complementing ineffective and discriminatory single-value approaches. In policy and decision contexts with a willingness to improve sustainability, integrated valuation approaches can be blended in existing processes, whereas in contexts of power asymmetries or environmental conflicts, integrated valuation can promote the inclusion of diverse values through action research and support the struggle for social and environmental justice. The special issue and this editorial synthesis paper bring together lessons from pioneer case studies and research papers, synthesizing main challenges and setting out priorities for the years to come for the field of integrated valuation.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

People provide wild ungulates with large quantities of supplementary feed to improve their health and survival and reduce forest damage. Whereas supplementary feeding can positively affect the winter survival of ungulates and short-term hunting success, some of the feeds provided may actually reduce ungulate health and increase forest damage. Here, we highlight how recent advances in ungulate nutritional ecology can help explain why supplementary feeding can lead to undesirable outcomes. Using Europe’s largest cervid, the moose (Alces alces), as a model species, and Sweden, as the socio-ecological context, we explain the concept of nutritional balancing and its relevance to supplementary feeding. Nutritional balancing refers to how animals alter their food intake to achieve a specific nutritional target balance in their diet, by selecting balanced food items or by combining items with nutritional compositions that are complimentary. As the most common supplementary feeds used contain higher concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates than the ungulates’ normal winter diet, the consumption of such feeds may cause animals to increase their intake of woody browse, and thereby exacerbate forest damage. We also explain how animal health may be negatively affected by large intakes of such feed if complementary browse items are not available. We therefore suggest that the use of inappropriate feed is an additional means by which supplementary feeding may result in negative outcomes for hunters, forest owners, and wild animals.

Sammendrag

Finding new ways to simultaneously account for monetary and non-monetary goals in ecosystem services is needed in order to establish a new modelling framework for the facilitation of trade-offs between competing stakeholder interests. The socioecological sustainability of an ecosystem service is dependent on the consent of the people in the area of the ESS. An important reason is that a given ecosystem service may have highly different value in different stakeholder cultures. In this aspect is also the understanding of disservices and hidden services. The kind and level of conflict tend to differ with location and the operational level of decision-making. It is crucial work to identify all linked subservices and organise them into a common framework for evaluation. In our research group (MULTIESS) we try to develop multi-criteria tools to assess the implications of prioritizing different interests on ecological, sociological and economic output. Similarly, changes in the human population and environment will interact and influence on the services and their values, demanding such parameters to be evaluated for the whole range of potential scenarios. We maintain that in order to make multi-criteria analyses (MCA) successful, service outputs and externalities must and can be measured in familiar terms (e.g. money, biomass) without the use of direct or stated pricing of non-commodities such as welfare, recreation or biodiversity.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Ringsaker kommune utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av kommunen i juni/juli 2016. Dette er en oppfølging av tilsvarende takst utført i 2015, med formål å kunne si noe om beiteproduksjon og beitepress på de enkelte jaktvald. NIBIO understreker at slike tall må brukes med forsiktighet på valdnivå, både fordi antall takstflater er få per vald og fordi det er ukjent i hvor stor grad elgens områdebruk følger valdgrenser. Tilbudet av buskbeite (lauv og furu) er lavt i alle vald sammenliknet med Østlandet for øvrig (listet fra størst til minst skuddproduksjon: Veldre, Furnes, Brøttum, RJFO, Nes), mens dekningen av beiteplanter i feltsjiktet følger Østlandet. Beitepresset (andel vinterbeita skudd) er også høyt i alle vald (listet fra størst til minst beitepress: RJFO, Veldre, Nes, Brøttum, Furnes), og trolig over de fleste planteartenes tålegrense.

Sammendrag

NIBIO har på oppdrag av Ringsaker kommune utført taksering av elgbeite i de skogkledde delene av kommunen i juni/juli 2015. Beiteproduksjonen er svært lav. Dette gjelder spesielt for vinterbeite i hele det takserte området, og for sommerbeite innenfor fellesbeitet for husdyr. I lys av at beitetrykket (andel vinterbeitet skudd) trolig er over plantenes tålegrense, anbefaler vi at tetthet av både elg og husdyr vurderes nøye, også mtp. eventuelle endringer i kondisjon på elgbestanden.

Sammendrag

Bioforsk takserte elgbeitene i Salsbruket juli 2013. Salsbruket utgjør i overkant av 500 000 sammenhengende daa med utmark i kystskogregionen av Trøndelag. Som elgbeite er området preget av lav skoggrense (200-300 moh), maritimt klima (årsnedbør 2500 mm) og harde bergarter som gir låg skogbonitet (innslag av kalk i lavere områder, hvor det er mer produktiv skog). Bjørk er den viktigste beiteplanten for elg i busksjiktet i Salsbruket (40% av tilgjengelig trær og 50% av tilgjengelig årsskudd), dernest furu og einer. Området er fattig på høyt selekterte arter som rogn og selje. Heller ikke feltsjiktet innehar mange arter med stor beiteverdi. Viktigste beiteplante i feltsjiktet er blåbærlyng, og dekningen av denne er høyere i Salsbruket (35% av arealet) enn i andre takserte områder (snitt 20%). Taksten viser et meget høyt beitetrykk, og jaktstatistikken viser en elgbestand i dårlig kondisjon. Vi anbefaler at bestanden tas ned inntil hogstaktiviteten eventuelt økes igjen. En skal være oppmerksom på at selv foryngelsesflater i Salsbruket ikke produserer mye beite for elg i nasjonal målestokk, og at hogst kraftig reduserer tilbudet av blåbærlyng.

Sammendrag

Denne rapporten sammenstiller to elgbeitetakster utført i Gjøvik i hhv. 2007 og 2012. I perioden har det vært noe mer hogst, og dermed en økning i lauvtilgang og en reduksjon av tilgang til høge urter. Ut fra stående hogstklassefordeling forventer vi at beitearealet vil være rimelig stabilt de neste 10 år. Rogn er fremdeles det viktigste innslaget i dietten til stedstro elg både sommer og vinter. Rogn tåler beiting dårlig og Gjøvikbeitene er derfor ekstra sårbare. Beitepresset på rogn ble i 2007 vurdert som høyt (70% av trærne og 67% av skudd beita). Beitepresset på rogn er redusert i perioden (ned til 49% av skudd beita), men det skyldes hovedsakelig at elgen har fått flere rogn å beite på, ikke at det er færre elg i skogen. Det har samtidig vært en svak økning i beiting på bjørk. Den intensiverte avskytningen som er i gang er fornuftig gitt det høye beitepresset, og den følger forskernes anbefaling om forebyggende forvaltning av elgstammene (unngå nedgang i kondisjon). Hvor langt ned elgstammen skal tas bør vurderes fortløpende bl.a. ut i fra endring i andel beita årsskudd (først og fremst på rogn). Vi anbefaler at årets beitetakst følges opp av en ny takst om 5 år.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Beitetilbud, dyretetthet og skader på granforyngelse ble taksert på 56 hogstflater innenfor og utenfor sperregjerdet for husdyrbeiting i Ringsakerallmenningene i september 2012. Vi fant 1/3 så mye lauv innenfor som utenfor gjerdet, og lauvet innenfor var hardere beitet. Det er derfor minimalt med vinternæring for elg innenfor gjerdet. I feltvegetasjonen dominerer gras både innenfor og utenfor. Det tas i dag ut like mange fórenheter av storfe som av sau. Dyretettheten tilsier at det samlede beitetrykket ligger noe høyere enn den beitemessige bærevnen, først og fremst pga. antall storfe. Andel skadde granplanter var betydelig høyere innenfor (56%) enn utenfor (37%) gjerdet. Skadeandelen øker med tetthet av storfe på flata (men ikke med tetthet av sau). På de mest utsatte flatene var fire av fem planter skadd. Dagens tetthet av storfe vanskeliggjør derfor foryngelse av skogen. Et litteratursøk viser at tråkkskader i ung vekstfase sjelden gir råte som på sikt skader trærne (trærne dør enten innen kort tid eller skaden heles), men dette er studier fra 50- tallet. Forholdene (eks. klima, praksis i skogbruket) har endret seg siden da, og nye studier bør utføres.

Sammendrag

Det er ikke registrert sammendrag