Nature-based tourism (NBT) can be explained as a form of tourism that takes place in some kind of natural area outside one's home. NBT has been one of the fastest-growing forms of tourism worldwide and is believed to continue to grow in the future as well. With the rising interest in visiting natural areas, many national parks and other protected areas have seen an increase in visitors, making them popular NBT destinations. Protected areas are covered by various conservation policies, and in a time of biodiversity loss, they are increasingly being recognised as a foundation of sustainable biodiversity resources and as a cornerstone for sustainable development. However, protected areas are often impacted by touristic presence, so with both the growing importance of nature conservation and increasing visitation numbers, questions about how to manage tourism impacts in protected areas are ever more central. To investigate this, the national parks in Sweden were chosen as the empirical field of this thesis. By adapting a mixed-method approach using a survey and interviews as data-collecting methods, this thesis set out to explore how the managers of the national parks in Sweden work with NBT and nature conservation in times with changing circumstances. Amongst other things, the thesis shows that a majority of the national parks in Sweden had experienced an increase in visitors in the last five years, and that the national parks can be seen as arenas for where NBT can take place. The interest in visiting a national park in Sweden was believed to continue being strong, and lack of funding was identified as the biggest challenge that the national parks are facing right now. Building on this, the thesis discussed that the national parks need more funding to better handle both nature conservation and touristic activities, which was also a main conclusion of the thesis. Another conclusion drawn from this study is that the parks would benefit from better visitor statistics and surveys, and protected areas in Sweden would benefit from a system where the economic effects of nature tourism in protected nature are shown. The thesis contributes with theoretical knowledge of how managers of protected areas work and prioritise in times of changing circumstances.

With a high reliance on fossil fuels, the need to transition the transportation sector to clean energy is great. Traditional public transportation has been used to reduce congestion and emissions in urban spaces but faces implementation challenges in rural areas from settlements being spread out with low density populations. This study used a survey to look at different groups living in one rural community on Gotland, Stenkyrka, to identify how their needs differ depending on belonging to these groups, to answer the research question: What are the public transportation needs of different groups within Stenkyrka?   The survey received 50 responses, enabling the respondents to be grouped into those who have children, those who do not have children, and by age group, 25-30, 21-40, 41-50, 51-65, and over 65. The results show that people aged 31-40 are most likely to have younger children and appear to need more flexibility and frequent trips in a public transportation system, while people aged 41-50 are more likely to have older children and seem to need shorter trips along with convenience and flexibility. People over 65 value travel time and need flexibility but, while they are more likely to use public transportation than other groups, are not very likely to be drawn to or use more flexible public transportation options such as taxis or dial-a-ride services. Based on these results, it can be said that different groups in Stenkyrka have different needs and look for different solutions in public transportation. Suggestions for how to create a successful public transportation system in Stenkyrka was discussed to provide examples for how resident needs can affect the design of a transit system. In this case, a demand responsive transportation system that uses a variety of transportation options and goes to the places most often used by residents in the community is important to help ensure that all resident’s needs are met.

The research utilizes a Discrete Choice Experiment to assess consumer preferences and determine blockchain-based food traceability's relative importance and utility in the food purchasing process. The study specifically tests five selected attributes of olive oil, including price, organic label, olive oil type, country of origin, and blockchain traceability. Additionally, a survey is conducted to evaluate Swedish consumers' knowledge levels concerning blockchain technology and its application in the food system to improve transparency. The study also explores consumer evaluations of safety and sustainability information and their willingness to pay price premiums for food products verified for safety and environmental claims. The findings indicate that while Swedish consumers possess moderate knowledge of blockchain technology, their understanding of its specific application in food traceability is limited. Nevertheless, consumers highly value access to accurate information about the safety and sustainability of their food purchases. A considerable portion of respondents express a willingness to pay a premium for products verified for safety, authenticity, and sustainability. The choice experiment results reveal that blockchain-based food traceability ranks lower in relative importance than the price and organic label but higher than olive oil type and country of origin. The findings of this study contribute to bridging the existing gap in the understanding of blockchain-based food traceability technology among Swedish consumers.

Contemporary and future societies are facing a myriad of challenges, some of which are throwing into question the future viability of humanity on Planet Earth. These challenges are complex and systemic, and to solve them we must transition to more sustainable ways. Increasingly, researchers have a role to play in not only researching transitions but also facilitating transition through research design which postulates closer engagement in practical contexts and empowering actors of governance to identify pathways for transition. Transition management offers a framework for those interested in bringing about such transitionary potential through research, and potentially offers a tool for students interested in using their university work as a means to bring about transition. This study applies transition management framework using Kosovo’s forest governance as a case study asking the question: How can Kosovo transition towards more sustainable forest governance? The paper finds that forest governance in Kosovo is highly chaotic and inefficient. Issues of lack of capacity, competencies, expertise as well as knowledge are coupled with legal framework which does not allow for local ecological contexts nor local needs to produce a regime of governance subject to environmental degradation, corruption and contestation. Moreover, the absence of capacity on both central and local levels means that the regime configuration is very weak and malleable, and niches have potential to bring about transitions in regime configurations. For Kosovo, moreover, it finds that operative activities are not only possible but desirable, and that actors engaged in forest governance have good conditions and a receptive society for transition. None of the actors which participated in the study were happy with the situation and the need for change is well understood. The challenge for Kosovo is thus identified as how best to facilitate participation for transition, how best to balance centralised vs. decentralised governance, as well as how best to facilitate learning through both raising awareness and listening. These issues are found to be best pursued collectively with wide participation. It identifies three suggestions for transitions which are aimed at bolstering and streamlining existing niche innovations in Kosovo: i) participatory forest governance plans, ii) a forest community centre as well as iii) citizen science initiatives. Lastly, it reflects on the process of involved, participatory and complexity-oriented research to address complex issues, as well as the merit of transition management. It finds that whilst epistemologically diverse and more action-oriented research is important and productive for students of Sustainable Development, even necessary, the transition management framework is difficult to implement, cumbersome and possibly not possible for students. Whilst strategic, tactical and reflexive activities are possible, operative activities are more difficult and exposes the weak standing of students within the politics of environmental governance.

A projectile which missed its target and falls into the bullet trap at the end of the shooting range might not be viewed as dangerous. Yet, hazardous fumes and fine metal fragments from the bullet might contaminate the users of the shooting range. The aim of this study was to investigate if there were elevated concentrations of lead and other metals in dust found at indoor shooting ranges in relation to common household dust. My hypothesis stated that, at least lead concentrations were elevated in the dust from indoor shooting ranges, given the common use of lead in ammunition. Results from the collected dust samples proved that shooting ranges had an approximately 330 times higher mean concentration (20 354 mg/kg) compared to the reference sites (62 mg/kg). Except for iron, shooting ranges had higher concentrations for all investigated metals (lead, iron, zinc and copper). The concentrations of lead, iron, zinc, and copper at the shooting ranges likely originated from the use of different types of ammunition, and their various ways to disintegrate. Previous studies have proved a relationship between elevated lead levels in blood and lower IQ, and with the fact that shooting ranges had elevated lead concentrations it seems of high relevance to continue monitoring how lead accumulates in indoor dust in order to avoid potential effects on the human health.

Soil fauna provides processes of crucial importance for ecosystem functions, but our ability to observe their actions often depend on destructive methods where the integrity of the studied environment (the soil) is compromised. In this study, I develop and test a new generation of environmental monitoring tools that utilize vibrations made by soil macrofauna to inform about their performance and health. Three hypotheses were tested on forest ants (Formica sp.): (i) vibrations on a naturally occurring substrate can be used to measure the activity of ants, (ii) the vibrational signature of ants can inform us about the ants’ health, and (iii) behavior (locomotory activity, foraging etc.) of ants is correlated to specific vibrational signal characteristics. Vibrational signals from ant sub-populations (5 individuals/sample) were recorded on natural substrates (leaves) before and after exposure to sub-lethal levels of a contaminant with known negative effects on ants (imidacloprid). Activity was successfully detected from the inferred vibration oscillograms. However, neither the number of vibrational signals captured, or the signal characteristics changed after imidacloprid exposure, indicating that either the exposure was too low to generate a change in behavior or that the technique was unable to detect subtle changes in behavior. Signals of short duration and amplitude were generated by locomotory activity, but their intensity was dependent on the distance to the vibrometers laser focus point. Longer signal segments were either continuous, random, or rhythmic in their distribution. I suggest that these signals are a result of methodological artifacts, movement of multiple ants, and stridulation/drumming on the substrate, respectively. My findings suggest that this advanced monitoring tool is sensitive enough to capture activity from only a few ants, but the characteristics and number of captured signals are strongly affected by the measured substrate

Due to the current increase in lake water total organic carbon (LW-TOC), many studies have investigated the long-term dynamics using lake sediments. However, these have mainly been focused on Sweden’s south and south-central parts. Thus, this study aimed to investigate how LW-TOC concentrations in northern freshwater systems have changed over the recent few centuries and what effect potential trends or patterns may have on mercury (Hg). A multi-proxy study was conducted that included geochemical characteristics, inferred LW-TOC, chlorophyll a, and land-use observations acting as a supplement to modern land-use changes. The results show that LW-TOC concentrations display tendencies to a decreasing trend in the deepest part of the sediment, which could be related to traditional land-use activities. This is followed by a more rapid decrease reaching equally low LW-TOC concentrations as in southern and south-central Sweden, here suggested being caused by catchment disturbances superimposed by acid deposition. During the recent decades, LW-TOC displayed increasing concentrations, possibly due to the combined effect of the reduction of the abovementioned factors, but also likely to be superimposed by an increase in temperature similar to what has been shown for Canadian lakes. These results align broadly with lakes in southern and south-central Sweden, although with potentially different forcings in the earliest part of the sediment. This contemporary increase in LW-TOC is accompanied by an increase in Hg in two lakes, with both LW-TOC and Chl-a show possible relations.

Climate change is known to cause more frequently occurring extreme events which threaten both natural and human systems as we know them. Island nations are particularly vulnerable to these climate-induced changes, and the Åland Islands are no exception to this rule. Åland has already seen a change in typical climate patterns as the temperature has been increasing and precipitation decreasing, which is a cause for concern. Political leaders have a great responsibility to mitigate climate change, through decisions on policy implementation and other legislative action, to strive towards sustainability. However, change is not being made fast enough. Hence, this study aims to determine the challenges that politicians of the Parliament of Åland face when making decisions that promote climate change mitigation, as well as seek why these challenges are present. The study was conducted through qualitative interviews with the seven political group leaders, one for each represented party, that participate in Bärkraft’s group leader forum. Bärkraft is a local network on Åland which strive toward sustainability through its Development and Sustainability Agenda. In addition, the main secretary of Bärkraft was interviewed. The interviews demonstrated that a majority of the participants had previous experience with climate change issues although, just under half of the respondents agreed that Åland faces little to no climate-related risks. From the interviews six themes were identified which relate to challenges in decision-making for climate change mitigation. For instance, a clear majority of the participants mentioned different economic aspects as a barrier in decision-making, likewise, the abstractness of climate change mitigation was deemed as challenging to handle, and marketing climate change mitigation to the citizens and other politicians was seen as challenging since proper arguments are essential for success. In addition, twelve sub-challenges were found that explains why the identified challenges are present. These sub-challenges included e.g., electoral popularity, municipal planning, motivation, etc. In conclusion, these challenges, with associated sub-challenges, highlight the complexity and uncertainty of climate change mitigation which sets barriers for the political leaders in making decisions for policy implementation. The study would have benefited from a larger number of participants. It also has limited generalizability, being a specific case and not including the complete decision-making process for policy implementation and viewpoints from other societal actors. However, the mentioned limitations can be subject to further research on the topic.

In 2022, a significant fish die-off happened in the Odra River due to a bloomof the toxic gold algae species Prymnesium parvum, which occurs in saline andwarm waters. This event is seen as a major ecological disaster in recent Europeanriver incident history. Understanding the hydro-climatic factors and basin characteristicsthat led to this disaster is crucial to prevent similar occurrences inthe future. Multiple national and international research groups have been activelystudying this event, reconstructing its chronology and analyzing the toxicalgal bloom. However, the specific relationship between the algal occurrence andhydro-climatic conditions, as well as the potential for recurrence, remains largelyunexplored. This project utilizes the semi-distributed hydrological model Soiland Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) on a daily time scale to investigate runoffbehavior during the disaster year. The main goal is to assess SWATs capability tosimulate runoff in a large-scale watershed. The obtained results are then analyzedin relation to water quality parameters and climatic conditions. The focus is onunderstanding the relationship between runoff and salinity, which is further examinedthrough a climate change scenario analysis to evaluate the potential riskof increased river salinity due to a change in the flow regime in the future. Byimplementing two Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios in the calibratedand validated SWAT model, a relative trend of runoff behavior and salinityin the Odra River is examined. The findings indicate that SWAT effectively simulatesrunoff in a large-scale catchment, despite limited information and computationalresources. The analysis reveals a significant relationship between salinityand runoff. The climate change scenario analysis predicts a decrease in runoffunder the pessimistic scenario, while the optimistic scenario suggests a more balancedrunoff trend. Additionally, the estimation of future river salinity suggestsan increase under reduced runoff conditions, and a subsequent recovery in salinitylevels for high discharge conditions. This thesis provides insights into the2022 disaster event in the Odra River and highlights the interplay between hydroclimaticfactors, catchment conditions, and toxic algae blooms. The findings contributeto a better understanding of potential risks and can give information foreffective water management strategies to protect the river ecosystem.

The climate crisis has forced vulnerable countries in the Global South, such as Guatemala, to migrate. This study has two main focuses. The first one is identifying the region's most critical environmental mobility drivers. This is accomplished through a method called Reflective Equilibrium, which integrates justice, ethics, and community perspectives, allowing the connection of a community's judgments to its inherent principles so that the final judgments are consistent with each principle. Thus, this method enables reaching the first result of this work, which is identifying the two most critical environmental drivers in Guatemala while emphasizing the need to incorporate local voices and experiences to ensure fair and humane prioritization. The drivers identified are droughts and rainstorms. The second focus of this work proposes a framework that aims to guide decision-makers in which types of impacts arising from these drivers should be financially prioritized. The methods used for this investigation are a combination of literature review and risk assessment called the "standard model," providing a systemic approach to minimize, avert or address the identified environmental drivers. However, the need to include aspects of justice and rights in this prioritization is noted, as it is constantly neglected in public decisions. In addition, financing strategies are explored through the proposed framework in this study and can be applied beyond Guatemala, serving as a guide for prioritizing funding in other contexts where climate mobility drivers are a constant concern. The study suggests that Guatemalan decision- makers benefit from similar studies to provide evidence of the negative impacts of irresponsible activities by developed countries in their climate finance requests. The main aim of such an action would be to reach multilateral agreements that can be sought to safeguard fundamental human rights and protect Guatemala's natural resources by providing loss and damage funds. Recommendations for future research include estimating budgets for mitigation/adaptation strategies, assessing costs associated with the risks found here, and identifying thresholds for catastrophic events, specifically in Guatemala, thereby improving preparedness and response mechanisms.