Seasonality in tourism has been present in the literature for decades. It is a universally phenomenon connected to climate and institutional factors which contributes to an imbalance in demand. It can be expressed through numbers of tourists, bed nights and expenditure. Seasonality is most obvious in peripheral destinations and it has generally been described as an issue that needs to be solved. Previous studies have put much attention on macro levels which includes how destinations could mitigate seasonality and create all-year around tourism. This study examines seasonality at a micro level by using Gotland as a case. The aim of the study was to explore perspective of Gotlandic nature-based tourism companies on seasonality, all in order to increase the understanding on seasonality aspects in tourism. The data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews with nature-based companies on Gotland. The results of the study indicate that lifestyle motives are strong for running a nature-based company on Gotland and the short, intense summer-season make it possible. Seasonality is therefore not considered as an issue that needs to be urgently solved. Other themes related to sustainable destination development such as carrying capacity, employment, possibilities of growth and regional strategies are also being deeply discussed in this study.

No description available.

Rural areas face issues that leads to economic downturns. Nature based tourism is practiced to overcome these issues and improve economic development. The residents in the tourism destinations experience the outcomes of nature-based tourism and rural development. Their perception towards nature-based tourism depends on the outcomes they experience. Recognizing their perceptions aid the smooth operation of nature-based tourism. Moreover, residents’ contribution is impacted by their perception. Three research questions were developed to recognize the residents’ perceptions. The questions were perception of residents, expectations of residents and delivery of those expectations. Social exchange theory was the main theory used and economical, socio cultural and environmental aspects were the main focus. The research was conducted as a quantitative study. 66 responses were collected as the sample from Granö, a rural tourism destination in Northern Sweden. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. The results showed that residents perceive and expect nature-based tourism to develop economy, develop socio culture and protect environment. Further residents perceive and expect tourism aids to make people stay, rather than move out from the destination. In addition, the level of expectations was higher than their perception, but the delivery of those expectations was lower than both expectations and perceptions. The findings contribute tourism planners to cater the perceptions and expectations of the residents of a rural destination. Consideration of residents’ perceptions and expectations will make them feel their voices being heard and enhance smooth operation of tourism in the destination.

This studys main goal is to find an answer to the question of what the potential is for mitigating overtourism to nature based sports tourism. The studys objective is to explore the phenomenon of overtourism and how this has affected the tourism industry. This will be followed by a case study of Prague being the example of the destination suffering from overtourism and an in-depth exploration of the potential of mitigating the overtourism in Prague to nature-based sports tourism.

Research sought to evaluate environmental attitudes, environmental knowledge, and nature-based recreation in Mississippi upper-elementary adolescents, as delineated by race/ethnicity and gender. Research was conducted Spring 2015 in eight study schools using three survey instruments. Analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA, univariate analysis of variance, and generalized linear mixed models. Results found that no gender differences exist between environmental attitudes or knowledge; however, Caucasian/White students displayed significantly higher environmental knowledge and attitudes versus their African American/Black peers. Additionally, a positive relationship was detected between attitudes and knowledge of study participants. Outdoor, nature-based recreation participation varied along race/ethnicity and gender, with Caucasian/White and male students displaying higher levels of participation. These results suggest a need for targeted environmental education programs for African American/Black students to include integrated knowledge components, as well as increased recreation opportunities for African American/Black and female study participants

Outdoor recreation is an ongoing global trend that has been boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has contributed to an increase in visitor numbers in protected areas in Sweden. This qualitative interview study aims at exploring how the increasing outdoor recreation trend can proceed alongside nature conservation. Semi structured interviews were conducted with eight visitor centre supervisors and six park managers in eight protected areas in Sweden. The results suggest that most protected areas have seen an increase in visitor numbers. The negative effects of an increase in visitor numbers experienced by the informants include trampling, effects on wildlife and littering. Preventive visitor management strategies are used by visitor centre supervisors and park managers to mitigate negative effects in protected areas. These include providing information about rules and regulation, physical presence, collaboration, physical measures and dispersal of visitors. Apart from these strategies, the result show that future action to mitigate the negative effects of high visitor numbers can include creating visitor engagement, performing studies on trampling effects and wildlife disturbance as well as bans and limitations. However, further research is needed to determine the effects and accuracy of these strategies.

Bringing nature back to cities to counteract the negative impacts of rapid urbanization has resulted in a series of greening terms coined by multidisciplinary scholars to emphasize the importance of natural areas and green environment in developing cities. Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions are popular scientific terms that are used to describe planning interventions for naturalization cities, but most of their studies still focus on academic literature, lacking attention to municipal plans. This study aims to identify terms related to green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in planning, analyze how these terms are used and varied in the municipal comprehensive plans in Stockholm County, and explore if the socioeconomic factors and context of these municipalities correlate to any variation. The study used systematic mapping literature and personal communication with planners to identify the relevant terms of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions, in order to carry out quantitative and qualitative analyses of the identified terms in the comprehensive plans of the municipalities in the county using NVivo and SPSS. The quantification analyses show that the integration of these terms varies significantly among municipalities even though the number of terms grows over time; however, this variation does not follow or correlate to any socioeconomic factors that characterize the municipalities. There are also differences between municipal plans in terms of definitions, functions, and other categories of content about the use of the terms. Regional plans are found to impact narrowing these differences significantly. Thus, regional authorities are suggested to publish the core principles on these terms to ensure the consistency of understanding among municipalities. Furthermore, a diagram of these terms showing how they are currently related to each other in most of the plans is concluded as a basis for future cross-municipal and intra-regional conversations. Future studies are recommended to focus on green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in detailed plans and green plans for implementation and a deeper understanding and to have more interviews with the planners for supporting planning practices of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in cities.

This present habilitation thesis in wastewater systems explores the theoretical and practical implications of achieving sustainability through and in wastewater treatment. It herby uses the discussions on circularity, sustainability and nexus thinking while investigating their relationship amongst each other and in their relation to wastewater treatment. This thesis consists of seven main chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the approach in which the present manuscript delves into the aspects of circularity, sustainability and nexus concepts and wastewater treatment. Chapter 2 to 5 contain the manuscripts that relate to (a) conceptual considerations, (b) examples of circularity, (c) sustainability assessments and (d) nexus applications. Chapter 6 provides a series of lessons learned from the collated findings. Chapter 7 holds the appendix with supplemental information from the respective manuscripts. The work is based on a variety of publications that the author and her team members produced primarily between January 2016 and October 2019 (and in part until the submission of this thesis). While they include 5 published first-author peer-reviewed publications some sections also contain further relevant co-authored publications. Water security is key for a sustainable world. Wastewater can play a critical role towards provisioning water sustainably to address water scarcity and water stress. However, wastewater treatment is currently itself not sustainable. For wastewater treatment to be put on a sustainable footing, systemic change of the sector and the way wastewater is viewed needs to occur. Wastewater treatment can provide a series of resources for circular use – with nature-based solutions offering co-benefits over grey infrastructure that extend to other nexus sectors such as food and energy. However, circularity does not necessarily equate with sustainability. Environmental components are just one of the three dimensions of sustainability, but data for indicators for social and economic aspects of wastewater treatment are scarce. Moving towards sustainable solutions may only be possible by employing tools that step away from an ever-better understanding of current systems and shifting towards modes of analysis that help generate target and transformation knowledge in inter- and transdisciplinary research and project settings. These views mandate a radical revision of current curricula of engineers and other disciplines to include courses on social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Training in designing, conducting and evaluating participatory processes that include a variety of stakeholders may significantly improve future generations’ capacities to design, construct, and operate sustainable wastewater treatment systems that provide treated wastewater as a sustainable source of water in a water secure world.:ABSTRACT vii ZUSAMMENFASSUNG (ABSTRACT in German) ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Scope 2 1.2 The structure of this work 8 1.3 References 10 2 Conceptual explorations 14 2.1 Learning from Integrated Management Approaches to Implement the Nexus 15 2.1.1 Introduction 16 2.1.2 Methods 19 2.1.3 Results 21 2.1.4 Discussion 26 2.1.5 Conclusion 27 2.1.6 References 29 2.2 Making the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus Work: Framing the Boundaries of Resource Flows 33 2.2.1 Introduction 34 2.2.2 An Overview of Integrated Approaches Related to the WSW Nexus 36 2.2.3 The System Boundaries of Integrated Environmental Management Approaches 38 2.2.4 What Is Different This Time?—The Boundary of the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus System 41 2.2.5 Illustrating the Boundaries of the WSW Nexus System—Case Studies 43 2.2.6 Conclusions 48 2.2.7 References and Notes 50 3 Examples of circularity 56 3.1 The Role of Constructed Wetlands for Biomass Production within the Water-Soil-Waste Nexus 59 3.1.1 Introduction 60 3.1.2 Methods 63 3.1.3 Results and discussion 63 3.1.4 Conclusions 68 3.1.5 References 70 3.2 Constructed Wetlands for Resource Recovery in Developing Countries 73 3.2.1 Introduction 74 3.2.2 Methods 76 3.2.3 Results 80 3.2.4 Discussion 91 3.2.5 Conclusions 99 3.2.6 References 102 4 Assessing sustainability of wastewater systems 110 4.1 Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America 113 4.1.1 Introduction 114 4.1.2 Materials and Methods 116 4.1.3 Results 124 4.1.4 Discussion 129 4.1.5 Conclusion 132 4.1.6 References 134 4.2 Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America 137 4.2.1 Introduction 138 4.2.2 Methods 139 4.2.3 Results and discussion 141 4.2.4 Conclusion 154 4.2.5 References 156 5 Applying the Nexus 160 5.1 Considering Resources Beyond Water: Irrigation and Drainage Management in the Context of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus 161 5.1.1 Introduction 163 5.1.2 Integrating resource management through Nexus thinking 165 5.1.3 Assessing the negative and positive environmental effects of irrigation, and the provision of ecosystem services 169 5.1.4 The role of stakeholders in governing irrigation 171 5.1.5 Conclusion 173 5.1.6 References 175 5.2 Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management 177 5.2.1 Introduction 178 5.2.2 Material and Methods 180 5.2.3 Results 184 5.2.4 Discussion 202 5.2.5 Conclusions 204 5.2.6 References 206 6 Lessons learned and outlook 210 6.1 Increased circularity does not equate in increased sustainability. 212 6.2 Data scarcity hampers quantitative knowledge generation. 214 6.3 Moving from systems’ understanding to comprehensive knowledge generation for systemic change. 217 6.4 Participation and inclusion of stakeholders is important and should not be an afterthought. 218 6.5 References 221 7 Supplemental Information (SI)/Supplemental Material (SM) 226 7.1 SI for 4.1 ‘Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America’ 226 Appendix A 226 Appendix B 233 Appendix C 240 Appendix D 241 Appendix E 243 Appendix F 251 7.2 SI for 4.2 ‘Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America’ 256 7.3 SI for 5.1 ‘Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management’ 261 7.3.1 SM1: Expert interview questionnaire assessing information on stakeholder’s perspectives. 261 7.3.2 SM2: Wickedness Analysis questions 264 7.3.3 SM3: Detailed results of the stakeholder perspective of wastewater treatment in each case 265 7.3.4 SM4: Detailed responses to the workshop/training evaluations 272 8 Contribution of the author in collaborative publications 283 9 Eidesstattliche Versicherung 285 / Diese Habilitationsschrift untersucht die theoretischen und praktischen Implikationen der Erreichung von Nachhaltigkeit durch und in der Abwasserbehandlung. Sie nutzt die Diskussionen über Kreislaufwirtschaft, Nachhaltigkeit und Nexus-Denken und untersucht deren Beziehung untereinander und in ihrem Verhältnis zur Abwasserbehandlung. Dieses Manuskript besteht aus sieben Hauptkapiteln. Kapitel 1 gibt einen Überblick über den Ansatz, in dem das vorliegende Manuskript die Aspekte der Kreislaufwirtschaft, Nachhaltigkeit und Nexus-Konzepte und Abwasserbehandlung untersucht. Kapitel 2 bis 5 enthält die Manuskripte, die sich auf (a) konzeptionelle Überlegungen, (b) Beispiele für Kreislaufwirtschaft, c) Nachhaltigkeitsbewertungen und (d) Nexusanwendungen beziehen. Kapitel 6 enthält eine Reihe von Einsichten, die aus den gesammelten Erkenntnissen gezogen wurden. Das letzte Kapitel enthält die Zusatzdaten und -informationen einiger der Artikel. Die Arbeit basiert auf einer Vielzahl von Publikationen, die die Autorin und ihre Teammitglieder hauptsächlich zwischen Januar 2016 und Oktober 2019 (und teilweise bis zur Einreichung dieser Arbeit) erstellt haben. Während sie 5 veröffentlichte Erstautoren-Peer-Review-Publikationen umfassen, enthalten manche Abschnitte auch weitere relevante, mitverfasste Veröffentlichungen. Wassersicherheit ist unumgänglich für eine nachhaltige Welt. Abwasser kann eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Bereitstellung einer nachhaltigen Wasserquelle spielen, um Wasserknappheit und Wasserstress zu bewältigen. Die Abwasserbehandlung selbst ist jedoch derzeit nicht nachhaltig. Damit die Abwasserbehandlung auf eine nachhaltige Grundlage gestellt werden kann, müssen die Sektoren und die Art und Weise, wie Abwasser betrachtet wird, verändert werden. Die Abwasserbehandlung kann eine Reihe von Ressourcen für die Kreislaufwirtschaft bereitstellen – naturbasierte Lösungen bieten weitere Vorteile gegenüber grauer Infrastruktur, die sich auf andere Nexus-Sektoren wie Nahrung und Energie erstrecken. Kreislaufwirtschaft ist jedoch nicht unbedingt gleichbedeutend mit Nachhaltigkeit. Umweltkomponenten sind nur eine der drei Dimensionen der Nachhaltigkeit, aber Daten für Indikatoren für soziale und wirtschaftliche Aspekte der Abwasserbehandlung sind rar. Der Übergang zu nachhaltigen Lösungen ist möglicherweise nur möglich, wenn Instrumente eingesetzt werden, die sich von einem immer besseren Verständnis aktueller Systeme entfernen und sich in Richtung Analysemodi bewegen, die dazu beitragen, Ziel- und Transformationswissen in inter- und transdisziplinären Forschungs- und Projektumgebungen zu generieren. Diese Ergebnisse schreiben eine radikale Überarbeitung der aktuellen Lehrpläne von Ingenieuren und anderen Disziplinen vor, um Kurse über soziale, wirtschaftliche und ökologische Dimensionen der Nachhaltigkeit aufzunehmen. Schulungen in der Konzeption, Durchführung und Bewertung partizipatorischer Prozesse, die eine Vielzahl von Akteuren einbeziehen, können die Kapazitäten der zukünftigen Generation zur Planung, Konstruktion und zum Betrieb nachhaltiger Abwasserbehandlungssysteme, die behandeltes Abwasser als nachhaltige Wasserquelle in einer wassersicheren Welt bereitstellen, erheblich verbessern.:ABSTRACT vii ZUSAMMENFASSUNG (ABSTRACT in German) ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Scope 2 1.2 The structure of this work 8 1.3 References 10 2 Conceptual explorations 14 2.1 Learning from Integrated Management Approaches to Implement the Nexus 15 2.1.1 Introduction 16 2.1.2 Methods 19 2.1.3 Results 21 2.1.4 Discussion 26 2.1.5 Conclusion 27 2.1.6 References 29 2.2 Making the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus Work: Framing the Boundaries of Resource Flows 33 2.2.1 Introduction 34 2.2.2 An Overview of Integrated Approaches Related to the WSW Nexus 36 2.2.3 The System Boundaries of Integrated Environmental Management Approaches 38 2.2.4 What Is Different This Time?—The Boundary of the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus System 41 2.2.5 Illustrating the Boundaries of the WSW Nexus System—Case Studies 43 2.2.6 Conclusions 48 2.2.7 References and Notes 50 3 Examples of circularity 56 3.1 The Role of Constructed Wetlands for Biomass Production within the Water-Soil-Waste Nexus 59 3.1.1 Introduction 60 3.1.2 Methods 63 3.1.3 Results and discussion 63 3.1.4 Conclusions 68 3.1.5 References 70 3.2 Constructed Wetlands for Resource Recovery in Developing Countries 73 3.2.1 Introduction 74 3.2.2 Methods 76 3.2.3 Results 80 3.2.4 Discussion 91 3.2.5 Conclusions 99 3.2.6 References 102 4 Assessing sustainability of wastewater systems 110 4.1 Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America 113 4.1.1 Introduction 114 4.1.2 Materials and Methods 116 4.1.3 Results 124 4.1.4 Discussion 129 4.1.5 Conclusion 132 4.1.6 References 134 4.2 Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America 137 4.2.1 Introduction 138 4.2.2 Methods 139 4.2.3 Results and discussion 141 4.2.4 Conclusion 154 4.2.5 References 156 5 Applying the Nexus 160 5.1 Considering Resources Beyond Water: Irrigation and Drainage Management in the Context of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus 161 5.1.1 Introduction 163 5.1.2 Integrating resource management through Nexus thinking 165 5.1.3 Assessing the negative and positive environmental effects of irrigation, and the provision of ecosystem services 169 5.1.4 The role of stakeholders in governing irrigation 171 5.1.5 Conclusion 173 5.1.6 References 175 5.2 Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management 177 5.2.1 Introduction 178 5.2.2 Material and Methods 180 5.2.3 Results 184 5.2.4 Discussion 202 5.2.5 Conclusions 204 5.2.6 References 206 6 Lessons learned and outlook 210 6.1 Increased circularity does not equate in increased sustainability. 212 6.2 Data scarcity hampers quantitative knowledge generation. 214 6.3 Moving from systems’ understanding to comprehensive knowledge generation for systemic change. 217 6.4 Participation and inclusion of stakeholders is important and should not be an afterthought. 218 6.5 References 221 7 Supplemental Information (SI)/Supplemental Material (SM) 226 7.1 SI for 4.1 ‘Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America’ 226 Appendix A 226 Appendix B 233 Appendix C 240 Appendix D 241 Appendix E 243 Appendix F 251 7.2 SI for 4.2 ‘Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America’ 256 7.3 SI for 5.1 ‘Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management’ 261 7.3.1 SM1: Expert interview questionnaire assessing information on stakeholder’s perspectives. 261 7.3.2 SM2: Wickedness Analysis questions 264 7.3.3 SM3: Detailed results of the stakeholder perspective of wastewater treatment in each case 265 7.3.4 SM4: Detailed responses to the workshop/training evaluations 272 8 Contribution of the author in collaborative publications 283 9 Eidesstattliche Versicherung 285

What are ecosystem services, what are the possibilities to use them as a solution to remediate environmental problems, and how can they be increased in an industrial area such as Rönnskärsverken? The aim of this master thesis was to investigate the potential and the incentive for increasing ecosystem services in Rönnskärsverken’s industrial area through green areas and nature based stormwater management solutions on the site.  Ecosystem services is a concept that was put on the political agenda in the UN in 2005 in order to create a common definition and valuation to raise awareness of the values that nature provides to human beings. In recent years it has become an important part when it comes to environmental work and sustainable development in many parts of the world. As cities grow and more areas are exploited it is important to acknowledge what's lost in its place, and find out how we can minimise our impact on the environment and help the ecosystems and biodiversity. The mining company Boliden AB has a smelter located outside Skellefteå in north of Sweden, on an island called Rönnskär. The industrial area has been expanded with artificial means since its inception in 1930 where the focus has then been on industrial function. This has led to few green areas and many impervious surfaces on the site, which in turn has led to problems with stormwater flows, diffuse dusting, noises from the industry, unfavourable wind conditions and a generally less pleasant environment. Boliden AB wants to investigate the possibilities of developing and benefiting ecosystem services of  the industrial site of Rönnskär, and wants knowledge about potential values and benefits. Information has been gathered and compilations and conclusions have been made through literature studies, a survey, a field visit and conversations with employees and expert staff. A digital GIS modelling was planned but not implemented, which is why there is a good basis with criteria in a table in the appendix for further investigation of placement of proposed solutions. In the report, 7 different environmental challenges are identified and addressed; stormwater management, diffuse dusting, noise, biodiversity, lack of green areas, outdoor environment and ground pollution. They have then been linked to 6 different measures using ecosystem services, whereupon stormwater management is further explored in a separate chapter (7). All proposals presented in the report are nature based to demonstrate the use of ecosystem services as tools and aids for the purpose.  The conclusion is that it is possible to use nature based solutions that benefit ecosystem services to remediate the environmental challenges Rönnskär is facing and at the same time also increase other aspects such as well-being, health and environment. For specific implementation further investigations need to be made. Close cooperation with the environmental department on Rönnskär is needed to investigate which measures are most important and to invest in first. Measures need to be taken, and it can clearly be seen that it would benefit the industrial site to invest in maintenance and expansion of green areas to reduce the environmental challenges they face. / Vad är ekosystemtjänster, hur ser möjligheterna ut för att använda dem som lösning för att åtgärda miljöproblem och hur kan de utökas i ett industriområde som Rönnskärsverken? Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka potentialen och incitamentet för att öka ekosystemtjänsterna i Rönnskärsverkens industriområde genom grönområden och naturbaserade dagvattenhanteringslösningar på platsen. Ekosystemtjänster är ett begrepp som sattes upp på den politiska agendan i FN 2005 för att skapa en gemensam definition och värdering för att öka medvetenheten om de värden som naturen ger människor. På senare år har det blivit en viktig del när det gäller miljöarbete och hållbar utveckling på många håll i världen. När städer växer och fler områden exploateras är det viktigt att uppmärksamma vad som har gått förlorat i dess ställe, och ta reda på hur vi kan minimera vår påverkan på miljön, hjälpa ekosystemen och den biologiska mångfalden.  Gruvbolaget Boliden AB har ett smältverk beläget utanför Skellefteå i norra Sverige, på en ö som heter Rönnskär. Industriområdet har byggts ut med konstgjorda medel sedan starten 1930 där fokus legat på industriell funktion. Detta har lett till få grönområden och många ogenomträngliga ytor på platsen, vilket i sin tur lett till problem med dagvattenflöden, diffus damning, buller från industrin, ogynnsamma vindförhållanden och en generellt sett mindre behaglig miljö. Boliden AB vill undersöka möjligheterna att utveckla och dra nytta av ekosystemtjänsterna på industriområdet Rönnskär och vill ha kunskap om potentiella värden och nytta.  Information har samlats och sammanställningar samt slutsatser har gjorts genom litteraturstudier, en enkätundersökning, ett fältbesök och samtal med anställda och sakkunnig personal. En digital GIS-modellering var planerad men ej genomförd, varför det finns en god grund med kriterier i en tabell i appendix för vidare undersökning av placering av föreslagna lösningar.  I rapporten identifieras och behandlas 7 olika miljöutmaningar; dagvattenhantering, diffus damning, buller, biologisk mångfald, brist på grönområden, utemiljö och markföroreningar. De har sedan kopplats till 6 olika åtgärder med hjälp av ekosystemtjänster, varpå dagvattenhanteringen utforskas ytterligare i ett separat kapitel (7). Alla förslag som presenteras i rapporten är naturbaserade för att visa användningen av ekosystemtjänster som verktyg och hjälpmedel för ändamålet.  Slutsatsen är att det är möjligt att använda naturbaserade lösningar som gynnar ekosystemtjänster för att åtgärda de miljöutmaningar Rönnskär står inför och samtidigt också öka andra aspekter som välbefinnande, hälsa och miljö. För specifik implementering behöver ytterligare undersökningar göras. Det behövs ett nära samarbete med miljöavdelningen på Rönnskär för att utreda vilka åtgärder som är viktigast och att satsa på först. Åtgärder behöver vidtas och man kan tydligt se att det skulle gynna industriområdet att investera i underhåll och utbyggnad av grönområden för att minska de miljöutmaningar de står inför.

Mangrove forests are highly productive ecosystems widespread in tropical and subtropical coastlines, with a coverage of 75% of the world’s tropical shorelines. Mangrove plants developed specific physiological and morphological adaptation to thrive in such unique environments. Together with plant adaptations, mangroves develop a tight partnership with microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, that form the so-called mangrove-microbiome. Plant-associated microorganisms are generally recruited by the root system (root tissues and rhizosphere) and the colonization process starts with the release of root-related exudates detected by the surrounding edaphic microorganisms that are attracted in the rhizosphere zone. Then, root surface selects those microorganisms that can enter the tissues as endophytes. The microorganisms recruited belowground can migrate through the plant tissues by using the plant vessels and may colonize the aboveground compartments of the plant. Here, I aimed to evaluate the environmental origin and compartmentalization of the mangrove microbiome. To do this, I sampled bulk sediments, sea water, and mangrove plant compartments (root rhizosphere and endosphere, pneumatophores, shoot, leaves, flowers and propagules) of 20 gray mangrove trees (Avicennia marina L.) across two sites on the Red Sea coast of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. By high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, I showed that the bacterial assembly in A. marina plant compartments follows a clear niche partition process in which bacterial communities are actively recruited from the surrounding ecosystem (sediment and sea water) by the root system, and further distributed across the different plant organ and compartments. Moreover, the composition of microbiome detected had many similitudes with others previously described around the world, suggesting that certain bacteria represent a mangrove “core microbiome”. The conservation of microbiome composition, mainly driven by environmental and host selection, that beneficial bacteria provide to the plant and contribute to its growth and fitness by several mechanisms. Thus, the characterization and identification of mangrove microbiome can meliorate our knowledge regarding plant–microbe interactions, as well as put the bases for the development of Nature-based Solution (NBS) to enhance reforestation and rehabilitation of mangrove ecosystems