Resource management have been, and still are essential for humans, partly because of the constantly changing environment. The landscape provides basic material for survival and therefore it becomes important to understand the different stages of environmental influences and developments in parallel to the increasing complexity of Bronze- and Iron Age societies. Investigating the causes for human interactions with the environment and the following consequences for the biodiversity provides crucial information about organized systems for a sustainable resource management in our modern society. Finding archaeological traces of “hävd” (claimed land) and other types of manifestations in the landscape stress the fact that land becomes a more valuable resource from both a social and practical view. Over a longer perspective the process of going from a mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a sedentary agricultural one also becomes a process of going from a collective to a private managing of resources. This project aims to investigate that development.

Nature and culture are closely connected and in constant change in relation to each other. Although this is well known by now the cultural aspects rarely are concidered when it comes to conserving of nature (in Sweden). This paper examines naturums (Swedish visiting centres) relationship to the cultural aspects of landscapes and nature. It also examines how the Swedish nature (Naturvårdsverket) and culture (Riksantikvarieämbetet) conservation agencies work together. Beyond this the paper looks in to why it is important to include the cultural aspects within nature conservation and in what way archaeology could be a rewarding factor in reaching this knowledge. This paper points out why a more holistic picture is needed if we want to take care of the nature in the best possible way for future generations, also why a working ecosystem and landscapes with high natural values are important. This paper focuses on naturum because it´s the biggest museum of nature in Sweden - with great power comes great responsibility. Naturum often works with and for children and youngsters. Therfore it is most important that naturum teaches and inform about all aspects within landscapes, nature and the role humans play within the ecosystem. This to give future generations a holistic picture from the beginning. Naturum will be assessed from a theoretical frame based on the concept of biocultural heritage, which suggests a holistic view of a landscape within research and stewardship concerning landscapes and to transform knowledge in to policy. In the end of the paper, I discuss possible improvements within nature and culture conservation work in Sweden to reach a better cooperation between the two government agencies Naturvårdsverket and Riksantikvarieämbetet. In conclusion I argue that there is knowledge in both Naturvårdsverket and Riksantikvarieämbetet about the importance of including cultural aspects to optimize the conservation of nature. The same seems to go for most naturum, although there is a need of more concrete guidelines from Naturvårdsverket to help naturum to include the aspects in a clearer way. This is important if naturum are gonna be able to inform their visitors about the cultural aspekts within landscapes. I argue that the best thing to do for nature and culture conservation in Sweden is to merge the two agencies into one. I believe this would result in an easier and more natural cooperation between the two.

A case study of a prehistoric site named Ängesviken, in eastern Jämtland, is presented in this thesis. Ängesviken is situated in a region that traditionally has been understood as peripheral and without a significant history prior to the Late Iron Age or even the mediaeval period. The site appears to have a continuous presence of human activities through a period of 3000 years, manifested through a horizontal stratigraphy. In order to study this site of abstruse character a multidisciplinary approach is used, where archaeology, paleoecology, and spatiality are combined. The conceptual framework of the study is that landscapes are the result of socio-ecological processes over time. To frame the data provided by chosen methods, theoretical frameworks of cultural niche construction theory and landscape patchiness applied, which provide insight of the socio-ecological systems present at Ängesviken during the last 3000 years. During the Iron Age, the site was used for pastoralism, combined with hunting. The archaeological and geographical context of Ängesviken indicate that the site might have been connected with other regions through networks of trade during this period. During the mediaeval period there is a reorganisation of the outlands, leading to a phase of regrowth, but the site could possibly still have been utilised as hunting grounds as there are mediaeval villages in the region. In the early modern period and modern period, the site is once again used for pastoralism. Today, the utilisation of the site has changed towards modern forestry and occasional hunting of elk. The continuous presence at Ängesviken could be explained by the resources the outlands provided. This case study indicates that the far-reaching networks of trade during the Iron Age led to a process of local modification of the ecosystem driven by an external market. This study shows that the anthropogenic modification of the boreal forest's ecosystem has a longer history in eastern Jämtland than traditionally has been thought. The investigation of Ängesviken highlights the importance of researching abstruse and previously uncertain sites from a multidisciplinary approach, as the different datatypes complement each other and results in a deeper knowledge of the site and the socio-ecological systems in a long-term perspective. / Uppsatsen består av en fallstudie av en arkeolgosik lokal vid namn Ängesviken i östra Jämtland. Platsen ligger i ett område som vid första anblick ter sig perifeiellt placerat i utmarkerna till medeltida byar och tidigmoderna fäbodar. Tidigare har en vikingatida byggnad sam en intilligande grav undersökts arkeologiskt. Arkeologiska undersökningar har visat att människor tycks ha använt platsen under en 3000-års period, men hur platsen använts eller påverkats av denna användning har arkeologin inte kunnat påvisa. För att undersöka mänskliga aktiviteter vid Ängesviken under de senaste 3000 åren, samt hur dessa aktiviteter påverkat landskapet, undersöks platsen från ett tvärvetenskapligt perspektiv. Arkeologi kombineras med paleoekologi och rumslig analys. Det konceptuella ramverket för undersökningen bygger på historisk ekologi där kulturell nische konstruktion kombineras med "landscape patchiness". "Landscape patchiness" har sitt ursprung ur ekologin och lägger fokus på lakala vegetationsstrukturer. De äldsta praktikerna på platsen är ännu inte fullt ut klargjorda men platsens läge i landskapet ter sig som en trolig orsak till de första aktiviteterna. Pollenanalysen visar att området används för djurhållning under järnåldern, en aktivitet som kom att förändra landskapets struktur och platsens ekologi. Järnålderns kulturella nische ter sig multifunktionell där djurhållning har kombinerats med andra nyttjanden av utmarksresurser. Pollenanalysen visar att platsen verkar överges under medeltid för att sedan åter brukas för djurhållning under tidigmodern och modern tid. Undersökningen visar på vikten av tvärvetenskapliga undersökningar av otydliga och tidigare svårtolkade arkeologiska lokaler och sammanhang inom det Skandinaviska inlandet.

This thesis, an environmental history of a selected number of Swedish military training environments, is based on observation of military landscapes with a permanent presence of military-related objects and activities, all of which leave their traces in the environment, and how continued military activity is legitimised with environmental arguments. By also observing military policies and documents, I look into how the Swedish military frame their own training environments, and how ‘environmentalist’ discourses is adopted to justify past and present activities. The military landscapes must also be considered in a wider context of geopolitics and security; hence I also include an historical analysis of military land appropriation and defense policy in Sweden. An important contribution with this thesis, besides provide a Swedish context to studies of military landscapes, lies also in testing a historical ecological framework in analyses and methods when approaching research on military landscapes, as I consider this thesis as a pilot-project on Swedish military landscapes providing incentives for further studies. The Swedish military landscapes studied in this thesis have both a centennial and decadal presence of military activities. Some training sites such as Marma and Revinge, which are also Natura 2000 areas, have had a military presence since the 19th century, and the various military structures and buildings promote a kind of military biography, an identity tied to landscapes, reinforcing military presence. The presentation of military sites as ecological refuges for rare species and habitats is evident in the management plans for the studied landscapes. The way military space is understood, legitimised and produced from the perspectives of the military policy level is, as I will argue, centred on two core motivations. First, it is that military presence in a landscape is the product of a militarisation processes, considering a geopolitical context and defense policies. The military presence has long-term effects in form of an alteration of physical nature and development of a high biodiversity. Second, the long-term positive effects, enhances an environmentalist discourse within the military when it comes to legitimise past and present military space, and to justify a continued military presence in a landscape. / Denna uppsats, en miljöhistoria av ett utvalt antal svenska militära övningsområden, är baserat på en observation av militära landskap med en permanent närvaro av militärrelaterade objekt och aktiviteter vilka lämnar sina spår i miljön, och hur fortsatt militär aktivitet legitimeras genom miljöargument. Jag analyserar militära riktlinjer och dokument, för att se på hur svensk militär förhåller sig till dess övningsområden, och hur diskurser om miljövård används för att motivera fortsatt militär aktivitet. De militära landskapen bör studeras i en större geopolitisk säkerhetskontext; därför inkluderar jag också en historisk studie av svensk försvarspolitik och militära markanskaffningar. En viktig insats med denna uppsats, förutom att bidra med en svensk kontext till militära landskapsstudier, är att testa ett historiskt-ekologiskt ramverk i analys och metod vid studier av militära landskap då jag anser att denna uppsats är ett pilot-projekt för militära landskapsstudier i Sverige och ger incitament till vidare forskning i ämnet.   De svenska militära landskapen som studeras här har upp till en hundraårig närvaro av militär aktivitet. Vissa övnings- och skjutfält såsom Marma och Revingehed, vilka också är Natura 2000- områden, har haft militär aktivitet sedan slutet av 1800- talet, och de varierande militära ytorna och byggnaderna främjar en militär biografi, en identitet knuten till landskapet, vilken förstärker fortsatt militär närvaro. Presentationen av de militära fälten som ekologiska refuger av sällsynta arter och habitat är uppenbar i skötsel- och vårdplanerna av de studerade landskapen. Sättet som det militära landskapet förstås, legitimeras och produceras ur militärperspektiv i policy och dokument är, som jag kommer argumentera, koncentrerade kring två faktorer. För det första, militär närvaro i ett landskap är ett resultat av en militariseringsprocess baserat på en geopolitisk kontext och försvarsbeslut. Militär närvaro har en långsiktig effekt i form av en förändring av den fysiska naturen och utvecklingen av en biologisk mångfald. För det andra, de långsiktiga positiva effekterna underbygger en naturvårdsdiskurs inom militären när det kommer till att motivera dåtida och nuvarande militär landskapsanvändning, och för att rättfärdiga en fortsatt militär närvaro.

Approximately 50 percent of all endangered species in Scandinavia are associated with old agricultural landscapes. During the agricultural industrialization of the past century the traditional practices and methods that created these environments have been phased out. This has brought on a serious decline and fragmentation of biomes that many endangered species depend on. Knowledge of traditional agricultural landscapes and their species dynamics is needed to make well informed decisions regarding their care and restoration. One way to acquire such knowledge is to study fossil plant remnants from old agricultural contexts. In this study sub-fossil Cyperaceae achenes were analyzed in an attempt to identify them. The achenes had been preserved in three Iron Age wells (80-980 AD) at the Gilltuna settlement in central Sweden and were found during an archeological investigation in 2010. The purpose of this study was to identify the achenes to species level, make conclusions about the ecology of the surrounding landscape, and construct simple species identification key as well as evaluate archaeobotany as an ecological tool. The identification attempt resulted in 14 determined species, which were in consistency with previous landscape analyses made using ecological species distribution. The resulting identification key is a suggestion, to be expanded in the future. This method can undoubtedly provide further knowledge of prehistoric and historical biomes, but in order to draw useful conclusions the identification technique further as well as knowledge of present regional ecology must be developed, especially concerning different Cyperaceae species‟ response to different kinds of stress.