The worldwide consumption of meat continues to increase and in Sweden the annual consumption has gone from 24 kg/person in 1990 to about 78 kg/person in 2005. This contributes to large environmental impacts such as an increase of greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable land and resource use and shortage of water. A solution to the problem is to change our diets to be more sustainable. The purpose with this research is therefore to study the positive environmental and health aspects of alternative protein rich products based on soya, grown meat, algae and insects in comparison with meat. The goal is then to compare the environmental impacts from these products by studying different LCA-studies. Furthermore, also to understand how the future will be developed by interviewing producers of meat substitutes in Sweden. Some difficulties of comparing different LCA-studies are the choice of system boundaries, functional units and environmental aspects in the studies. Nevertheless, after studying a large amount of reports and articles about the products conclusions could yet be drawn. The carbonfootprint from beef is up to 20 times larger than from the substitutes and the land use is up to 125 times larger for beef compared to substitutes. Pork and chicken have lower impact but the lowest impact seems to come from producing substitutes based on soya beans. Insects and algae also have a low impact, but the products are still in the stage of development in Sweden due to laws, regulations and lack of knowledge. Regarding the health aspects substitutes could possibly replace meat since both insects and soya are rich of protein. Insects are also rich oniron and other nutrition. Algae consist as well of good nutrition. The companies interviewed in this study were Kung Markatta, Ekko gourmet and Veggi. They had some different opinions on future products, but they could all agree on that we need to eat less meat and more substitutes. The conclusions of this research are that the environmental aspects considered in the analysed LCA-studies are mostly carbon footprint and land use. They show that beef have a larger environmental impact than meat substitutes. It is however recommended to do new studies on products with the same system boundaries and functional units to get a more accurate and comparable result.

Landscape management is often referred to as a holistic concept, which deals with large-scale processes and multidisciplinary manners in regards to natural resource use with ecological and livelihood considerations. Seen in this light, landscape transformation should be understood within the context of the human-nature relationship, viewing human activities and their institutions as an essential part of the system rather than as external agents. When it comes to the landscape planning and management related to cotton farming in Gujarat, there has been diversity of interest groups such as local communities, governments, corporations and non-governmental organisations. In the present study, I examine two case studies of cotton production pertaining to the Gujarat region in order to study the opportunities and challenges faced by local farmers in the process of developing agriculture. In the first case study on Cotton Improvement Program in the nineteenth century, I highlight the socioecological consequences of the colonial cotton project and how it relates to the social dynamics of networks and agricultural landscape management. The second case study examines current debates regarding the social, economic and environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) cotton on India’s social and natural landscape. This thesis emphasises that there are recursive motifs between the two case studies in terms of the local resistances, power relations and possible environmental effects, which can be explained through the state of ‘global core’ and ‘periphery’, and partly the framework of ecologically unequal exchange. The analysis of recurring patterns concludes that exploring the narratives of local experiences offers a number of significant details that show complex power dynamics manifested through constant struggles and resistances by ‘peripheral agent’.

Ekosystemtjänster är ekosystemens direkta och indirekta bidrag till människors välbefinnande. Ren luft, rent vatten, pollinering och biologisk mångfald är exempel på tjänster som människan är beroende av och vars värde behöver integreras i beslutsprocesser i samhällets alla olika sektioner. Kommunerna har en viktig roll i detta då de genom den fysiska planeringen har möjlighet att på lokal nivå styra utvecklingen mot mer långsiktigt hållbara lösningar. Syftet med examensarbetet var att synliggöra ekosystemtjänsterna i Knivsta kommuns grönstrukturplan och att med hjälp av ArcGIS-verktyget Matrixgreen analysera den ekologiska konnektivteten mellan de ekologiska strukturerna. En litteraturstudie lade grunden för arbetet och följdes av en workshop där viktiga ekosystemtjänster för Knivsta kommun identifierades. Utifrån den inlästa kunskapsbasen skapades ekologiska profiler där 11 av de 18 prioriterade ekosystemtjänsterna kunde kopplas till en viss biotoptyp. Biotoptypen kunde i sin tur kopplas till en biologisk art eller artgrupp, kallad profilart, med den specifika biotopen som möjlig livsmiljö. Profilartens habitatpreferenser (storlekskrav och spridningsmöjligheter) satte ramarna för hur konnektiviteten för respektive biotop skulle analyseras. Efter insamling av relevant kartunderlag skapades ekologiska nätverk i Matrixgreen. Nätverken analyserades med avseende på patchernas position i nätverket (”Betweenness Centrality”-analys) samt den totala konnektiviteten i kommunen (Komponentanalys). Gemensamt för de fyra valda biotoperna (våtmark, gräsmark, äldre barrskog och lövskog) är att de indirekt förser oss med de prioriterade stödjande ekosystemtjänsterna livsmiljöer och biologisk mångfald. De prioriterade ekosystemtjänsterna vattenrening, flödesreglering och översvämningsskydd kunde kopplas till biotopen våtmarker och material (dekorativa) och pollinering kunde kopplas till biotopen gräsmark. Till biotoperna barrskog och lövskog kunde de prioriterade ekosystemtjänsterna livsmedel (tama och vilda djur, växter), material (biomassa), bioenergi och klimatreglering kopplas. Nätverksanalyserna visar god konnektivitet i kommunen för våtmarker samt områden med äldre barrskog. För gräsmarker och lövskog är den totala konnektiviteten begränsad. Analyserna visar vidare att för respektive biotop finns ett antal områden som är extra viktiga för konnektiviteten, dessa områden har ett högt så kallat ”Betweenness Centrality”-värde. De ekologiska profiler som ligger till grund för analyserna är teoretiska profiler, inga platsbesök eller inventeringar har gjorts för att se hur verkligheten stämmer överens med teorin. De nätverk som har skapats och analyserats i detta examensarbete ska därför främst ses som en guide till var i kommunen de utvalda ekosystemtjänsterna finns. Nätverken utgör inte fullgoda livsmiljöer för de valda profilarterna och inga direkta slutsatser kan dras om var i kommunen en specifik art finns eller inte. Den biologiska mångfalden är en ekosystemtjänst i sig men utgör också en försäkring för ekosystemen som blir mer resilienta, det vill säga mer stabila och motståndskraftiga mot yttre störningar. Resilienta ekosystem är en förutsättning för de ekosystemtjänster som har studerats. Bristande konnektivitet i landskapet riskerar att leda till ökad fragmentering och en utarmad biologisk mångfald. / Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being. Clean air, clean water, pollination and biodiversity are all examples of ecosystem services that humans depend on and whose value needs to be integrated into decision-making processes in all different levels of society. Local authorities have an important role in this as they at local level through spatial planning have the possibility to steer development towards more sustainable solutions. The aim of this thesis is to make ecosystem services in Knivsta municipality visible through the green structure plan and to analyze the ecological connectivity between the ecological structures using the ArcGIS-tool Matrixgreen. A literature study laid the foundation for further work and was followed by a workshop where important ecosystem services to the municipality of Knivsta were identified. Ecological profiles were created where 11 of the 18 prioritized ecosystem services were associated with specific biotopes which in turn could be linked to a biological species or species groups, called target species, with the specific biotope as possible habitat. The habitat preferences of the target species (size requirements and distribution patterns) worked as a framework for how to analyze the connectivity for each biotope. This was followed by gathering of maps and the making of ecological networks in Matrixgreen. The networks were analyzed with respect to position of the patches in the network (Betweenness Centrality analysis) and the overall connectivity in the municipality (Component analysis). Common to the four selected biotopes (wetland, grassland, coniferous and deciduous forest) is that they indirectly provide us with the prioritized supporting ecosystem services habitats and biodiversity. The prioritized ecosystem services water treatment, flow regulation and flood control were linked to the biotope wetlands and materials (ornamental) and pollination were linked to the biotope grasslands. The biotopes coniferous and deciduous forest could be linked to the prioritized ecosystem services food (domestic and wild animals, wild plants), raw materials (fiber), bio-energy and climate control. The network analyses show good connectivity for wetland areas and coniferous forest in the municipality. The total connectivity for grasslands and deciduous forest is limited. The analyzes also show that for each biotope a couple of areas are especially important for the overall connectivity. These areas have a high Betweenness Centrality value. The ecological profiles upon which the analyzes are based are theoretical profiles, no site visits or surveys have been done to investigate how reality matches theory. The constructed and analyzed networks in this thesis are therefore to be seen mainly as a guide to where in the municipality the selected ecosystem services are available. The networks do not constitute adequate habitats for the selected target species and no conclusions can be drawn as to where in the municipality a specific species exists or not. Biodiversity is an ecosystem service itself but also represents an insurance for the ecosystem that becomes more resilient, i.e. more stable and resilient to external shocks. Resilient ecosystems are essential for the ecosystem services that have been studied. Lack of connectivity in the landscape could lead to increased fragmentation and eventually risk biodiversity depletion.

Agriculture is a climate sensitive sector whether it changes moderately and slowly or radicallyand rapidly. Many studies that focus on the vulnerability of agriculture, use climate scenariosand crop models to assess the potential impacts. This study seeks to identify (1) farmers‘awareness and perceptions of climate variability and change; (2) the types of adjustments theyhave made in their farming practices in response to these changes (farm responses, adaptivestrategies); and (3) other external factors (government policies, social, technological andeconomic conditions) that have significant impact on the farming activities.The results indicate that climate change and variability already have and will have mostlynegative impacts on agriculture. Prolonged dry spells and heat in the summer, less summerrain combined with higher temperatures, more heavy rainfall, more forest or grass fires andextreme weather: drought, flood, storms have been identified as highest climatic burdens toagriculture. An advanced start of the growing season is the the only truly positive change forthe majority of farmers. Apart from that several non-climatic factors were identified assignificant, among them political: high level of bureaucracy, lack of public trust in socialinstitutions, political instability; economical: incentives, for example tax exemption orreduction, access to subsidies and funds, economic growth and development, long-lastingeconomic recession; technological and infrastructural: access to advanced technologies,infrastructure and settlement development and poor road and railroad system; and social:population migration within Europa, ageing of population and population decrease. Thesesocio-economic factors play significant roles in overcoming the risks and building adaptivecapacity. This study shows that a variety of strategies and methods have been applied toreduce the vulnerability. Most often it is a farm level managerial decision, like, adjustedtiming of farm operations, changed crop variety and types, reduced number of livestock,improved technological base or increased income by off farm jobs.Finally we can conclude that even though individual farms have capacity to reducevulnerability, one must not underestimate the role of government and industry to decrease thedamages, take advantage of opportunities or cope with consequences. Farmer decision tomake changes in farming activities is rarely based on one risk alone.

To guarantee protection of our drinking water, water catchment protections are established. These are divided into three different zones and in the first zone it is most likely that an activity, such as agriculture, will contaminate the water resource. Hence the activities are strongly regulated or banned. The EU communion is working towards a sustained water quality through several directives; Nitrate Directive, Waterframwork directives and Sustainable use of pesticide directive. The main purpose is to regulate the diffuse pollution from agriculture.This thesis is about how Denmark, Germany and France are working towards a sustainable agriculture within water protection areas. Sweden is also discussed but mainly about two different methods applied in Linköpings and Ljungbys municipalties.How the different countries work is mainly the same due to the directives. However, there are some interesting water management methods to observe such as voluntary agreements between water companies and farmers. Moreover, the sustainability perspective is approached in a larger scale where you and I as consumers also contribute via consumer-pays-principle. Therefore, we are, by our demand for water, the problem but also the solution and together we can contribute with good social, economic and ecological conditions for ourselves and the farmer.

High anthropogenic modification like infrastructural development, drainage, eutrophication, dumping garbage, is a threat to biodiversity of smaller water bodies in agricultural landscapes. However, smaller water bodies have historically been constructed for drainage, waste treatment and other purposes. Further, new small water bodies are now being constructed in agricultural areas in Sweden, mainly to remove nutrients and to improve landscape biodiversity. This creates two different age classes (old and new) of smaller water body habitats. I sampled aquatic insects in 27 smaller water bodies of varying types and ages in Halmstad region and related insect biodiversity, species richness, composition structure to environmental variables. I partitioned the region into two locations (Northern and Southern) for easy data comparison and due to difference in topography. The data was analysed using a Canonical Correspondence (CCA) and regression analysis. The CCA results show a difference in the species composition between old and new sites. The most important variables in explaining species assemblage structure was age of the aquatic water bodies. The species richness decreased with increase in nutrient concentration (total phosphorus) according to regression analysis. Species composition and diversity were related to Vegetation and tree cover in and around the water body. The results of my study shows that the older the water bodies the better for specific species like Aeshna cyanea and the new water bodies tolerate more specimens. My results suggest that, as there is need to facilitate plant growing, protecting vegetation and trees to better mimic natural conditions of water bodies, creating new water bodies while protecting aged water bodies is important for conservation of biodiversity.

Det syfte vi har med den här studien är att undersöka hur det ligger till med förskollärares medvetenhet kring återvinning och hållbar utveckling. Varför arbetar förskollärare med återvinning och hållbar utveckling eller varför gör de inte det? Studien är en kvalitativ undersökning där vi intervjuat 14 förskollärare på två olika orter i samma kommun i södra Sverige. Vi har tolkat förskollärarnas svar om sin medvetenhet kring återvinning och hållbar utveckling. Resultatet visar att förskollärare vet vad återvinning är. Alla arbetar inte aktivt med återvinning utan det är något som bara finns och görs. Hållbar utveckling är däremot ett begrepp som inte alla förskollärare känner till. De som vet vad det är kopplar det till den ekologiska delen av hållbar utveckling och motiverar till exempel med att vi ska vara rädda om jordens resurser.

A society´s health depends on the access to proper and hygiene sanitation. Half of the population still do not have access to proper sanitation in Nepal; therefore government and non-government organizations are facilitating sanitation access to all the population. Decades ago, open defecation and pit latrines toilet were the only options as sanitation system to the people. But now, various types of toilets system known as dry toilets, septic tanks, centralized sewerage system and biogas integrated toilets are available. Therefore, existing toilet system in rural areas of Nepal needs to be evaluated with respect to environment and long term sustainability. Aim of this study is to find the appropriate toilet system for rural areas of Nepal. This study also discusses how that appropriate toilet system can be promoted based on current scenarios from government level to local level. Generic Multi-Attribute Analysis (GMAA) is used as a decision support tools to evaluate available various toilet alternatives. For which a rural area from Nepal is chosen as study area. GMAA helps in evaluating all the toilet system based on social, technological, environmental and economical aspects. Interpretation between the toilet systems can be made easily with the help of GMAA results. Field questionnaire survey was also carried out in the study area to know user´s understanding of toilet alternatives. Every toilet systems have pro and cons based on different social, technological, environmental and economical aspects. It was found that pit latrines toilet systems are mostly practiced in the rural areas of Nepal. User prefers pit latrines because of its social accepted character and technologically easy in using it. Biogas integrated toilet system came as optimal toilet system though not accessible to all household. It was found that urine and faeces separating toilets are environmentally and economically beneficial. The thesis concludes that appropriate toilet system which is sustainable must be promoted while increasing toilet coverage in Nepal. Urine and faeces separating toilet is found to be appropriate and need to be incorporated in the government goal of increasing toilet coverage.

As we move towards a digital based society, technology continues to improve. It is important to take advantage of this to inform and facilitate our sustainable development goals in the most cost-effective and time efficient manner. By utilising the best available technologies, not only can time savings be achieved, but scope of works can be dramatically increased, particularly with ecological data collection. This study will focus on collecting ecological data (tree species) using developing modern technologies (satellites) with the aim of reaching classification accuracies comparable with ground truthed (real life) records. The study area is in central Burkina Faso approximately 30km south of the capital and is generally described as an agroforestry parklands area. The region suffers greatly from poverty and many people are heavily dependent on the agricultural sector and subsistence farming. As these agroforestry parklands are so critical to many people’s livelihoods, it is important to assess the natural resources available within them to provide the best food security management for the people. Tree species locations were overlayed on two satellite images acquired during different stages of the annual growing periods in the agroforestry parklands of the study area. From these images, segmentation of individual tree crowns was done manually and used as the reference data for an object-based classification model, which were assessed for the classification accuracies that can be achieved. Three satellite image scenarios were assessed for classification accuracy, including two single image scenarios and a multi-imagery dataset combining both images. Results indicate that combined images perform the best in terms of overall classification accuracies, closely followed by the end of the wet season growing period. The image acquisition from the end of the dry season was quite poor in comparison, having an overall classification accuracy more than 10% lower than the other scenarios. Of the focus species assessed in this study, Azadirachta Indica was the clear loser in terms of the number of correctly classified individuals from each model scenario. All other focus species were relatively well classified achieving close to or above 60% accuracies in the multi-imagery classification scenario.

Food systems are facing increasing pressure to adapt to the local, regional and global implications of the climate crisis while reducing the environmental impacts of food production and retaining their competitiveness on increasingly connected agri-food markets. Many suggested aspects of a more resilient, sustainable model of food production are directly linked to decisions made on individual farms. However, there are known social-ecological traps that limit farmers’ capacity to break away from unsustainable paths. This thesis investigates the impact of trap dynamics on the incidence of sustainability transitions on Finnish farms – for example, transitions from animal to plant agriculture, or from monoculture to crop diversity. I use national tax records and interviews with regenerative farmers to identify patterns and circumstances that preclude farmers’ ability to carry out sustainability transitions, and to describe strategies used by regenerative farmers to enhance their agency and avert traps. My findings indicate that rigid governance and market structures, an increasing burden of debt and intensifying ecological pressures converge to create, sustain and exacerbate social-ecological traps. Finally, this thesis suggests that the existence of farm-level traps may hamper attempts to address food system lock- ins across scales, diminishing the system’s capacity to respond to shocks and changing circumstances.