Abstract Pasture is a very species-rich but threatened nature type, and compared to 200 years ago, only five percent of natural pastures remain in Sweden. One way to try to save the biological diversity that pastures harbor is to restore overgrown land by clearing and reintroducing grazing animals. At the site chosen for this study, Hallands Väderö, 92 ha of pasture have been restored during less than ten years. The purpose of this thesis is to compare species richness in vegetation on recently restored land (cleared 2-10 years ago), land that has been grazed continuously for a long time and overgrown pasture, and to investigate whether the number of plant species increases with time after a pasture restoration. Thirteen locations on the island were selected, and three randomly selected square meter squares per area were inventoried. Each area was then searched for more species that were not present in the random squares. The data underwent analysis using regression analysis, ANOVA and Tukey test. Results indicated no significant relationship between the number of species in an area and the time (years) after a restoration. The Tukey test indicated that the biological diversity (effective number of species) was statistically significant higher on continuously grazed areas than on overgrown areas and that the number of species was statistically significant higher on restored areas than on overgrown areas. This means that there is an effect of the management; the number of species increases after grazing restoration, and biodiversity is higher on continuously grazed land than on overgrown land. The fact that the overgrown pasture has the lowest number of species shows that we risk losing species if pastures are abandoned and overgrown. / Sammanfattning Betesmark är en väldigt artrik men hotad naturtyp och jämfört med för 200 år sedan finns endast fem procent av naturbetesmarkerna i Sverige kvar. Ett sätt att försöka bibehålla den biologiska mångfalden, som betesmark hyser, är att restaurera igenväxt mark genom röjning och återintroduktion av betesdjur. På den valda platsen för denna studie, Hallands Väderö, har 92 ha mark betesrestaurerats under knappt tio års tid. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att jämföra artrikedom i växtligheten på nyligen restaurerad mark (röjd för 2–10 år sedan), mark som betats kontinuerligt under lång tid och igenväxt betesmark samt att undersöka om antalet växtarter ökar med tiden efter en betesrestaurering. Tretton platser på ön valdes ut och tre slumpvis valda kvadratmeterstora rutor per område inventerades. Varje område genomsöktes sedan efter fler arter som inte fanns i de slumpade rutorna. Datan analyserades med regressionsanalys, ANOVA och Tukey-test. Resultatet visade att det inte fanns något signifikant samband mellan antal arter på ett område och tiden (år) efter en restaurering. Tukey-testet visade att den biologiska mångfalden (effektivt artantal) var statistiskt signifikant högre på kontinuerligt betade områden än igenväxta områden och att antal arter är statistiskt signifikant fler på restaurerade områden än igenväxta områden. Detta betyder att det finns en effekt av skötseln; antal arter ökar efter en betesrestaurering och den biologiska mångfalden är högre på kontinuerligt betad mark än igenväxt mark. Att den igenväxta betesmarken har lägst antal arter visar på att vi riskerar att förlora arter om betesmarker överges och växer igen.

The world-wide intensification of agriculture has led to a decline in species richness due to land use change, isolation, and fragmentation of natural and semi-natural habitats in agricultural and forestry landscapes. As a consequence, there is a current landscape management focus on the importance of green infrastructure to mitigate biodiversity decline and preserve ecosystem functions e.g. pollination services and pest control. Even though intensification in agriculture has been ongoing for several hundreds of years, remnant habitats from earlier management practices may still be remaining with a surprisingly high plant richness. Preserving these habitats could help conserving plant species richness in agricultural landscapes, as well as other organisms that are dependent on plants for food and shelter. In this thesis I focus on two small remnant habitats; midfield islets and borders between managed forest and crop field in southeastern Sweden. In the past, both habitats were included in the grazing system and therefore often still have remnant population of grassland specialist species left today. I have used these two remnant habitats as model habitats to investigate the effect of landscape factors and local factors on species richness of plants, flower morphologies and plants with fleshy fruits. Additively, I analysed the effect of surrounding landscape and local openness on the functions; pollination success, biological pest control of aphids and seed predation on midfield islets. One of my studies showed that spatial distribution and size of the habitat affected plant species richness. Larger habitat size and higher connectivity between habitats increased species richness of plants in the habitats. Openness of the habitats was shown to be an important factor to increase species richness and richness of flower morphologies, both on midfield islets and in forest borders. Even though midfield islets had the highest species and morphology richness, both habitat types are needed for habitat complementary as forest borders have more plants with fleshy fruits and a higher richness of plant species that flowers in spring/early summer. It was also shown that a more complex forest border, not just with gaps in the canopy, but also with high variation in tree stem sizes increases plant species richness in the field layer. The conclusion is that by managing small remnant habitats to remain or become more semi-open and complex in their structure, would increase species richness of plants, grassland specialist species, and flower morphologies. It would also increase some ecosystem functions as seed predation and biologic pest control of aphids are more effective close to trees. If both midfield islets and forest borders would be managed to be semi-open, the area and connectivity of semi-open habitat would increase in the agricultural landscape, which may also improve pollination success as the connectivity between populations has a possibility to increase. Grassland specialist species are clearly abundant in the small remnant habitats. As the decline of semi-natural grasslands is causing a decline in grassland specialists’ species, not only plants, I recommend that small remnant habitats are included in conservation and management plans and strategies to improve habitat availability and connectivity for grassland species in agricultural landscapes. / <p>Research funder Ekoklim. Project:4339602.</p><p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Städerna växer och allt fler strukturer av olika material byggs upp, och med detta minskar de gröna ytor som finns. Träd huggs ned och olika växter dras ut med rötterna och ersätts av metall, betong, lera m.m. De ytor som en gång varit gröna och fulla av liv blir allt mer gråa och livlösa. Människan skapar större städer, med höga och stora byggnader som ersätter den vegetation som en gång legat på platsen. Den fråga som då uppstår är: Hur kan vi fortsätta bygga strukturer, men samtidigt inte minska på de gröna ytor som finns? Ett alternativ kan vara att integrera grönska och vegetation på byggnadernas fasader, terrasser och tak, samtidigt skapa ytor på olika nivåer som ersätter den mark som finns under byggnaderna. Samtidigt är det viktigt att fundera över den påverkan som grönska har på oss människor och arkitekturen som den vistas bland. I Sverige, som i många andra delar av världen, väljer en stor mängd människor att vistas bland vegetation/grönska eller tycker om att ta hand om sin trädgård och befinna sig i den. Bland vackra och väldoftande blommor och växter. Därför är syftet med arbetet att både fundera över hur man kan integrera grönska i arkitekturen, men även undersöka vilken påverkan denna integrering kan komma att ha på människans psykiska och fysiska välmående. Resultatet av den studie som utförts visar en positiv inverkan av integration av grönska på arkitektur, men att mängden spelar en stor roll för de som besvarade enkätens frågor. Likaså visar experternas påståenden att detta stämmer in på det arbete de tidigare utfört och/eller det arbete de strävar efter. Dessutom kan resultatet av dessa stärkas med hjälp av den teoretiska bakgrund som stödjer studien, där ett flertal forskare för diskussionen vidare i sin forskning och belyser vikten av att utföra fler studier av denna sort för att säkerställa vikten av ämnet i fråga. Integreringen av grönska på terrasser, fasader och tak blir allt mer aktuellt, även här i Sverige, och med denna studie hoppas den studieansvariga att frågan tas upp ännu mer och vidare forskas inom den nordiska, eller mer specifikt den svenska sektorn. / The cities are growing and more and more structures made up of different materials are being built, and with this follows the reduction of already existing green spaces. Trees are cut down and different plants are pulled out along with their roots and replaced by metal, concrete, clay etc. The spaces that used to be green and full of life are becoming increasingly grey and lifeless. Humans are building larger and larger cities, with high and massive buildings that are replacing the vegetation that was once present on the ground beneath them. The question that then arises is: How can we continue building and expanding our cities, without damaging and reducing the green spaces that already exist? An alternative can be the integration of greenery and vegetation on the building’s façade and on its rooftops, and at the same time create surfaces on different levels that can replace the ground beneath the building.  At the same time it is important to think about the impact that greenery has on us humans and on architecture. In Sweden, like in many other countries around the world, a large quantity of people choose to walk or stay where there is vegetation/greenery or like to take care of their garden and enjoy the beauty of it. Among beautiful and fragrant flowers and plants. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to both reflect on how one can integrate greenery in architecture, but also examine the impact that this form of integration can have on the human psyche and physical well-being. The results of the conducted study shows a positive impact of the integration of greenery on architecture, quantity, however, plays a large part for the respondents of the enquiry. Also the claims made by the experts within the field of architecture shows that this does in fact align with the work that they either have conducted in the past or the work that they are striving for. In addition, the results can through these be strengthened with the help of the theoretic background that supports the study conducted, where several researchers further the discussion in their research and highlight the importance of conducting more studies of this sort to ensure the importance of the subject at hand. The integration of greenery on facades and rooftops is becoming increasingly more relevant, even in Sweden. With this thesis, the study supervisor and author hope that the question is brought to light more and that more research is conducted within the Nordic, or more specifically the Swedish sector.

This master thesis explores the shifting paradigm in conservation, moving away from the myth behind the preservationist approach that separates humans from nature towards a more inclusive conservationist approach. The study focuses on the role of Indigenous Peoples in this evolving paradigm and examines factors that influence their ability to participate in and influence conservation debates and policies. The research draws on qualitative exploratory methods, including interviews with Indigenous Peoples and experts in the conservation field. Thirteen factors emerged from the thematic analysis, namely: legal recognition, law enforcement, political representation, awareness, external support, community building, capacity-building, connection across Indigenous communities, economic inclusion, public attention, protests, advocacy, and intimidation. The findings emphasize the need for a systemic and inclusive approach to conservation policymaking that incorporates cultural diversity and respects the rights, perspectives and agency of Indigenous Peoples. Ultimately, the conservationist approach, and particularly the effective inclusion of cultural diversity in conservation debates and policies, can enhance society's capacity to protect and sustain natural resources and biodiversity for current and future generations, aiding our sustainability journey in its ecological and social sides.