What will the future look like in the Nordic countries? Will we follow a green road, or will we go for less sustainable pathways? Will presently indigestible plants be common food for us tomorrow? Future scenarios were some of the main questions discussed during BIOWATER’s first summer camp, which was held at Sandbjerg Manor, just outside Sønderborg in Denmark (1-6 June). The BIOWATER camps are annual meeting points where we exchange progress results, make plans for the year(s) ahead, and discuss common papers. About thirty researchers, PhD-students and post-docs met during five sunny days in southern Denmark.
Scenarios for land use
What will the Nordic rural landscape look like in a future based on bioeconomy? If we look 30 years ahead, will the land use change significantly, or will the change be subtle and gradual? By using the shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs; see below) as a point of departure, the scenario group within BIOWATER has developed a set of Nordic Bioeconomy Pathways for 2050. These were discussed and will be further developed with the help of stakeholders in all four countries. Furthermore, during this autumn, we will engage stakeholders to elaborate on possible pressures and measures under these possible pathways, in both agricultural and forested areas.
Grass for dinner?
Our invited speaker was senior researcher Uffe Jørgensen, who is head of Aarhus University’s newly established (2017) Centre for Circular Bioeconomy (http://cbio.au.dk/en). He informed us about the interesting ongoing research at the center, which aims to carry out research on bio-economy production systems and recirculation concepts. This includes bio refining methods and high-value products based on green crops, marine biomasses and residual/by-products from the agricultural and food sectors. One fascinating prospect in his speech was the possible use of grass as fodder for animals that cannot readily utilize the proteins in grass directly. This can be extended to imagine that grass-based products also can be food for humans. Perhaps in the future, when children come home from school and ask what’s for dinner, the answer will be ‘grass of course, go and pick some from the lawn if you please…!’ More seriously, if this scenario becomes a reality, the land use is likely to change, since the amount of proteins in grass is much higher than in many grain varieties. Our next question will then be what the impacts of the conversion of cereal fields to grasslands will mean for our water bodies.
Uffe Jørgensen, head of the Aarhus University Centre for Circular Bioeconomy, held an interesting speach on future prospects in bioeconomy. Ph: E.Skarbøvik
BIOWATER partners listening to Uffe Jørgensen’s future prospects of bioeconomy. Ph: E.Skarbøvik.
Are they standing next to – or on – tomorrows dinner plate? Photo: E. Skarbøvik
Special session at the Land Use and Water Quality Conference
As noted in our last news, BIOWATER hosts a special session during next year’s Land Use and Water Quality Conference in Aarhus in Denmark (LUWQ2019). The session will include topics that cover the research fields within BIOWATER, including development of scenarios for a future bioeconomy; reference conditions of water bodies; effects on water quality and quantity of the bioeconomy; possible future mitigation and adaptation measures; and impacts of the bioeconomy on ecosystem services. A special issue is planned for this session, and during the camp students and researchers started the discussions and preparations for common papers.
PhD-course on modelling
Prior to the summer camp, the BIOWATER PhD-students attended a one-week long course at the University of Aarhus on modelling with the SWAT-model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool). The students brought their own case studies to the course, and at the camp the students presented the modelling done so far. Modelling not only enables us to predict impacts of possible future scenarios, but also helps us to understand the processes in a catchment. However, modelling can be tedious and iterative, and we were impressed by the progress the students had already gained. Many of BIOWATER’s students plan to use modelling in their work, and the fact that they have attended this course together is expected to be helpful, since they can interact and discuss common challenges in this work.
PhD students attending the SWAT Course in Silkeborg, prior to the summer camp. The two teachers, Hans Estrup Andersen and Eugenio Molino Navarro to the left. Photo: Aarhus University.
Socialising
An important part of the summer camp was the informal interaction between the partners, including students, supervisors and other researchers. A trip to Sønderborg on Sunday afternoon, a nice conference dinner on the Monday, swimming in the sea and playing games on the lawns of Sandbjerg in the evenings, were all parts of the important informal time where we could get to know each other better.
Biowater partners gathering around the Table of the King in Sønderborg. Photo: Seppo Rekolainen.