Stakeholders are important for BIOWATER, and we believe that BIOWATER is important for Stakeholders. In a changing world, being prepared is vital both for management and business institutions. Hence, BIOWATER’s research into the future consequences of the green shift on the environment should be highly relevant. 

Biowater final stakeholder meeting

Our final meeting with stakeholders was held on 9 June 2022, as a hybrid solution. We had a day with many presentations, discussions and also two ‘mentimeter-exercises’. More info from that day will come.

Biowater in a nutshell

Watch our newest movie:

This movie from 2020 also gives an overview of our activities: BIOWATER movie.

Newsletters

• January 2022: BIOWATER NEWSLETTER No1 2022
• June 2021: BIOWATER NEWSLETTER No1 2021
• February 2020: BIOWATER NEWSLETTER No1 2020
• May 2019: BIOWATER NEWSLETTER No1 2019

Policy briefs/fact sheets

Our policy briefs / Fact sheets are designed to give an overview for managers and other stakeholders of new findings.

Forestry and freshwaters

Policy brief on Forestry, water quality and ecology (2022).

With the emerging bioeconomy, it is expected that more biomass will be needed for food, fodder, fibre and fuel. This may mean harder exploitation of forested areas, which again can have negative impacts on freshwaters. Biowater has obtained new knowledge on forestry’s impacts on water quality and ecology, and present it here in a condensed format.

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Bioeconomy and freshwaters (12 scientific papers condensed to four pages)

How green will a bioeconomy be for our Nordic water resources? (2020) is a brief that gives an overview of the BIOWATER special issue in the journal Ambio (49)11 2020. Twelve scientific papers on bioeconomy and its possible impacts on water resources and the society have been condensed into four pages.  

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Nutrient reference conditions

Policy brief # 2 2020: Nutrient reference conditions in Nordic waters (BIOWATER Policy Brief #2 2020)

Managers and scientists working with the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) will be familiar with the term ‘reference conditions’, which can be defined as the natural state of a water body. Determining nutrient reference conditions in areas that have been cultivated for centuries has proven difficult. In this policy brief, we therefore compare how Nordic countries have approached the challenge.

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Policy briefs, fact sheets and papers in local language 

Danish

Kronvang, B, Skarbøvik, E & Fölster, J 2021, ‘Hvad er referencen for N & P i vandløb?’, Vand & Jord, bind 28. årgang, nr. 2, s. 52-55.

Norwegian:

Referansetilstand for næringsstoffer i elver: Sammenligning av nordiske lands tilnærminger. BIOWATER Faktaark Desember 2020 (On reference conditions in Nordic rivers)

Hva betyr nydyrking for vannmiljøet? NIBIO-POP 41(6) 2020 (on cultivation of new land and its impacts on the water environment) 

Opinion brief on ecosystem services

Short and more personal notices discussing important aspects of bioeconomy and the terms we are using to understand its impacts on water resources and us as a society.  

Ecosystem services: Can the concept help policy and management?   (2020) Ecosystem services is a buzz-word that not all of us fully understand. In this opinion brief, Prof. Jan Vermaat gives a personal view of how he has approached the topic. 

Info of Biowater in other brochures

Hellsten, S. 2021. Green is not always green – effects of growing bioeconomy on water courses. EurAqua Newsletter March 2021. https://www.euraqua.org/download/18.5bcd43b91781d2f501c12ce/1616433411635/EurAqua%20newsletter_03_2021.pdf

Selected presentations for stakeholders

Presentation in Norwegian on forestry and water based on BIOWATER (and associated) papers. Norsk presentasjon om vannkvalitet og skogbruk, basert på artikler fra Biowater og relaterte prosjekt. 

Brochure to stakeholders

This  Stakeholder brochure (English) gives a short overview of the Centre’s aims and activities related to user interests. In addition to the English version, the brochure is also available in Danish and Norwegian: 

Stakeholder brochure_Dansk  

Norsk Biowaterbrosjyre.

Stakeholders and scenario development

In BIOWATER, stakeholders are especially valued for their inputs to our scenario developments. We have used the shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs), and transferred them to a set of Nordic Bioeconomy Pathways (see the paper of Rakovic et al. 2020). The five Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) comprise, very much simplified:

• SSP1: a world of sustainability-focused growth and equality;
• SSP2 a “middle of the road” world where trends broadly follow their historical patterns;
• SSP3 a fragmented world of “resurgent nationalism” (building borders);
• SSP4 a world of ever-increasing inequality (cities first); and
• SSP5 a world of rapid and unconstrained growth in economic output and energy use (read more).

Then we have asked stakeholders how they believe each scenario will turn out in the Nordic rural landscapes, given a set of 15 main questions. For example, how may the diversity of the cropping system be under the five different scenarios? Will it be more intense, with a low diversity of crops, or will it be diversified and novel, with high diversity of crops? And how will the forests be managed? Will there be fertilized monocultures with clear-felling, or will there be more focus on mixed species stands with more environmentally friendly harvesting?   

Stakeholder workshops and interviews have now been completed

In 2018 and 2019, stakeholder interactions were conducted. Representatives of different sectors (agriculture, forestry and industry), as well as water managers at different levels, have either met in workshops (Norway and Finland) or been interviewed (Denmark and Sweden.

Finnish stakeholder workshop, in consideration of future scenarios.

 

Earlier stakeholder events

Stakeholders were invited to the Biowater kick-off meeting in autumn 2017, at Silkeborg in Denmark. In addition to the general programme, there was a group work on scenarios where the stakeholdes and scientists discussed possible future pathways due to the green shift. The stakeholders also participated in our field trip to study artificial wetlands in Danish rural landscapes.