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1. Established butterfly survey methods that are useful for monitoring species that are widely distributed and numerous may be less accurate for more rare species. We therefore need new monitoring approaches.2. We describe a plot-based survey method, where butterflies or larvae nests are counted within 1-ha grid cells. The aim was to compare this grid method with more traditional transect counts and evaluate both methods in relation to high-quality capture-mark-release (CMR) population estimates (reflecting the true population). We do this using data from a large population of the marsh fritillary butterfly in Sweden. Moreover, we followed the overall population trend from 2017 to 2021 for both adult butterflies and larvae.3. Results showed a higher detection probability using the grid method compared with transect counts, which for adult butterflies seem to be explained by time effort. Moreover, grid surveys of adult butterflies showed a clear significant relationship with the estimated true population size from CMR, while transect counts did not. For larvae, both methods showed significant relationships with the estimated adult population size, but the grid method found 5.7 times more larvae. The overall popu-lation fluctuated significantly across years. In years with low densities, the transect method largely failed to detect the species.4. The grid method seems more reliable for detecting the marsh fritillary and for estimating its population size, and thus, tracking the population trend. We propose this novel method to be integrated into surveys and monitoring of biodiversity, especially when focusing on rare habitat specialists that are normally underrepre-sented in monitoring based on volunteer counts., Funding Agencies|Cementa AB; Svenska Forskningsradet Formas

Svenska skolor har länge haft en målsättning att integrera vägledning i undervisningen. Under 1970-talet visade utvärderingar att hela skolans ansvar inte var välfungerande och nästintill okänt för skolledningen och lärare. Vägledning som hela skolans ansvar innebär att all pedagogisk personal ska bidra med vägledning till eleverna. Än idag visar forskning att organiseringen med vägledningen är svag och att lärares involvering brister. Syftet är därför att undersöka högstadielärares involvering och uppfattning om sin roll i vägledning som hela skolans ansvar på en grundskola i en större stad samt vilka organisatoriska förutsättningar som eventuellt saknas för att implementera vägledningen i undervisningen. Frågeställningarna är: Hur uppfattar högstadielärare på en grundskola i en större stad sin roll i vägledning som hela skolans ansvar? Vilka organisatoriska förutsättningar identifierar högstadielärare för att arbeta med vägledning som hela skolans ansvar i undervisningen? Vi har använt en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem högstadielärare. Empirin har analyserats utifrån organiseringsperspektivet som fokuserar på sex organisatoriska förutsättningar som behövs för att förändring och utveckling ska vara möjlig. Huvudresultatet visar att högstadielärares uppfattning om sin roll i vägledning som hela skolans ansvar skiljer sig och att de organisatoriska förutsättningarna brister för att högstadielärarna ska implementera vägledningen i undervisningen.

A transition is needed within the current agricultural sector. The intensive food production emits a significant amount of greenhouse gases, but also generates a nitrogen surplus. Consequently, biodiversity and soil quality have been decreasing dramatically in recent decades. One way of achieving a more sustainable food system is through regenerative agriculture, which is a nature-based practice where ecosystem services and soil health are central. This research aims to understand how the decentralisation of farming practices can aid a transition to regenerative agriculture in a socially just way. Through research by design, the concepts of decentralisation, regenerative agriculture and social justice were studied separately and layered on the project areas of different scales: Northwest Europe, South-Holland (NL) and Biesbosch National Park. The objective of this research is to develop a vision and strategy for these areas to achieve a socially just transition to regenerative agricultural practices. Based on literature, we propose a set of regenerative agriculture land-use typologies for Northwest Europe (i.e. nature buffer, food-forest, polyculture crop, polyculture crop-livestock mix, urban food parks). Next, we show how we can transition to these new land-uses, employing methods of spatial and systemic (administrative, fiscal, economic) decentralisation. Each transition is qualitatively assessed by its implications for social justice in local communities and its potential to improve soil quality of the region. On a local scale, for the Biesbosch area in the province of South-Holland, a strategy is proposed that is based on our vision for Northwest Europe. Through local strategic interventions and the empowerment of existing initiatives and cooperatives, we show that the proposed land-use patterns and decentralised food chain can mitigate biodiversity loss and foster local agri-food networks that provide food security in a sustainable way., AR2U086 R&D Studio – Spatial Strategies for the Global Metropolis, Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Urbanism

Improved taxonomic methods are needed to quantify declining populations of insect pollinators. This study devises a high‐throughput DNA barcoding protocol for a regional fauna (United Kingdom) of bees (Apiformes), consisting of reference library construction, a proof‐of‐concept monitoring scheme, and the deep barcoding of individuals to assess potential artefacts and organismal associations. A reference database of cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (cox1) sequences including 92.4% of 278 bee species known from the UK showed high congruence with morphological taxon concepts, but molecular species delimitations resulted in numerous split and (fewer) lumped entities within the Linnaean species. Double tagging permitted deep Illumina sequencing of 762 separate individuals of bees from a UK‐wide survey. Extracting the target barcode from the amplicon mix required a new protocol employing read abundance and phylogenetic position, which revealed 180 molecular entities of Apiformes identifiable to species. An additional 72 entities were ascribed to nuclear pseudogenes based on patterns of read abundance and phylogenetic relatedness to the reference set. Clustering of reads revealed a range of secondary operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in almost all samples, resulting from traces of insect species caught in the same traps, organisms associated with the insects including a known mite parasite of bees, and the common detection of human DNA, besides evidence for low‐level cross‐contamination in pan traps and laboratory procedures. Custom scripts were generated to conduct critical steps of the bioinformatics protocol. The resources built here will greatly aid DNA‐based monitoring to inform management and conservation policies for the protection of pollinators.

Improved taxonomic methods are needed to quantify declining populations of insect pollinators. This study devises a high-throughput DNA barcoding protocol for a regional fauna (United Kingdom) of bees (Apiformes), consisting of reference library construction, a proof-of-concept monitoring scheme, and the deep barcoding of individuals to assess potential artefacts and organismal associations. A reference database of cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (cox1) sequences including 92.4% of 278 bee species known from the UK showed high congruence with morphological taxon concepts, but molecular species delimitations resulted in numerous split and (fewer) lumped entities within the Linnaean species. Double tagging permitted deep Illumina sequencing of 762 separate individuals of bees from a UK-wide survey. Extracting the target barcode from the amplicon mix required a new protocol employing read abundance and phylogenetic position, which revealed 180 molecular entities of Apiformes identifiable to species. An additional 72 entities were ascribed to nuclear pseudogenes based on patterns of read abundance and phylogenetic relatedness to the reference set. Clustering of reads revealed a range of secondary operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in almost all samples, resulting from traces of insect species caught in the same traps, organisms associated with the insects including a known mite parasite of bees, and the common detection of human DNA, besides evidence for low-level cross-contamination in pan traps and laboratory procedures. Custom scripts were generated to conduct critical steps of the bioinformatics protocol. The resources built here will greatly aid DNA-based monitoring to inform management and conservation policies for the protection of pollinators.

Nutidens största levande landdjur är elefanten som finns både i Afrika och Asien. Afrika har en population på ca 415 000 ± 20 000 individer distribuerat över 37 länder och den asiatiska elefanten har en uppskattad populationsstorlek på 38 000-52 000 individer i det vilda distribuerat över 13 asiatiska länder. Enligt IUCN:s sjugradiga rödlista är den afrikanska elefanten listad som nummer tre-sårbar och den asiatiska elefanten ät listad som nummer fyra-starkt hotad. Elefanten bidrar till den biologiska mångfalden på många olika sätt, exempelvis genom att de sprider frön via sin avföring över stora områden vilket gör att olika träd och växter kan sprida sig. Därför är elefanten viktig att bevara eftersom den även gynnar miljön den lever i. När man skall jobba med att bevara en art så är det viktigt att analysera vilka hot som finns mot arten. Historiskt sett har tjuvjakt för elfenben bidragit till en stor del av elefantens populationsnedgång men på senare tid har människa-elefant konflikter blivit ett allt större hot mot elefantens överlevnad. Denna studie syftar till att beskriva vad människa-elefant konflikter består av samt undersöka olika strategier som används för att reducera dessa konflikter. Information till studien kommer från tidigare publicerad forskning. Arbetet bygger på fyra frågeställningar: • Vilka strategier används för att reducera människa-elefant konflikter? • Hur påverkar dessa strategier människor? • Hur påverkar dessa strategier elefanter? • Hur hållbara är dessa strategier? Studien kom fram till att människa-elefant konflikter uppstår på grund av att människor breder ut sig vilket lett till att elefantens habitat har minskat avsevärt. Olika typer av konflikter som kan uppstå är att elefanter förstör och äter upp grödor, har sönder byggnader och rör sig i befolkade områden. Konsekvenser av dessa konflikter består bland annat av att lantbrukare förlorar inkomst då deras grödor blir förstörda samt att både människor och elefanter skadas eller döda, The categorization of the African elephant (Loxodonta) as endangered and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) as critically endangered calls out for important measurements in conservational work efforts. One of the largest threats towards the elephant species both in Africa and Asia is human-elephant conflict. This study aims to give a background to human-elephant conflict as well as to answer: 1.What strategies are used to reduce human-elephant conflict? 2.What impact do these strategies have on humans? 3.What impact does these strategies have on elephants? 4.How sustainable are these strategies? The study was performed as a literature review collecting information from previous research in the field. Human-elephant conflict arises from the fragmentation and loss of elephant habitat and primarily affect people in agriculture by crop-raiding and crop-trampling. People outside agriculture are also affected by these conflicts by elephants blocking roads, destroying structures and physical altercations which can lead to injury or death to both humans as well as elephants. Different strategies used to reduce human-elephant conflict includes fencing (i.e. thatched, barbed wire, electrical), beehive fencing, sound alarms, burning chili, chili spray, guarding and chasing elephants away with firecrackers, banging of pots, use of firearms and shouting. Governments may also cull or translocate problematic individuals and different compensation scheme programmes are also used to mitigate conflict. The result of this study showed that none of the strategies work to reduce human-elephant conflict 100% and they will all have some negative impact on both humans and elephants. Negative impacts consist of i.e. high costs, high labour requirements, risk of injury or death and induced stress that affect elephant behaviour. The study concludes that since the strategies are not efficient in reducing human-elephant conflict to a minimum and because of their negative impact on both humans