Annual Report 2010
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Stockholm Resilience Centre Annual Report 2010

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Stockholm Resilience Centre Annual Report 2010
Printed by EO Grafiska AB, 2011
Edited by Cajsa Martinsson and Sturle Hauge Simonsen
Graphic design: Christine Clifstock, Clifstock Form
All cover photos are from Azote.se: 1. U. Manhammar,
2. M. Ormestad, 3. S. Zeff, 4. E. Wisniewska,
5. S. Zeff, 6. N. Wijkmark, 7. A. Nicander
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Stockholm University
SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Visiting address: Kräftriket 2B
Phone: +46 8 674 70 70
Fax: +46 8 674 70 20
E-mail: info@stockholmresilience.su.se
www.stockholmresilience.su.se

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Contents

Preface6

Directors’ view

8

Center highlights 201011

Conferences, workshops and seminars

32

Practice, Policy and Outreach

37

Teaching & Training

45

5Preface
The year 2010 saw significant advances inby providing scientific inputs, contributing

the international efforts to recognize theadvice, and engaging actively in science-

importance of biodiversity and ecosystem

policy dialogues. Even though the coreservices for human development. The

business of the centre is scientific excellence

Nagoya meeting of the UN Convention

on social-ecological systems research for

on Biodiversity set new concrete targets

resilience and human development, thefor the protection of biodiversity. The UN

centre also engages actively, together withalso decided to establish the International

partners across the world, in providing

Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystemscientific support to policy processes.

Service (IPBES), a scientific assessment

The centre has with its fourth year

mechanism similar to the Intergovernmentalof existence, and the first ordinary

Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC). The

year after the three year start-up phase

G8 (+5) initiated study on The Economics(2007-2009), established itself as anof Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)

international scientific partner in inter- andwas finalized in 2010 and has strengthenedtransdisciplinary science on resilience andeven further the evidence of the costs ofsustainability. The centre supports theecosystem degradation and the benefits

emergence of integrated teams of scientistsof sustainable stewardship of landscapes

to address complex human-environmentand seascapes. The Stockholm Resiliencechallenges, with the aim of advancing

Centre has in different ways contributed

novel and relevant insights. The research

to all these three science-policy processes,

ranges from applied research in the6

Photo: A.Tedeholm/azote.se

Baltic sea region, field research in Africa,

developed into a new research oriented

to addressing the risk of inconvenient

Master program on Social-Ecologicalfeedbacks from multiple social andSystems for Sustainable Development. The

ecological shocks at the global level. We

school runs a series of PhD courses, andaim at advancing better ways of generating

hosts a first group of centre PhD students.

and sustaining human wellbeing in an era of

All these initiatives are important steps

growing turbulence and more rapid global

in further strengthening the long-termchange.

quality and relevance of the centre. Looking

As a response to the external evaluationahead the centre will continue to spearheadof the centre at the end of its start-up

integrated science on resilience, engaging

phase, the centre has invested further infurther in social-ecological research on

convening dialogues between science, policy

regional and global change as well as

and practice on key areas of resilience andresearch on resilience and development.

development. The centre has also started
the process of raising the number of tenure
track research positions at the centre, withthe support from Stockholm University, thehost of the centre. The Resilience Research
School is now in full operation, hosting a
Master program on Ecosystems, Resilience

Professor Arild Underdal,

and Governance, which in 2011 will be

Chair of the Board

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Directors’ view
The vision of Stockholm Resilience centreof the tension between efficiency andis to contribute to a world where social-creativity and managing for emergence

ecological systems are understood, governedwith ‘motivation platforms’ that stimulate

and managed in ways that enhance humancollaboration, trust and collective action

well-being and the capacity to deal with

between researchers and networks,complexity and change, for the sustainable

increasing the likelihood for new insights

co-evolution of human civilisations and theand novelty.
Our cross-thematic research structure,biosphere. This is an important vision thatwith its six interacting themes, hasguides all our activities.
At Stockholm Resilience Centre we

supported such processes and helped

strive to provide a flexible and creative

us clarify that even in the short term,

work environment where scholars integratesocieties in the world face the need forsocial sciences, natural sciences and thetransformative changes. Some of thesehumanities in order to generate new insights

may be costly and some may requireand solutions in line with our vision. We

fundamental behavioural changes. Others

are continuously testing and developing

may in fact be beneficial, even profitable.

new approaches to science that cut across

All will have to be aimed at achieving

scientific disciplines, that involve teaching

human development while sustaining theand training, and that interact with policy

desired state of the Earth system, which inand practice. The centre is in fact anturn means persisting in a dynamic state ofexperiment in itself on how to conduct

global social-ecological resilience withininterdisciplinary and transdisciplinary

planetary boundaries. The solutions forresearch that not only generates top quality

the future must be embedded in regional

science, but also relevant guidance to key

and local contexts, where governancedevelopment challenges, while at the sameand management, as well as economic

time allowing for learning and adaptation.

paradigms and social values, are founded

Such experimental arenas are of significancein a deeper appreciation of how deeply

in the quest for sustainable solutions tointertwined human societies are with thethe massive social-ecological challenges

environmental life-support capacity offacing humanity. Important featuresplanet Earth.
Our emphasis on resilience, regime shifts,of the experiment include stewardship8

global change and adaptive governance forsenior lectureship, have been successfullysocial-ecological transformation is importantfilled. Recruitment is now underway forin this context. We apply this integrated

three junior lectureships. We have alsosocial-ecological resilience approach to

been fortunate to receive funds from twosustainability research on urban social-private foundations that will provide long-

ecological systems, food security, freshwaterterm support for four or five posts. A 50%

and dynamic landscapes, and marine

increase in core support from Stockholm

social-ecological challenges. The research

University has been obtained during thecollaboration and progress of Stockholm

year. Furthermore, we are participating in

Resilience Centre is increasingly capturing

two Stockholm University collaborative

truly intertwined social-ecological systems

strategic research grants (BEAM, EkoKlim)

and important cross-scale interactions andwith other academic departments, and havefeedbacks from a complexity perspective, as

received two interdisciplinary Centres ofreflected in the research highlights presented

Excellence this year; one from Formas onin this report. It is truly rewarding to see thethe Baltic Sea and the other from Nordforsk

rapid spread of interest in social-ecologicalon marine ecosystems, with our Baltic Nest

research and resilience thinking in many

researchers as central players.

parts of the world.
During the year we have prepared for

The major challenge with an expanding
centre is to avoid spreading ourselves too

the start of the International Council

thin, while simultaneously supportingfor Science (ICSU) new Programme on

bottom-up emergence. During the year

Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), for

we initiated a process to start monitoring

which the centre will host the Internationaland continuously assessing our research

Programme Office. We have also been

framework in relation to findings andengaged in the ICSU visioning process,insights and capture those for new synthesis

contributing to identifying the future

and theory development. The idea is to

grand challenges for global sustainability

help identify strengths, gaps and novel

research. The IHOPE global network

areas, fine-tuning and sharpening the SRC

project, also hosted by the centre, is a useful

research direction.

complement in this context. We are also

The Resilience Research School is inexcited about taking on SwedBio, a Sida-

full operation, and much work has been

funded programme on ecosystem services

done to fundamentally restructure ourand change with a poverty, livelihood andMaster’s programme to match our researchhuman development focus. The SwedBio

agenda. We continue our work of sharing

programme will be integrated with centre

interdisciplinary environmental research

activities and will strengthen our work on

experiences across Stockholm University

the role of resilience for development.

and of widening our collaboration with

The first tenure track posts announced

Swedish and international universities.

by the centre, one professorship and one

The centre has started to engage more9

actively in being a convenor of science-

processes, which constitute important

policy bridging, not only as a outreachavenues to channel scientific knowledge

activity, but also as an integral part ofon ecosystem services, resilience anda joint learning process. An example ofdevelopment to world leaders.

this is the SRC-led Baltic-Stern initiative,

Finally, the new Board of Stockholm

supported by the Swedish EPA, with the

Resilience Centre is now in place. We are

purpose of assessing the costs of action andvery privileged that Arild Underdal has

inaction for a sustainable Baltic Sea.

agreed to continue as chairman, with2010 was the UN International Year of

Frances Westley as vice-chairperson

Biodiversity, with the critical meeting ofand Thomas Rosswall on the Executive

the parties in Nagoya of the Convention

Committee of the Board. A few persons

on Biodiversity (CBD), the launch of thehave left the Board; Carole Crumley, Roger

study on the Economics of Ecosystem

Kaspersson and Jacqueline McGlade. We

Services and Biodiversity (TEEB) andthank you for your tremendous support

the successful agreement to establish thefor the centre so far, and we welcome

Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity

our new Board members; Bonnie McCay,

and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a scientific

Leena Srivastava, Gretchen Daily, Johanassessment initiative similar to IPCC.

Kuylenstierna and Pavan Sukhdev. We have

The centre has been involved in all these

exciting times ahead.

Professor
Professor
Johan Rockström, Carl Folke,
Science Director
Centre Director

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Dr Olof Olsson,
Deputy Director

Photo: N.Ryrholm/azote.se

Centre highlights 2010
Our research is framed by a truly integrated

resilience in order to deal with change,

view of people and nature in what wemove on and continue to develop

refer to as social-ecological systems, withthe objective of improved stewardshipof ecosystem services for human wellbeing. Using a resilience lens, we address
issues from a complex adaptive systems
approach and analyse the many crossscale interactions that exist, from local to
global or from history to the future. There
are three features of resilience thinking ofsignificance for analysing social-ecologicalsystems in relation to sustainability:
Persistence - buffer capacity to withstandTransformability - the capacity ofpeople in a social-ecological system tocreate new development pathways when
ecological, political, social or economic
conditions make the existing system
untenable.
Research is structured into themes
to provide flexible arenas for sharing
perspectives and knowledge from different
disciplines, and the themes feed into eachother through inductive-deductive science,shocks in the face of change

practice and theory, with active involvement

Adaptability - the capacity of people

sciences and the humanities.

of scholars from the natural sciences, social

in a social-ecological system to manage

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Research themes and highlights 2010
The themes currently consist of six

included several follow-up sessions on

overarching areas. The first three themes

the planetary boundaries work, newcluster insights on advanced theory andBaltic Sea research and key insights on

methods, namely: Regime shifts andecosystem stewardship, regime shifts

implications in social-ecological systems;

and transformations in social-ecological

Global and cross-scale dynamics of social-systems. A glimpse of the activities is

ecological systems; and Multilevel adaptive

provided in the following pages.

governance, learning and transformations

Three very interesting special journalof social-ecological systems. These actively

issues have been produced: Social

interact with the other three cross-area

Network Analysis in Natural Resource

themes; Water, food and ecosystem services

Governance, edited by Beatrice Crona andin social-ecological landscapes; Coastal

Klaus Hubacek, in Ecology and Society;and marine social-ecological systems; andGovernance, Complexity and Resilience,

Urban social-ecological systems.

edited by Victor Galaz, Andreas Duit,

Research activities during 2010 wereKatarina Eckerberg and Jonas Ebbesson,

intense, with widespread collaborationsin Global Environmental Change; andand networks, key meetings and workshops

Environmental Education, Resilience, andorganised at the centre platform. These

Learning: Reflection and Moving Forward,

Figure 1. The first three themes deal with advanced theory andmethods and actively interact with the other three cross-area themes.

12Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: B.Christensen/azote.seby Marianne Krasny, Cecilia Lundholm andManagement, Global Change Biology, andRyan Plummer, in Environmental Education

Critical Review of International Social andResearch.

Political Philosophy. Centre researchers

In all, well over 100 scientific articles

also produced popular science and outreachwere published in 2010. They appeared

papers. For a full list of publications,in scientific journals covering diverse

other research activities and accounts indisciplines, including three publications

brief see www.stockholmresilience.su.se/

in Science and leading journals such as

annualreport2010_appendix.

Proceedings of the National Academyof Sciences (PNAS), Trends in Ecology
and Evolution, Frontiers in Ecology andthe Environment, Journal of Hydrology,
PlosOne, Public Administration, World
Development, Global Environmental
Change, BioScience, Marine Policy, Ecology
and Society, Ambio, Environmental
Conservation, Environmental and Resource
Economics, Environmental Scienceand Technology, Agricultural Water

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Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: T.H.Snickars/azote.se

The environmentalist’s paradox
Centre researchers analyse why humans do better while theearth does worse.
For some time, ecologists have shown that

3.

Technology makes humans lessdependent on ecosystem services.

Earth’s life support systems are declining.
4.

At the same time, however, human

The worst is yet to come: there is

wealth, health, education and life span are

a time lag after ecosystem service

increasing.

degradation before human well-being
is affected.

Paradox not an illusion

Regarding the first hypothesis, Peterson andCentre researchers Garry Peterson andcolleagues argue that there is a large body

Maria Tengö together with collaboratorsof evidence demonstrating that human well-from McGill University have been trying

being, even of the worst off, has increased

to determine why human well-being

during the past fifty years, suggesting thatis increasing while ecosystem services

the paradox is not an illusion.

degrade.
The four hypotheses being examined are:

Mixed support for theother hypotheses

1.

Human well-being is actually declining

Their assessment of the second hypothesis

because current ways to measure thisis that agricultural ecosystems strongly

are wrong or incomplete.

support human well-being.

2.

However, support for hypotheses three

Food production and continued
agricultural growth trump all otherand four is mixed. Despite great advances

ecosystems because only provisioningin technology and social organisation that

services are important for humanhave increased the benefits people get fromwell-being.

nature, we have increased rather than

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Research themes and highlights 2010
decreased our use of ecosystems.
“There is little evidence from the past

researchers and inadequate attention toenvironmental governance.

of sustained decreases in human well-being“Researchers often address narrowcaused by environmental decline, but asaspects of global environmental change,

the scope of human use of the planet has

based upon disciplinary assumptions that

increased there are reasons to remain

are often unconvincing to researchers

concerned about the future”, says co-author

outside their own discipline. We need

Maria Tengö.

research that addresses practical questions

In addition, there is evidence thatbeyond disciplinary focus as well as

regulating ecosystem services that maintain

increased theoretical and practical attention

stable environments for people are

to environmental governance”, according todecreasing locally, while we are pushing

Garry Peterson and Maria Tengö.

the entire earth system across its planetary
boundaries.
“These findings do not show that theenvironment is unimportant, but rather
that people are extremely innovative andadaptive. However, the careless destructionof ecological infrastructure is leaving
people worse off than they would be if
we made more thoughtful investments inecological infrastructure. We have a lotof understanding of how humanity alters
the biosphere, but little understanding of

Photo: N.Ryrholm/azote.se

how these changes impact us”, says GarryPeterson.

Source: Raudsepp-Hearne,C., G.D. Peterson, M. Tengö,
E.M. Bennett, T. Holland, K.
Benessaiah, G. K. MacDonald
and L. Pfeifer. 2010. Untangling
the Environmentalist’s Paradox:
Why is Human Well-Being
Increasing as Ecosystem
Services Degrade? BioScience
60(8):576-589. doi: 10.1525/
bio.2010.60.8.4

Time to invest in ecologicalinfrastructure
The authors argue that humanity must
invest more in research on ecologicalinfrastructure, particularly three areas:
agriculture, cities and infrastructure.
In these areas, increased management,
research and governance to enhance
ecosystem services could yield major gains
in human well-being.
Major reasons for this lack of investment
are disciplinary boundaries among15

Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo:A.Nicander/azote.se

Ending the ocean’s ‘tragedy of the commons’Leading marine scientists propose radical changes to rescue theworld’s oceans from overfishing and pollution.
Centre researchers have frequently warned

involving a partnership of fishers, scientists

that the current management of ecosystems

and managers.

is unsustainable, and that the health of“There was a general recognition that

ecosystems and human well-being are

Chile’s fish stocks were in trouble. Things

closely linked.

were turbulent and people were looking for

Unfortunately, typical governanceanswers, which made them open to newarrangements do not effectively link theseapproaches. There was also good scientific

two essential elements.

understanding of the coastal ecosystemsof the region on which to base a new
management plan”, says centre researcher

Reversing fish depletion

Per Olsson.

Based on a successful social experiment

A revolutionary national system

in Chile, centre researcher Per Olsson andScience Director Carl Folke along withresearchers from ARC Centre of Excellence
for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook

Fishers and scientists had been working
together on the problem for some years,
sharing knowledge and building trust.

University say a new approach to marine

This led to the testing of new co-tenure could help to reverse the maritime‘tragedy of the commons’, which has led tothe depletion of fish stocks world-wide.
A combination of fisheries collapses andthe move to democracy in Chile provided

operative models for fishery management,
based on research describing the state offish stocks and the surrounding marine
ecosystem. The result is a revolutionary
national system of marine tenure thatthe opportunity to try out some newallocates user rights and responsibilities toarrangements for looking after fisheries,

collectives of fishers.

16Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: T.Dahlin/azote.se

A vital ingredient in the change was thea political moment when sweeping changes

move by Chile to democracy after a 17-year

can be brought in”, he says. “If you have all

dictatorship. This opened the way for reform

those things, there is a good chance you canof the laws governing fishing rights. The

avoid the marine ‘tragedy of the commons’,

new laws gave exclusive ocean territories towhich has been a feature of fisheries around

local and small-scale fisheries, and excluded

the world in the past half century.”
The research indicates that the key

the big industrial fishing fleets, which had
their own exclusive fishing zone.
Scientists and small fishers then worked

to managing fisheries may depend on
creating agreements that are voluntary andtogether to understand and rebuild thesufficiently flexible to cope with changes indecimated fish stocks in their zone, leading

the ocean environment, leading to fisheries

to a shared vision and voluntary agreementsthat are both ecologically and sociallyon how to manage them. Fishing pressure

sustainable.

was reduced in the industrial fishing zone
by cutting the number of big vessels.

World-wide potential

Source: Gelcich, S., T.P. Hughes,
P. Olsson, C. Folke, O. Defeo,
M. Fernández, S. Foale, L.H.
Gunderson, C. RodríguezSieker, M. Scheffer, R. Steneck,and J.C. Castilla. 2010.
Navigating Transformations inGovernance of Chilean Marine
Coastal Resources. Proceedings
National Academy of Sciences,
USA 107:16794-16799 www.
pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/
pnas.1012021107

Centre Science Director Carl Folke believes
that the Chilean experience contains lessons
which can potentially apply anywhere in
the world where a fishery is in trouble andthere are good scientific data on the marine
environment.
“You need a shared recognition thatsomething has to be done, you need a goodunderstanding of the marine ecosystemand how to regenerate it, you need trust
between scientists and fishers, and you need17Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: N.Rydholm/azote.se

Saving the Baltic Sea
Centre research links measures on land with effects in the sea andhelps restore its ecological status.
When scientists and policy-makers raiseknowledge from different fields.

concerns about coastal and marine

Stockholm Resilience Centre,

degradation, the example of the Baltic Sea

spearheaded by its partner Baltic Nest

is seldom omitted. This brackish sea isInstitute (BNI), has long experience inunder considerable strain due to different

providing scientific data and scenarios forpressures on the ecosystem, including a

the entire Baltic drainage basin and Baltic

large human population in the catchment

Sea. Their research has formed the basis forarea and the effects of human activities.

national and international decision-making

The largest environmental problems

and has played an instrumental role inare eutrophication caused by increasing

identifying necessary nutrient reductions as

nutrient loads, overfishing, bioaccumulation

defined by decision-makers in HELCOM

of hazardous substances, risk of chemical

for the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP). BSAP

and/or oil spills and invasive species. Theseis an ambitious action plan to drasticallyenvironmental problems, together with

reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea andcurrent and future climate changes, arerestore good ecological status by 2021.

jeopardising the ability of the Baltic Sea to

Baltic Nest Institute is also undertaking

provide ecosystem goods and services, i.e.

research in a number of national andbenefits that people obtain from ecosystems,

international projects, including fiveto the roughly 90 million people inhabiting

BONUS projects, which are assessing andthe drainage area.

modelling Baltic Sea ecosystem responsebuilding capability and developing

Restoring its statusadvanced modelling tools for scenariosof the Baltic Sea ecosystem to support

Understanding how to manage thedecision-making.

complex and interconnected drivers andpressures affecting the Baltic Sea requires
interdisciplinary research, combining

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Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: T.Jaretun/azote.se

Shift happens

Stern advice for the Baltic

Centre researchers have previously shown

Another significant partner in thethat Baltic Sea ecosystems have gone throughrestoration of the Baltic Sea is theecological regime shifts, including a change

BalticSTERN network. The acronym

from a cod- to a sprat-dominated state in the

STERN in BalticSTERN stands for Systems

Central Baltic Sea.

Tools and Ecological-economic evaluation

This area of research is further– a Research Network and is inspired byinvestigated in the FORMAS project

the report ‘The Economics of Climate‘Regime Shifts in the Baltic Sea Ecosystem

Change – the Stern Review’ (2007), which- Modelling Complex Adaptive Ecosystems

investigated the costs and benefits ofand Governance Implications’. The project,mitigating climate change. Coordinatedwhich started in 2010, will end in 2014 andby a Secretariat hosted by the centre,

aims to investigate the interplay between

BalticSTERN provides cost-benefit analysis

gradual and abrupt change (regime shifts) inregarding the environmental problems of

the Baltic and derive governance structures

the Baltic Sea. BalticSTERN will advancenecessary to implement an ecosystem

the understanding of the benefits of an

management approach.

improved marine environment by linking

BNI and centre researchers also playchanges in ecosystem services with changes

an important role in the interdisciplinary

in human welfare. October 2010 saw theBaltic Ecosystem Adaptive Management

publication of ‘Baltic Survey – a study in(BEAM) research programme. This

the Baltic Sea countries of public attitudes

programme focuses on the interactions

and use of the sea’, which documents the

between different environmental problems

recreational value of the Baltic Sea andand how to devise an ecosystem-based

shows that people benefiting from the

management system for the Baltic Sea. The

Baltic Sea worry about the environmental

five-year programme gathers a range ofsituation (see page 20).

researchers from Stockholm University andis part of the Swedish Government’s Strategic
Research Initiative on Marine Environmental
Research.

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Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: R.Kautsky/azote.se

Polluters should pay
Inhabitants around the Baltic Sea express worries about theenvironmental situation.
With 80 per cent of all people living in the

In the survey, entitled ‘BalticSurvey

Baltic Sea region having spent leisure time

- a study in the Baltic Sea countries ofthere, the Baltic Sea is frequently used for

public attitudes and use of the sea’, therecreational activities such as swimming,

majority of the respondents thought thatsunbathing or just enjoying the sea-shore

polluters should pay. They considered

for walking or picnicking. But there are

increased charges on pollution emissions

clouds looming on the horizon.

for individuals and enterprises to be an

Despite its young age (approximately

acceptable way of funding actions to4000 years), the Baltic Sea is underimprove the Baltic Sea environment.

considerable strain due to emissions and“It is clear from the study that people

other pressures on the ecosystem. This inin all countries around the Baltic Sea areturn affects the social-ecological services it

benefiting from the recreational values ofprovides to the roughly 90 million people

the Sea and that people are worried about

inhabiting the drainage area. This strain has

the environmental deterioration. This is theled researchers to call for a more ecosystem-

first study published from the international

based management approach.

research network BalticSTERN, and it

Many, particularly Finns, Swedes,

will be very useful as a basis for further

Estonians and people in the coastal

research on the benefits and the economic

region of Russia, are worried about thevalue of the ecosystem services that the Sea

environmental situation in the Baltic Sea.

gives to society”, says Siv Ericsdotter, head

In a survey involving 9000 respondents
from all the countries in the region,of the BalticSTERN Secretariat, which
coordinates the research network.

concerns were expressed about issues

More scientific reports will follow and insuch as litter, heavy metals and hazardous

2012 the Secretariat will compile a synthesis

substances, everyday oil leakages and thereport on costs of action and inaction

risk of a major oil spill, damage to flora andand cost-effective measures, directed at

fauna and algal blooms.

governments and other decision-makers.

20

Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: J.Lokarntz/azote.se

New Marine Nordic Centre of ExcellenceCentre awarded funding to create ‘a scientifically excellent projecton effect studies’.
On behalf of the Top-level Researchdevelop internationally collaborative projects

Initiative (TRI), Nordforsk has awarded

that integrate biology, economics and policy.
Centre researchers Thorsten Blenckner,

funding for a new Nordic Centre of
Excellence on Climate Change EffectsÖrjan Bodin, Magnus Nyström andon Marine Ecosystems and Resource

Christoph Humborg are engaged in the

Economics.

programme.
The Centre of Excellence was recognised

Research Director Carl Folke will colead the new programme together withby the TRI Programme Committee as ‘a

Nils Chr. Stenseth from the Centre forscientifically excellent project on effectEcological and Evolutionary Synthesis atstudies.’“If money were available to fund only

the University of Oslo.
“We are most pleased to receive this

one Nordic Centre of Excellence, this isgrant. This is an excellent opportunity

the one that the panel would recommend

to really integrate social and ecologicalto fund. Outstanding people and researchresearch on fisheries, food webs, climate

ideas, scientifically well-drafted, serious

and the Baltic Sea”, says Carl Folke.

efforts to integrate all work that will

Funding is scheduled to begin in

be done within the Nordic Centre of2011 and will be available for five years.

Excellence with very original ideas on how

The programme will implement a broad

to cut across disciplinary boundaries andinternational and multidisciplinary researchachieve real integration. This Nordic Centre

strategy to explore the biological, economicof Excellence offers added value in manyand societal risks and opportunities of global

respects. The Nordic Centre of Excellence

climate change on fisheries resources in theis led by a strong team, which has provided

Nordic region, with the primary focus on

excellent ideas on training and staff

Atlantic cod. This will be achieved throughdevelopment and has made an outstanding

primary research that will train a newcoordination and integration plan”, says thegeneration of PhD students and post-docs tointernational expert panel.

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Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: M.Almqvist/azote.se

Crises without borders
Abrupt ecological crises with dire societal consequences force a
rethink of crisis management.
Uppsala University.

In contrast to many aspects of global

They found that cascading ecologicalwarming (which can be projected andprepared for), cascading ecological crises

crises are not predestined to have failed

tend to be more abrupt, unexpected andresponses, provided the appropriate

notoriously hard to detect in advance. They

conditions to deal with them are provided.

challenge decision-making and threaten“We know from past research thatto leave actors in a confused cul de sac of

successful multilevel responses to cascading

blame games and bickering. For instance,crises are possible. It’s impossible to predict

when Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina

exactly which ecological crises will arise inexperienced one of the worst droughts inthe future, the only certainty is that they

decades in 2008 and 2009, it was feared

do happen. A crucial research challengethat the crisis would have repercussions foris therefore to understand the conditions

the entire region’s economies, particularly

under which institutions and decision-

related to export figures, fiscal revenues andmakers can deal with these crises,” says

inflation rates.

Victor Galaz.

“While incremental change requires
predictability, stability and efficiency,
rapid uncertain change instead demands
flexibility, learning and network responses
that cut across traditional public
boundaries”, say centre researchers Victor
Galaz and Fredrik Moberg, in a study
conducted together with experts fromThe Swedish National Centre for Crisis
Management Research and Training and

22

Source: Galaz, V., F. Moberg,
E-K. Olsson, E. Paglia and
C. Parker. Institutional andPolitical Leadership Dimensionsof Cascading Ecological
Crises. Public Administration,
no. doi: 10.1111/j.14679299.2010.01883.x

Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se

The inbetweeners
Scale-crossing brokers and new network structures can boost
urban ecosystem governance.
Urban areas are increasingly beingof Agricultural Sciences, have usedrecognised for their role in generating

network theory to develop an alternative

critical ecosystem services for human well-social network structure to facilitate thebeing. Green areas such as parks, wetlands,

emergence of adaptive capacity among thecemeteries and urban forests not only

different actors.

provide taken-for-granted services such as

They suggested the creation of midscale

shade and space for recreation, but also

managers and scale-crossing brokers toaerosol filtering and seed dispersal services

promote new relations between groups withthat support biodiversity.

knowledge to improve adaptive governance

Unfortunately most areas are consideredof the green areas. The potential exists

in isolation rather than ecologicallyfor these brokers, by linking otherwiseinterlinked with other green areas nearby.

unconnected actors, to become exceptional

The consequence is that groups of actors

crossroads of possibilities and exchanges oftend to ignore ecological processes beyond

experiences.

their own focus area. For example,
cemetery managers tend to form stronger
ties with other cemetery managers, andSource: Ernstson, H., S. Barthel,E. Andersson and S. Borgström.
2010. Scale-Crossing Brokers andNetwork Governance of Urban
Ecosystem Services: The Case of
Stockholm, Sweden. Ecology andSociety, 15 (4), 28. http://www.
ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss4/
art28/

weaker or no ties with actor groups andmanagers from adjacent green areas.
In an attempt to improve thecommunication between green area
managers in urban Stockholm, centre
researchers Henrik Ernstson, Stephan
Barthel and Sara Borgström, together with
Erik Andersson from the Swedish University

23

Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se

Urban gardens key in times of crisis
In-depth analysis of management of ecosystem services in cities.
Allotment gardens have often been

portion of the metropolitan landscape.

sources of local resilience during periods“This calls for policy-makers toof crisis. During World War I the number

appreciate and actively include citizens thatof allotment gardens in Britain surged

engage in the actual stewardship of urban

from 600,000 to 1,500,000, supplying

ecosystem services, whether it is aboutcity people with food and other ecosystem

sustaining urban green areas or designing

services. These gardens were established

new ones”, says Stephan Barthel.

in parks and sports fields, and even

As concluded in the study, these

Buckingham Palace turned over its lawns toallotment gardens serve as ‘pockets ofgrow vegetables.

social- ecological memory’ in the urban

In a study conducted in Stockholm,

landscape and constitute a source ofcentre researchers Stephan Barthel, Carl

resilience for generation of ecosystem

Folke and Johan Colding explored how

services, while counteracting ecologicalecosystem management practices are

illiteracy.

retained and stored among people andmodified and transmitted through time.
Today the city of Stockholm contains about
Source: Barthel S., C. Folke and
J. Colding. 2010. Social–ecological memory in urban
gardens-Retaining the capacity
for management of ecosystemservices. Global Environmental
Change 20 (2010) 255–265

10,000 individual allotment garden plots,
occupying 210 ha of land and involving
about 24,000 people.
The researchers found that selforganised groups of allotment gardeners
support critical ecosystem services thatboth underpin the production of crops
and flowers and spill over to a much larger

24

Research themes and highlights 2010

Biodiversity in the balanceContinuing biodiversity loss is predicted, but could be slowed.
A study published in Science comprising a

In a related article in the Policy Forum

more detailed version of the third Global

section of Science, centre researcher

Biodiversity Outlook report predicts theThomas Elmqvist and colleagues argue that

inevitable continuing decline of biodiversity

the Convention on Biological Diversity’s

during the 21st century. However, it also2020 targets are an improvement over theoffers hope that this decline could be slowed2010 target, but that there are important

if emerging policy choices are pursued.

missing pieces and that the targets could be

The study argues that fundamental

strengthened. They claim that IPBES wouldchanges are needed in society to avoid

help create the capacity to evaluate progress

future risks of extinctions, declining species

toward biodiversity targets and the costs of

populations and large-scale shifts in species

falling short (see page 42).

distributions.
The 23-member team behind the study,
which also include centre researcher Oonsie
Biggs, says that the target of stopping
biodiversity loss by 2020 ‘sounds good, but
sadly isn’t realistic’.
However, the study also presents
glimmers of hope: recent scenarios

Photo: B.Ekberg/azote.seshow that slowing climate change anddeforestation can help reduce biodiversity

Source: Pereira, H. M., P.
W. Leadley, V. Proença, R.
Alkemade, J. P. W. Scharlemann,
J. F. Fernandez-Manjarrés, M. B.
Araújo, P. Balvanera, R. Biggs,
W W. L. Cheung, L. Chini,
H. D. Cooper, E. L. Gilman,
S. Guénette, G. C. Hurtt, H.
P. Huntington, G. M. Mace,
T. Oberdorff, C. Revenga, P.
Rodrigues, R. J. Scholes, U. R.
Sumaila, M. Walpole. 2010.
Scenarios for Global Biodiversity
in the 21st Century. Science. vol.
330 no. 6010 pp. 1496-1501
DOI: 10.1126/science.1196624

loss, provided there are ‘significant
opportunities to intervene through better
policies, such as those aimed at mitigatingclimate change without massive conversionof forests to biofuel plantations’.
The authors say that much hinges on
the creation of an IPCC-like mechanism
for biodiversity (to be called theIntergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services - IPBES). They
consider the creation of such a mechanism
to be ‘extremely important’ for future
decision-making and achieving commonly
agreed definitions and indicators forbiodiversity.

25Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: S.Zeff/azote.se

A wicked problem
Unregulated fisheries resilient to international enforcement measures.
Research has shown that marine areas richcorporative beneficiaries and substantial

in valuable fish stocks are not sufficiently

monetary assets”, according to Henrik

protected either by local government orÖsterblom and Örjan Bodin.
Although tougher actions against vessels

by international regulations. Added to the
problem are so-called Illegal, Unreported

have led to less IUU fishing, the resilienceand Unregulated (IUU) fishing vessels,

and adaptability of the getaway vessels iswhich continue to work on the fringes

causing headaches.
Österblom and Bodin argue that noof international law despite various
enforcement measures and internationalcountry is immune to IUU fishing, but thepressure on flag states.

ability to effectively address it is dependent

An article written by centre researchers

on the country’s governance capacity. A

Henrik Österblom and Örjan Bodin

decreasing number of countries are willing

together with researchers in Canada andto flag IUU vessels, so the operators andAustralia shows how IUU operators in theowners of these vessels are deliberately

Southern Ocean use a number of methods

targeting areas with weak governance.

to adapt to and evade various enforcement
actions. Vessels have started to operate
in fleets and receive both logistic support
and legal advice during hot pursuits. In
addition, they change the vessel name anddump any potential evidence if they arecaptured.
“IUU operators appear adaptive, likely
due to a combination of increased offshore
coordination and consolidation, hidden

26

Source: Österblom H, U.R.
Sumaila, Ö. Bodin, J. Hentati
Sundberg , A.J. Press. 2010.
Adapting to Regional Enforcement:
Fishing Down the GovernanceIndex. PLoS ONE 5(9): e12832.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012832

Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: B.Ekberg/azote.seThirsty for moreHigh agriculture water consumption requires new thinking
No economic sector consumes as muchproduction areas are expected to expand by

freshwater as agriculture, and researchers

50 percent by 2050, with all the associatedare calling for a paradigm shift to curb

implications.
“The many ways in which ecosystem

this trend. An increased thirst for water
will eventually disturb the ecosystems that

services may be disturbed by livestock

produce the crops and grass that animals

production expansion in the next four toconsume.

five decades will require the development

In a study on livestock productionof strategies and policies for knowledge-

and management, centre researcher Lisa

based trade-offs between the human need

Deutsch and others provide a framework to

for increased food production and the needunderstand the role of water in ecosystems.

to protect the fundamental function of“Water needed for animal feed is by far

ecosystems services. It’s time for a shift in

the dominant freshwater challenge in thethinking”, according to the researchers.

livestock sector, and a lack of comprehensive
understanding of this relationship has led toinadequate management”, says Lisa Deutsch.

Source: Deutsch et. al. 2010.
Water-mediated EcologicalConsequences of Intensificationand Expansion of Livestock
Production. In Steinfeld,
H.; Mooney, H.;
Schneider,F. and Neville,
L. (eds.), Livestock in a
Changing Landscape,Volume 1. Island Press.

Deutsch and her colleagues argue that inorder to secure ecosystem protection, futurewater management needs to go beyond its
increasing and slightly misleading focus onblue water and also include green water,e.g. water in the soil that stems directlyfrom rainfall. The researchers also stressthe need to better integrate water resource
management and land use. Agricultural

27

Research themes and highlights 2010

Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se

A framework for the future
Centre helps identify five ‘grand challenges’ to enable futuresustainability.
Spearheaded by the International Council

4. Responding - Determine what

for Science (ICSU) in cooperation with theinstitutional, economic and behaviouralInternational Social Science Council (ISSC),

changes can enable effective steps toward

the international scientific community

global sustainability.

has identified five grand challenges that,

5. Innovating - Encourage innovation

if addressed in the next decade, will(coupled with sound mechanisms fordeliver knowledge to enable sustainableevaluation) in developing technological,

development, poverty eradication andpolicy and social responses to achieveenvironmental protection in the face of

global sustainability.

global change.

The challenges are a consensus list of the

The visioning process began in February

highest priorities for Earth system research2009 and is guided by a Task Team currently

and provide an overarching researchchaired by centre Director Johan Rockström.

framework.

The five grand challenges are:1. Forecasting - Improve the usefulnessof forecasts of future environmental
conditions and their consequences for people.
2. Observing - Develop, enhance andintegrate the observation systems needed to
manage global and regional environmental
change.
3. Confining - Determine how to
anticipate, recognise, avoid and manage
disruptive global environmental change.

28

Source: Reid, W.V., D. Chen,
L. Goldfarb, H. Hackmann, Y.T.
Lee, K. Mokhele, E. Ostrom,
K. Raivio, J. Rockström, H. J.
Schellnhuber, A. Whyte. 2010.
Earth System Science for Global
Sustainability: Grand Challenges.
Science, 12 November,
pp. 916-917.

Research themes and highlights 2010

Centre hosts new global
network, IHOPE

well as providing scientific knowledge tothe proposed Intergovernmental Platform
on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

A new network consisting of researchers(IPBES), which will play a role similar toacross a range of disciplines has beenthat of the IPCC in climate change.

set up at the centre. The network, called
IHOPE (Integrated History and future Of
the People on Earth), will share knowledge
and projects about historical biophysicaland social changes in order to create
projections about a sustainable future.
The IHOPE initiative is a joint project of
the Environment, Economies, Civilisation
and Global Change Programme (EECGP),
the International Human Dimensions
Programme (IHDP), and two core projectsof the International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme (IGBP): Past Global Changes(PAGES), and the Analysis, Integration andModelling of the Earth System (AIMES)
project.

Centre hosts office for
Programme on Ecosystem
Change and Society
Stockholm Resilience Centre will host theinternational programme office for the
new Programme on Ecosystem Change andSociety (PECS).
PECS provides scientific knowledge
to the proposed Intergovernmental
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES). This programme is
jointly sponsored by ICSU and UNESCO
and complements the four other ICSUWill Steffen awarded honorary
doctorate at SU
Senior Research Fellow Will Steffen
has been awarded the title of Honorary
Doctor at Stockholm University for his
work on global environmental change.
Steffen is the Executive Director of the
Climate Change Institute at the Australian
National University in Canberra. He isinternationally known for his research,
particularly his work on human driving
forces behind global environmental change.
Will Steffen was formerly the Directorof the International Geo-Biosphere
Programme (IGBP) at the Royal Swedish
Academy of Science, and has been guest
researcher at Stockholm University forseveral years.

sponsored global environmental change
programmes and the Earth Systems Science
Partnership. PECS aims to develop theacademic frontiers in its own right, as

29

Selected Publications
Barthel, S., C. Folke, and J. Colding. 2010.
Social–ecological memory in urban gardens:
retaining the capacity for management of
ecosystem services. Global Environmental
Change 20: 255–265.

Ernstson, H., S. Barthel, E. Andersson,
and S. Borgström. 2010. Scale-crossing
brokers and network governance of urban
ecosystem services: the case of Stockholm,
Sweden. Ecology and Society 15(4)28.

Biggs, R., F. R. Westley, and S. R.
Carpenter. 2010. Navigating the back
loop: fostering social innovation andtransformation in ecosystem management.
Ecology and Society 15(2): 9.

Folke, C., S. R. Carpenter, B. Walker,
M. Scheffer, T. Chapin, and J.
Rockström. 2010. Resilience thinking:integrating resilience, adaptability andtransformability. Ecology and Society 15(4):20.

Cinner, J. E., and Ö. Bodin. 2010.
Livelihood diversification in tropical coastal
communities: a network-based approach toanalyzing ‘livelihood landscapes’. Plos ONE
5(8): e11999
Crona, B., M. Nyström, C. Folke, and N.
Jiddawi. 2010. Middlemen, a critical socialecological link in coastal communities of
Kenya and Zanzibar. Marine Policy 34:
761-771.
Deutsch et. al. 2010. Water-mediatedEcological Consequences of Intensificationand Expansion of Livestock Production. In
Steinfeld, H.; Mooney, H.; Schneider,F. andNeville, L. (eds.), Livestock in a Changing
Landscape, Volume 1. Island Press.
Duit, A., V. Galaz, K. Eckerberg, and J.
Ebbesson. 2010. Governance, complexity,
and resilience. Global Environmental
Change 20:363-368.
Ebbesson, J. 2010. The rule of law ingovernance of complex social-ecologicalchanges. Global Environmental Change
20:414–422.
Ernstson, H., S. E. van der Leeuw, C. L.
Redman, D. J. Meffert, G. Davis, C. Alfsen,
and T. Elmqvist. 2010. Urban transitions:on urban resilience and human-dominatedecosystems. Ambio 39:531-545.

30

Galaz, V., F. Moberg, E-K. Olsson, E.
Paglia, and C. Parker. Institutional andpolitical leadership dimensions of cascading
ecological crises. Public Administration doi:
10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01883.x
Gelcich, S., T.P. Hughes, P. Olsson, C.
Folke, O. Defeo, M. Fernández, S. Foale,
L.H. Gunderson, C. Rodríguez-Sieker,
M. Scheffer, R. Steneck, and J.C. Castilla.
2010. Navigating transformations ingovernance of Chilean marine coastal
resources. Proceedings National Academyof Sciences, USA 107:16794-16799.
Hagg H.E., C. Humborg, C.M. Morth,
M.R. Medina, and F. Wulff. 2010. Scenario
analysis on protein consumption andclimate change effects on riverine N export
to the Baltic Sea. Environmental Science &Technology 44:2379-2385.
Hoff, H., M. Falkenmark, D. Gerten, L.
Gordon, L. Karlberg, and J. Rockström.
2010. Greening the global water system.
Journal of Hydrology 384: 177-186.
Jansson, Å., and S. Polasky. 2010.
Quantifying biodiversity for building
resilience for food security in urban
landscapes: getting down to business.
Ecology and Society 15(3): 20.

Pereira, H. M., P. W. Leadley, V. Proença,
R. Alkemade, J. P. W. Scharlemann, J. F.
Fernandez-Manjarrés, M. B. Araújo, P.
Balvanera, R. Biggs, W W. L. Cheung,
L. Chini, H. D. Cooper, E. L. Gilman, S.
Guénette, G. C. Hurtt, H. P. Huntington,
G. M. Mace, T. Oberdorff, C. Revenga, P.
Rodrigues, R. J. Scholes, U. R. Sumaila,
and M. Walpole. 2010. Scenarios for Global
Biodiversity in the 21st Century. Science
330:1496-1501.
Perrings, C., S. Naeem, F. Ahrestani,
D.E. Bunker, P. Burkill, G. Canziani,
T. Elmqvist, R. Ferrati, J. Fuhrman, F.
Jaksic, Z. Kawabata, A. Kinzig, G.M.
Mace, F. Milano, H. Mooney, A-H. Prieur
Richard, Jschirhart, and W. Weisser.
2010. Ecosystem Services for 2020. Science
330:323-324.

Schultz, L., and C. Lundholm. 2010.
Learning for resilience? exploring learning
opportunities in Biosphere Reserves.
Environmental Education Research 16:645663.
Österblom, H., A. Gårdmark, L.
Bergström, B. Müller-Karulis, C. Folke,
M. Lindegren, M¬. Casini, P. Olsson, R.
Diekmann, T. Blenckner, C. Humborg,andC. Möllmann. 2010. Making the ecosystemapproach operational: can regime shifts
in ecological- and governance systems
facilitate the transition? Marine Policy
34:1290–1299.
Österblom H, U.R. Sumaila, Ö. Bodin, J.
Hentati Sundberg , and A.J. Press. 2010.
Adapting to regional enforcement: fishingdown the governance index. PLoS ONE
5(9): e12832.

Raudsepp-Hearne, C. G. D. Peterson, andE. M. Bennett. 2010. Ecosystem service
bundles for analyzing tradeoffs in diverse
landscapes. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, USA 107: 5242-5247.
Raudsepp-Hearne, C., G.D. Peterson,
M. Tengö, E.M. Bennett, T. Holland,
K. Benessaiah, G. K. MacDonald,and L. Pfeifer. 2010. Untangling theenvironmentalist’s paradox: why is humanwell-being increasing as ecosystem services
degrade? BioScience 60:576-589.
Reid, W.V., D. Chen, L. Goldfarb, H.
Hackmann, Y.T. Lee, K. Mokhele, E.
Ostrom, K. Raivio, J. Rockström, H. J.
Schellnhuber, and A. Whyte. 2010. Earth
System Science for Global Sustainability:
grand challenges. Science 330:916-917.
Rockström, J., and L. Karlberg (2010).
The quadruple squeeze: defining the safe
operating space for freshwater use toachieve a triply green revolution in the
Anthropocene. Ambio 39: 257-265.

31

Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se

Conferences, workshops and seminars
Stockholm Workshops

Schools of Planning (AESOP)

Frontiers in social-ecological research

Planetary boundaries, multiple global crises

As the name suggests, the Stockholm

and global governance, 15-17 Marchworkshops are held in Stockholm

Inconvenient feedbacks in global dynamics,

and are organised by the Stockholm
Resilience Centre. These international andtransdisciplinary workshops represent

12-14 April. In cooperation with the Beijer
Institute of Ecological Economics

the frontiers of the research areas of theInteractions among the Planetary

Stockholm Resilience Centre and its

Boundaries, 14-15 April. In cooperation

many collaborators around the world.

with the Beijer Institute

They encompass diverse angles of criticalMoving thresholds in Earth’s life support

challenges for the resilience of social-systems, 15-17 April

ecological systems.

Behavioural economics and nature network

Stockholm Workshops 2010

(BENN), 25-26 May. The Beijer Instituteof Ecological Economics

Confronting the water challenge in a

Memory for sustainability, 25 May. IHOPE

turbulent world - A green-blue resiliencein cooperation with the Beijer Instituteapproach for global sustainability. Six
workshops during 2010. In cooperation

Undertaking community climate changewith SEI and Potsdam Institute for Climate

adaptation: An international community

Impact Research (PIK).

of practice, 24-25 May. In cooperation
with SEI

Resilient cities, 26-27 February. In
cooperation with Association of European

32

Photo: E.Wisniewska/azote.se

Overcoming the challenges of ‘doing’

Innovation and transformation in social-

participation in the field of environment

ecological systems, 6-7 September

and development, 28-29 May. In
cooperation with SEI and Sida.

Fat-tail generating mechanisms and theirimplications for planetary stewardship,

Transboundary governance of marine social-

11-13 September. Askö, Stockholm

ecological systems, Åland, 5-11 June. In

Archipelago. In cooperation with the Beijer

cooperation with ARC Centre of ExcellenceInstitutefor Coral Reef Studies and AICIS.

Global dynamics and social-ecological

Social learning and sustainability:

resilience in the face of multiple shocks,

Exploring critical issues in relation to

14-15 September. In cooperation with theenvironmental change and governance, 1-2

Beijer InstituteJune. In cooperation with SEI
Mapping the politics of ecology:
Environmental politics and policy in acomparative perspective, 28-29 June. In

Baltic Governance, 19 October. In
cooperation with Baltic Nest InstituteExpertise for the future, 1 December

cooperation with Dept. of Political Science,
Stockholm University
Ecosystem service indicators: Linking the
dynamics of ecosystems to human wellbeing, 19-21 August, Grinda, Stockholm
Archipelago. In cooperation
with DIVERSITAS.

33

Photo:S.Zeff/azote.seAt the intersection of law and resilience
Conference merges the dynamics of social-ecological systems withthe predictability of law.

A social-ecological system is by default

level governance is one key feature to foster

dynamic, but it is also brittle. Too much

resilience. Network analysis can be used in

rigidity can ultimately cause it to collapse.

environmental law to find effective networks

Law, on the other hand, upholds principles

that are already present.

of predictability, reliability and stability.

Centre researcher and conference

The conference ‘Law for social-ecologicalorganiser Jonas Ebbesson outlined theresilience’ tried to find ways to merge theserationales of environmental law which are

seemingly contradictory capacities.

primarily applied to prevent or repair harm.

The conference, which took place on

When it comes to international law, there is a

17-19 November 2010, was co-organised

demand for new laws or regulatory regimes,by Stockholm Resilience Centre andhe argued.

Stockholm Environmental Law and Policy

According to keynote speaker Ellen

Centre and gathered an interdisciplinary

Hey from Erasmus University, it is not

mix of researchers, lawyers and governancenew regimes that are needed but a better

thinkers.

connection between existing agreements on

So how can our legal framework deal

climate, human rights, trade, etc. Many ofwith the inherent variability of ecologicalthese agreements have developed in an adsystems?

hoc manner and there is not enough clarity

Professor Barbara Cosens from theon how they should relate to each other.

University of Idaho suggested that stability
at the large scale can provide room forinnovation at the local level and fill in the
gap when the local level collapses. Multi-

34

Stockholm Seminars 2010
The Stockholm Seminars focus on the dynamics and stewardship of social-ecologicalsystems with a special emphasis on the need for a sound scientific basis for sustainable
development policy. The Stockholm Seminars are arranged by Albaeco, Stockholm
Resilience Centre, the International Biosphere-Geosphere Programme (IGBP) and theSwedish Secretariat for Environmental Earth System Sciences (SSEESS).

28/01: Nancy Knowlton

09/06: Kjell Aleklett,Coral reefs: present, past and future

Karl Hallding and Johan Rockström
Scenarios of fundamental global challenges

25/02: Neville Crossman
Modernising irrigation for multiple benefits
15/03: Frank Biermann
World politics in emergency mode
08/04: Robert Pomero
Managing overcapacity in small-scalemarine fisheries

23/08: Clarie Kremen
Pollination services and agroecosystems:
Searching for sustainability		
24/08: Elliott Norse
US oceans policy and place-based ecosystemmanagement 		

04/05: J. Marty Anderies

16/09: Brian Walker

Resource management: Managing difficult

Global change, the Arctic

trade-offs

and resilience		

07/05: Bedrich Moldan

22/09: Jeffrey Vincent

Changing environment in Central Europe

Evidence of ecosystem services of tropicalforests

17/05: Graeme Cumming			

Dispersal, strategy and resilience

16/12: Thomas Elmqvist and19/05: Albert Jacquard
Economic growth versus uneconomic
growthÅsa Norrman
Reflections on the post-Nagoya process,
IPBES and TEEB		
01/06: Jonathan Foley
The other inconvenient truth:
A global crisis of land use and agriculture35		Practice, Policy and Outreach36

Practice, Policy and Outreach

Practice, Policy and Outreach2010 marked an increased effort in bridging

various seminars on issues regarding

the centre research with policy and practice.

biodiversity and urbanisation.

The Swedish International Biodiversity

Finally, the preparations for the

Programme (Swedbio) was officially placed

2011 Nobel Laureate Symposium on

under the auspices of the centre. This will

Global Sustainability got well understrengthen the centre’s contribution to

way. Co-organised by the centre, thispolicy issues such as sustainable livelihoods,

symposium will gather 40 of the world’s

equity and human wellbeing.

most renowned thinkers and experts on

Similarly, the centre was chosen as

global sustainability and will feed into

host for the BalticSTERN secretariat.

the work of the new High-level Panel on

BalticSTERN will conduct a cost-benefit

Global Sustainability appointed by the UN

analysis of the environmental problems of

Secretary General.

the Baltic Sea.
The centre was also actively involved
at the 2010 UN Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya. Centre
researchers were an integral part of theSwedish delegation as well as hosting37

Practice, Policy and Outreach

Photo:t.H.Snickars/azote.se

A glimmer of hope
The Nagoya COP10 conference offers sober grounds for optimism
in curbing biodiversity loss and getting fragile negotiations back on
track.

After the climate talk stalemate inthat if Nagoya failed to deliver a positive

Copenhagen, one would be forgiven foroutcome, the multilateral system as a whole

thinking that the eight-metre tall statue ofwould suffer another blow. However with

Milanese General Francesco Sforza urging

the Protocol in place, delegates and all

his troops forward was put in place justothers involved could breathe out, at least

for the COP10 in Nagoya. The imposing

for a while.

monument, a perfect replica of Leonardo
Da Vinci’s attempt to create the world’s

From 2010 to 2020

largest statue, stands in the middle of

The COP also adopted an updated andthe equally imposing Nagoya Conference

revised Strategic Plan which failed to meet

Centre, host to the 2010 UN Convention on

its original goal of achieving ‘a significant

Biological Diversity (CBD).

reduction in the current rate of biodiversity

Compared with the talks in Copenhagen,loss’. The third edition of the Global

the Nagoya conference left delegates with

Biodiversity Outlook report underlined thismodest grounds for optimism on curbing

failure, leaving biodiversity in the balance

global biodiversity loss. The ‘Nagoya

unless action is urgently taken (see separate

Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources andstory on page 25).
The new strategic plan also included

the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits
Arising from Their Utilisation’ was adopted

a new set of targets to curb biodiversity

in the early hours of 30 October 2010 afterloss. The failure to meet the 2010 targets

almost six years of negotiations. A lingering

prompted the CBD to look another ten

fear in the minds of most delegates was

years ahead and develop a new strategic38

Practice, Policy and Outreachplan of action which included 20 SMART

all brought together at the conference (see(Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic,

separate story page 41).

Timebound) targets for 2020. In an article
published in Nature centre researcher
Thomas Elmqvist evaluated the 20 targets
set by CBD (see separate story page 42).
One of the most positive outcomesof the entire conference was the launchof the final TEEB (The Economics of
Ecosystems and Biodiversity) report.
Entitled ‘Mainstreaming the Economics
of Nature’, this STERN review-like report
calls for wider recognition of nature’s
contribution to human livelihoods, health,security and culture by decision-makers at
all levels (local to national and business tocitizens). TEEB produced its first interim
report in 2008. Since then it has added aseries of more focused studies, which were

The role of cities and urban areas
The City Biodiversity Summit, which washeld in parallel to COP10 in Nagoya, used
the COP10 momentum to boost its ownrole in managing biodiversity. As the world
becomes increasingly urban, with morethan five billion people projected to live incities by 2030, it is becoming increasingly
recognised that cities play an importantrole in halting global biodiversity loss. The
message from the City Biodiversity Summit
was clear: give us a better policy framework
and we will unfold the local potential toprotect global biodiversity (see separate
story page 40).

Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se39

Practice, Policy and Outreach

Photo: N.Ryrholm/azote.se

Slowly out of the shadows
Cities demand a stronger voice in curbing global biodiversity loss.

As countries strove to carve out the careful
wording for ratification of the Convention

solving global environmental problems.
“Local governments provide manyon Biological Diversity, cities and local

services that affect biodiversity both

authorities used the momentum to boost

positively and negatively. Publictheir own role in managing biodiversity.

procurement is one such example. When

Their message was clear: Give us a better

combined, these influences can exert great

policy framework and we will unfold thepower toward the conservation and the

local potential to protect global biodiversity.

recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem

As the world becomes increasingly

services”, the declaration states.

urban, with more than five billion people

At the summit centre researcher Thomas

projected to live in cities by 2030, it isElmqvist, who helped draft the declaration,

becoming increasingly recognised that cities

also led a highly popular session on how

are important players in halting global

urban biodiversity and ecosystems playbiodiversity loss. Although riddled with

an important role in building resilience toincreasing uncertainty, cities neverthelessclimate change. The session focused on the

represent an opportunity for change.

role of equity issues, education, improved

At the Nagoya City Biodiversity Summit
2010, which was held concurrently withdisaster management and the importance ofcommunity-based resource management.

COP10, a declaration appealed to theinternational community (and the CBD
Parties in particular) to recognise thatcities and urbanisation are not all bad.
Increasingly growing cities are also hubs
for knowledge, innovation and human andfinancial resources, making them crucial for

40

Practice, Policy and Outreach

Photo: M.Ormestad/azote.seFirmly on the political radar
New TEEB report gives boost to natural resources assessments.
“The economic importance of the world’s

on the TEEB Advisory Board. The reportnatural assets is now firmly on the politicalis in line with similar centre research onradar as a result of an international

how ecosystems can be included in wealthassessment showcasing the enormous

measurements. The report calls for wider

economic value of forests, freshwater, soils

recognition of nature’s contribution toand coral reefs, as well as the social andhuman livelihoods, health, security andeconomic costs of their loss.”culture by decision-makers at all levels

This was the conclusion of the final The(local to national and business to citizens).
The report also drives home the message

Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity(TEEB) report, which was launched atthat failure of business to account for the

the Convention on Biological Diversity’svalue of natural capital, particularly in10th Conference of Parties meeting (CBD

sectors such as mining, can pose significant

COP10) in Nagoya.

business and social risks. Estimations“TEEB has documented not only thehave revealed that the negative impacts, or

multi-trillion dollar importance to the‘environmental externalities´, of the world’s

global economy of the natural world, but

top 3,000 listed companies amounts to

the kinds of policy shifts and smart market

around US$ 2.2 trillion annually.

mechanisms that can embed fresh thinking
in a world beset by a growing raft ofmultiple challenges” says Pavan Sukhdev,
study leader of TEEB.
The TEEB report is the end result of a
two-year study involving centre researchers
professor Thomas Elmqvist and professor
emeritus Karl-Göran Mäler, who serves

41Practice, Policy and Outreach
Using the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment as a template, the researchers
found that four things were missing:- Functional diversity: The targets are
too focused on hierarchical classification

Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se

rather than assessing the function thespecies have
- Trade-offs among targets: Different

Smart, but smart
enough?

services require different diversity, we

Researchers evaluate the 2020
targets for biodiversity loss
reduction.

should be conditional, since ecological

Despite 2010 being the UN International

ignore potential side-effects of achieving

Year of Biodiversity, the vast majority ofthe target

cannot have it all- Conditionality of targets: Targets
functioning may change because theenvironmental conditions change- Side-effects of targets: Most targets

nations have fallen short of the Convention

To deal with these issues, theon Biological Diversity´s (CBD) 2010 target

researchers welcomed the establishment

to reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity.

of an Intergovernmental Science-Policy

This has prompted the CBD to look another

Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystemten years ahead and develop a new strategicServices (IPBES), which creates the capacity

plan of action which includes 20 SMART

needed to evaluate the progress on several(Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic,of the 20 targets.

Timebound) targets for 2020. In an article“It provides an ideal opportunity toin Science, centre researcher Thomas

put in place a more structured sequence ofElmqvist, along with researchers from theobjectives for the collective management of

US, Argentina, Chile, France, Germany

the biosphere”, says Thomas Elmqvist.

and the UK, evaluated the 20 targets set by
CBD.
Overall, Thomas Elmqvist and hiscolleagues found that the 2020 targets
show a significant improvement over theprevious 2010 single target. However, the
new targets could also be strengthened inseveral ways:“If there have to be 20 targets, then theyshould address the 20 biggest threats tocritical ecosystem services”, says Professor
Elmqvist.

42

Source: Perrings, C., S. Naeem,
F. Ahrestani, D.E. Bunker, P.
Burkill, G. Canziani, T. Elmqvist,
R. Ferrati, J. Fuhrman, F. Jaksic,
Z. Kawabata, A. Kinzig, G.M.
Mace, F. Milano, H. Mooney,
A-H. Prieur Richard, Jschirhart,
and W. Weisser. 2010. Ecosystem
Services for 2020. Science
330:323-324.

with international policy-making on issues
such as poverty alleviation, sustainable
livelihoods, equity and human well-being,taking into account the need for adaptation

Photo: J.D. Davidson

and mitigation to ecosystems change such as
climate change.

Planetary boundaries
presented at TED
Global 2010
Photo: J.Lokrantz/azote.se

Centre Executive Director Johan Rockström
presented research on resilience andplanetary boundaries at this year’s TED
Global event on 12-16 July in Oxford. With
the research behind planetary boundaries
as a point of departure, Dr. Rockström helda fast-paced, inspiring talk arguing thatthe bad news - the gloomy diagnosis for theplanet - is in fact the good news.
“There are sufficient innovative
approaches out there to transform thecurrent governance of social and ecologicalsystems into sustainable governance within
the boundaries of the planet”, says JohanRockström.

Centre hosts SwedBio

Centre to co-hostThird Nobel Laureate
Symposium
Nobel Laureates and renowned thinkers
such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Mario
Molina will meet in Stockholm on 16-19
May 2011 to discuss new approaches to
the governance of the world’s social andecological systems. Following on fromprevious meetings in Potsdam and London,
this Symposium will provide an informal
setting for productive discussions on how totransform current governance into a moresustainable and adaptive form.

Starting from 2011, Stockholm Resilience

The Symposium is being organised byCentre will host the Swedish International

the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,

Biodiversity Programme (SwedBio).

Stockholm Environment Institute,

Although keeping the familiar SwedBio

Stockholm Resilience Centre, Beijer

abbreviation, the programme will change

Institute for Ecological Economics andits name to the Programme on Resilience

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact

and Development. The new programme

Research.

will contribute to bridging centre researchwww.globalsymposium2011.org

43

Centre hosts
new BalticSTERN
secretariat
BalticSTERN is an international research
network for the purposes of performing
cost-benefit analysis regarding the

A Shanghai World
Expo successenvironmental problems of the Baltic Sea
and giving guidance on cost-effective
measures and policy instruments. Throughconstructing and combining ecologicalThe ‘Better City, Better Life’ Worldand economic models, different options

Expo in Shanghai closed on October 31

for managing the environmental risks

after six months of showcasing the latest

threatening the Baltic Sea will be analysed.

advancements in technology, science andBased on research in the network andculture in the national pavilions. Duringother relevant studies, the Secretariat

the last month of the Expo, Stockholm

will make a synthesis report directed at

Resilience Centre co-hosted a series

decision-makers, to be published in 2012.

of seminars and workshops on urban
resilience.
The series started with an open seminarat the Nordic Light House on October
17, 2010. This seminar highlighted theperspective of young urban citizens featuring
students from USA, India, Kenya andPhoto: Samuel Svensäter

Sweden, who presented their own projectvisualising ecosystem change in their school’s
neighbourhoods. On October 18, centre
researcher Thomas Elmqvist took part in
the Swedish Institute’s seminar entitled‘How universities can lead the way for

Well-known
photographer joins thecentresustainability, addressing solutions to urban
growth and climate change challenges, using

The National Geographic photographer

campuses for innovation and learning’. In a

and filmmaker Mattias Klum has joined

third seminar, the Albano Campus case was

Stockholm Resilience Centre as a senior

used to inspire similar campus construction

fellow on 10 percent of a full-time position.

projects in China.

In his role, Klum will contribute to theteaching at the centre as well as other centre
activities.

44

Photo: Friederike Mikulcak

Teaching & training
Stockholm Resilience Centre offers aresilience and sustainable development.
In 2010, the PhD students attended twovariety of transdisciplinary courses
and programmes on environmental andcompulsory courses: Linking Resiliencesustainable development issues. In 2010,

Theory to Research Questions and Design,

the centre had one undergraduate and twolead by centre researchers Beatrice Crona

Master’s programmes, a PhD-level Researchand Line Gordon, and Resilience Research,

School and two undergraduate courses.

lead by centre researcher Garry Peterson.

The courses are developed and promoted inVisiting researcher Sarah Gergel, Centre forcollaboration with several departments at

Applied Conservation Research, University

Stockholm University.

of British Columbia, and Garry Peterson,
lead the PhD course Understanding Social-

Resilience
Research School

Ecological Landscapes: Short-Coursein Spatial Analysis Techniques which
also contributes to their book Learning
Landscape Ecology.

The centre continue to develop the
Resilience Research School aimed to train
the next generation of transdisciplinary
thinkers and doers on social-ecological45

Masters’ Programmes

Master Theses 2010

The Master’s programmes at the centre

Ecosystems, Governance andGlobalisation (EGG)

in 2010, Ecosystems, Governance and

Bendt, Pim

Globalisation (EGG) and Sustainable

Social Learning and Diversity of Practice inEnterprising (SE) remained popular andsuccessful. SRC Senior Research Fellow Steve
Lansing was a great asset this year, applying
his extensive research in Bali and excellent

Community Gardens in Berlin.
Graham, MarnieOpen space or natural place? The politics,
perceptions and practices of place-making

teaching skills to the course Resilience,
Adaptability, Transformability. Our students
performed fieldwork across the globe in, e.g.,

in urban co-management, Macassar dunes,
South Africa.

Australia, Chile, Zanzibar, Uruguay, India,

Göransson, Nils

and Rwanda. Masters students continue

Sustainability strategies, organizational

work in all the research themes, e.g., they arelearning and green structure perceptions ofan integral part of developing our Regime

Stockholm urban planning organizations

Shifts Database.

- A case study of organizational barriers

During 2010, an extensive Center-and opportunities towards managing for

wide effort resulted in the development of

ecosystem services within urban planninga new research-oriented 2-year Master’sand development.

Programme Social-Ecological Resilience

Hernandez Cedillo, Maria Fernanda

for Sustainable Development, starting

Exploring possible effects that diversity

August 2011. The Programme aims

of preferences for the future within

to enhance students’ knowledge of thecommunities could have for adaptive co-complex interactions between ecologicaland social dynamics, particularly ecosystemmanagement in the context of change andmanagement. Case study of a community offarmers in Bali, Indonesia.

uncertainty. The new programme will

Hoffmeister, Juan

replace our previous MSc Programme

How do policies and measures with

Ecosystems, Governance and Globalisation.

development objectives promote adaptation

The Programme offers one year of courses

to climate change as a co-benefit? The caseand a traineeship, and one year spent doingof rice production in Mozambique.

a Master’s thesis. The centre continue theIsraelsson, Elindevelopment of a programme designed to

Mind the gap: People-centered biodiversity

train practitioners and managers to replaceconservation in policy and practice in Cape

our Masters´ programme Sustainable

Town, South Africa.

Enterprising which did not admit any new

Rocha Gordo, Juan Carlos

students this year. The new courses will be

The domino effect: A network analysis ofannounced in 2011.

regime shift drivers and causal pathways.

46

Stange, Kari
Towards a more holistic marine
management paradigm: Ten years of ICES
changes to meet tomorrow’s need forscience and advice.
Stein, Christian
A Social Network Perspective on the
Governance of Green and Blue Water
Resources: A Case Study of the Mkindo
Catchment, Tanzania.
Sterve, Hanna
Factors restricting adoption of sustainableagricultural practices in a smallholder
agro-ecosystem: A case study of the
Potshini community, upper Thukela region,
South Africa.
Wesely, Julia
Policy outcomes on water-related ecosystemservices in an agricultural landscape inSouth Africa.

Sustainable Enterprising (SE)Björlin Säll, Karin
Walk the talk: political consumers andtheir information search towards moresustainable consumption choices.
Blomberg, Jenny
Constrains and Possibilities for Fortum tosupport local biodiversity in Stockholm.
Erdelyi, Orsolya
Sustainability and organic farming in thelight of conventions theory: the example ofthe Hungarian organic sector.
Forsberg, Joel
The effects of the European Union Emission
Trading Scheme on the energy enterprises
with small carbon dioxide emissions in
Sweden.

- A Survey of Swedish Fashion and Textile
Companies.
Hjelt, Britta
Future Trends of Strategic CSR - Illustrated
with four case studies of Swedish
Multinational Companies.
Horwitz, Martin
The Implementation of United Nation´s
Principles for Responsible Investments
among Swedish Investors - A paradigm shift
within reach?
Jayaweera, Indramani
Livelihood and diversification in Rural
Coastal Communities: Dependence on
Ecosystems Services and possibilities for
Sustainable Enterprising in Zanzibar,
Tanzania.
Levinson, Elsa
Green Clothes - a survey of peoples
willingness to pay for environmental
friendly clothes.
Poukka, Riikka
Corporate Responsibility on theMedia Sector. Study on the Corporate
Responsibility Perceptions of Alma Media’s
Stakeholders.
Ricard-Bourget, Catherine
The information accuracy of SRI markets a comparitive study between SRI-screening
firms and auditing firms.
Salazar, Remberto
Description and analysis of Institutions forCommunal Forest Management in Monte
Verde, Bolivia.
Yu, Ae-Li
Corporate social responsibility and SMEs
- Barriers and opportunities in a Swedish
perspective.

Herbertsson, Nicole
Corporate Climate Change Adaptation

47

Postal address: Stockholm Resilience Centre
Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 674 70 70, Fax: +46 8 674 70 20
E-mail: info@stockholmresilience.su.se
Visiting address: Kräftriket 2B
Visit our website: www.stockholmresilience.su.se48