Application of the resilience principles for management of ecosystem services in the Rönne-Å catchment

Aquatic ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and provide ecosystem services (ESS) that are essential to human well-being. Together with Höör municipality, we aim to understand the social-ecological co-production of aquatic ES in Rönneå catchment area in Southern Sweden. The study focuses on how social (e.g. water governance) and ecological (e.g. species interactions) processes interact and affect (through trade-offs and synergies) the provision of ESS. We are investigating these aspects through a participatory process: workshops on local (municipality) and regional (with water councils, water authorities, county administrative boards, land-owners) level and follow-up interviews. As we are learning about water governance we use a resilience principle lens to understand weaknesses and strengths as well as possible future pathways to enhance the resilience of ESS. Further we will develop and apply a social-ecological model to enhance understanding of the social-ecological interactions that produce emergent ecosystem services.

People: Romina Martin (write to first.surname@su.se), Maja Schlüter, Katharina Fryers Hellquist, Abigayil Blandon

Keywords: Ecosystem service co-production, resilience principles, shallow lake restoration

Methods: participatory methods: workshops and in-depth semi-structured interviews, social-ecological modeling

Model: LimnoSES [ComSES, bitbucket]

Publications:

• Martin, Romina, Maja Schlüter, and Thorsten Blenckner. 2020. “The Importance of Transient Social Dynamics for Restoring Ecosystems beyond Ecological Tipping Points.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117 (5): 2717–22. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1817154117. [pdf]
• Deliverable 7.2 Scenario Development [pdf]
• Case study 6 report – Understanding eutrophication processes and restoring good water quality in Lake Ringsjön – Rönne å Catchment in Kattegat, Sweden [website, pdf, executive summary pdf]

Funding: Aquacross project funded under H2020-EU.3.5.2 – Protection of the environment, sustainable management of natural resources, water, biodiversity and ecosystems. Project id: 642317. From 2015-06-01 to 2018-11-30.