Ongoing evidence syntheses
Here you can read more about the systematic evidence syntheses that Formas is currently working on. The synthesis that we believe will be completed first is at the top of the list.
Does increased crop diversity improve biodiversity in agricultural land?
Loss of ecological heterogeneity has been argued to be the most important cause of biodiversity loss in farmland. Increasing crop heterogeneity may be a way to restore historically lost ecological variation. In this systematic review, we examine whether a greater number of crops (increased crop diversity), both in space and time, improves biodiversity in agricultural land.
How is biodiversity affected by the implementation of environmental flows in regulated rivers?
Hydroelectric power is an important source of renewable energy, but hydropower dams often pose negative impacts on aquatic environments. In Sweden, extensive efforts are underway to establish modern environmental regulations for hydropower (and other) dams. A possible mitigation measure is to implement environmental flows, which are regulated flows that aim to resemble more natural hydrological conditions. The aim of this systematic review is to examine and synthesise available evidence on how biodiversity responds to the implementation of environmental flows in watercourses regulated by dams.
How do different forest management practices in the harvesting phase impact carbon sequestration in forest soils?
Forestry has a complex impact on the carbon cycle. Both short and long-time perspectives should be considered when assessing the impact on forest carbon sequestration and forest carbon stocks. Add to this the indirect effects of substituting forest raw materials for other materials that would otherwise have impacted the carbon cycle in their own ways, known as substitution effects. In this systematic review, we focus on how different management practices in the harvesting phase impact carbon sequestration in forest soils.
What are the effects of policy instruments aimed at forest biodiversity conservation?
The biodiversity in forest landscapes is continuously declining, especially in productive forest areas. To preserve or enhance biodiversity in forest environments, various environmental policy instruments are applied. In this evidence synthesis, we examine how well these respective instruments function in terms of, among other things, goal fulfilment, cost efficiency, and competitiveness.
Plant uptake of environmental pollutants when sewage sludge is used in the agriculture
Sewage sludge is the residual that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment of municipal wastewater. Sewage sludge contains plant nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, and can be used as fertilisers on agricultural land. Unfortunately, some environmental pollutants also end up in the sewage sludge during the wastewater treatment process. These substances thus risk ending up on our fields and ultimately in our food. In this systematic review we investigate the extent to which various environmental pollutants are taken up by plants when sewage sludge is used in agriculture.