We assessed the biodiversity in urban green spaces in two study areas in Sweden, one in Malmö (Lorensborg and Bellevuegården) and one in Södertälje (Ronna). Both areas are characterised by high-rise residential housing built in the 1950s–1970s. These types of city districts have been investigated less often regarding their biodiversity values. Here, we have developed a method for biodiversity assessment of urban green spaces that can be performed at city district scale in particular in districts with public and residential green spaces. To assess biodiversity, we chose three measures: (1) number of habitats, (2) tree and shrub species (taxa) and (3) indicators such as the estimated abundance of dead wood, floral herbal resources and management intensity. Most green space types prevalent in both study areas were included, such as parks, residential green areas and street green (but not private gardens). Twenty-seven different habitat types were recorded, with lawns, hedges and shrubs being the most common. In total, 145 tree and bush taxa were identified; the proportion of non-native taxa was 73% in Malmö and 62% in Södertälje. In both study areas, we observed a high management intensity in many green spaces, which resulted in a diminished potential as wildlife habitats. Planning programmes were ongoing in both study areas. In Malmö, there are densification projects, which underline the risk of losing green infrastructure due to exploitation in these types of city districts. Among biodiversity assessment methods, our methodology is of medium intensity and combines direct measures with indicators for biodiversity.

Wetlands are crucial for sustainable cities, providing key ecosystem services, including aesthetic quality. Effective management requires understanding residents’ preferences and socio-demographic differences in aesthetic perception. Furthermore, it is essential to understand how the composition and arrangement of landscapes influence their aesthetic perception. In this study, we report on research examining how different age and gender groups of residents perceive the aesthetics of selected urban wetlands and identify visual landscape indicators of aesthetic preferences using ecological metrics of composition and spatial configuration. The study applies analysis of photographs of representative wetlands in the Stockholm region, using an online survey and analysis in GIS. The results demonstrate that there are differences in aesthetic perception across age and gender groups, but the judgement of the most aesthetically preferable and unpreferable landscapes is similar among all age and gender groups. Moreover, the results show that urban wetlands with higher levels of spatial complexity, fragmentation and openness for views are perceived as the most beautiful. The results of the study contribute valuable insights into interdisciplinary research by bridging the gaps between biological and social sciences. They can be used in practice for the analysis and prediction of public opinion in urban planning and management.

Understanding the links between biodiversity and human aesthetic perception is vital for designing favourable urban environments and aligning conservation goals with well-being agendas. Despite evidence supporting the preference for beautiful and biodiverse landscapes, inconsistencies exist. This study aims to review the empirical literature on aesthetic perception and biodiversity research in urban settings and identify key methodological challenges in that area of study. The method used is a systematic mapping. The results revealed a lack of a unified methodology for operationalizing the concepts of biodiversity and aesthetic perception, as well as a shortage of standardized, evidence-based statistical procedures. These gaps hinder the systematic analysis of the relationship between biodiversity and perception and contribute to the incompatibility of biodiversity and perception levels. We propose strategies to address these challenges. This review aims to advance the integration of aesthetics and biodiversity science at the methodological level.

In Indigenous and rural communities of the Global South, relationships between humans, water, and life are understood and organized in various ways, with water often viewed as intrinsically linked to land. These resources not only serve the tangible purpose of supporting livelihoods but also form a fundamental basis for intangible aspects such as culture, identity, and epistemic-ontological foundations. In this article, the interconnected rights to both water and land for these communities are conceptualized as "hydro-territorial rights" (HTRs). This concept encompasses the formal and/or customary norms and practices related to the ownership, access, control, and use of both land and water, which are regarded as interrelated entities. Theoretically, this article draws on rights-based critical institutionalism and political ecology approaches to natural resource governance, including the legal-pluralist distinction between de jure rights on paper and de facto rights in practice. The aim is to identify and comparatively analyze contentious situations and conflicts surrounding water and land rights in rural Indigenous contexts across three postcolonial settings in the Global South. Methodologically, we employ a comparative strategy based on theory and literature reviews to examine conflictual hydro-territorial rights situations within selected Indigenous localities in Bolivia, India, and Tanzania. This analysis is complemented by interviews with local actors and observations in these three settings. Among our findings, we highlight both conflicts and temporary alliances between local and external interests, as well as practices and mechanisms related to the colonial legacy. We also explore how contemporary capitalist developmental interventions in these areas have impacted communities' access to and rights over local water and land resources, resulting in significant consequences for local livelihoods and ethno-cultural-territorial identities.

Recognising the aesthetic attributes of urban wetlands and lakes is crucial for guiding their sustainable management, as it fosters social motivation, which in turn contributes to the preservation of water ecosystems. Systematic assessments of landscape aesthetic quality based on visual indicators become essential for urban planning and design. This study focuses on the analysis of visual complexity as a key concept of the aesthetic quality of urban wetlands and lakes in the Stockholm area using indicators of visual quality. It also aims to enhance ecologically oriented landscape aesthetics by investigating how indicators of visual quality correlate with biodiversity parameters. The study employs landscape structure analysis combined with plant diversity analysis, applying a set of aerial photo-based and landscape photo-based indicators. The methodology used included GIS analysis of landscape photos and orthophotos, the identification of landscape metrics in FRAGSTATS, the selection of indices and visual indicators, plant species richness analysis, the evaluation of landscape structure using multivariate canonical analysis and assessment of the relationship between spatial landscape structure using mixed-effects modelling. The novelty of this study lies in introducing new indicators of visual complexity and in exploring the link between visual and ecological complexity in urban wetlands and lakes. The results showed: 1. that the analyzed canonical axes explained 17-50 % of the variation and were correlated with landscape metrics that serve as indicators of shape, aggregation, and edge contrast, suggesting that these metrics could be potential objective indicators of visual complexity; 2. that the effect of edge contrast was consistent but the effect of the index of patch isolation was different in different data sources; 3. and that patch elongation was negatively associated with Shannon diversity, suggesting that it is an integrative metric linking visual and ecological complexity. The results highlight the importance of integrating visual and ecological complexity indicators into monitoring programs and decision-making for managing urban green-blue infrastructure, promoting effective governance, preventing wetland degradation, and supporting participatory discussions for shared understanding.

This study analyses the narratives expressed by the Pataxó indigenous people of Brazil within their indigenous tourism project, the “Jaqueira Reserve”. Our findings show that the indigenous people's role as protagonists in this setting foregrounds their voices, allowing them to retell and reposition themselves in history and to re-envision the future by presenting different ways of thinking and being. We contend that this Pataxó experience illustrates how decolonial endeavours are being crafted on an everyday basis in ways that strengthen indigenous cultural and environmental rights. Accordingly, we conclude that indigenous tourism has a transformational potential in the sense that it can counter the colonialization of mind and ideas and coloniality's violent oppression/exploitation of culture and nature. 

This study analyses the emblematic experience of an indigenous group in Brazil, the Pataxó, who was able to set up and exercise strong control over an indigenous tourism project: the Jaqueira Reserve. Based on document analysis, interviews, and observations, we show how the Jaqueira Reserve was consolidated not only as a strongly autonomous initiative but also as constituent of a greater quest for autonomy (to craft aspired livelihoods conducive to cultural revitalization and environmental protection). The Pataxó experience shows that indigenous tourism can be an instrument in greater indigenous struggles, and as such can develop not only despite marginalization but also against it.

Vi, 1 620 forskare samt lärare vid universitet och högskolor, är eniga med de unga bakom Auroramålet: De drabbas och riskerar att drabbas allvarligt av klimatkrisen under sin livstid. De klimatåtgärder vi vidtar i närtid avgör deras framtid. Sverige måste ta ansvar och göra sin rättvisa andel av det globala klimatarbetet. 

I strid med Parisavtalet ökar utsläppen av växthusgaser i en takt som gör att 1,5-gradersmålet kan överskridas om några år. De globala effekterna blir allt mer synliga med ständiga temperaturrekord, smältande isar, havshöjning och extremväder som torka, förödande bränder och skyfall med enorma översvämningar, som i Pakistan nyligen. Försörjningen av befolkningen utsätts för allvarliga hot i många länder.

Minskningen av den biologiska mångfalden är extrem. Klimatkrisen är enligt WHO det största hotet mot människors hälsa i hela världen och barn utgör en särskilt sårbar grupp. Med Sveriges nordliga läge sker uppvärmningen här dubbelt så fort som det globala genomsnittet. Det förskjuter utbredningsområden för växtlighet och sjukdomsbärande insekter och ökar förekomsten av extremväder såsom värmeböljor, skogsbränder och översvämningar samt av många olika sorters infektioner och allergier. När extremväder ökar, ökar även stressen och risken för mental ohälsa. Värmeböljor ökar risken för sjukdom och död hos sårbara grupper som äldre, små barn och personer med kroniska sjukdomar. De negativa effekterna på hälsan kommer att öka i takt med klimatkrisen och barn riskerar att drabbas av ackumulerade negativa hälsoeffekter under hela sina liv. Redan i dag är mer än hälften av unga mellan 12 och 18 år i Sverige ganska eller mycket oroliga för klimat och miljö. Detta är förståeligt när våra beslutsfattare inte gör vad som krävs.

Den juridiska och moraliska grunden för arbetet mot klimatförändringarna är att varje land måste göra sin rättvisa andel av det globala klimatarbetet. Centralt i det internationella klimatramverket är att rika länder med höga historiska utsläpp, däribland Sverige, måste gå före resten av världen. Dessa länder måste också bidra till att finansiera klimatomställningen i länderna i det Globala Syd, som är minst ansvariga för klimatkrisen men drabbas hårdast. Denna rättviseprincip är tydlig i Parisavtalet och var en het diskussionsfråga under COP27 i Sharm el-Sheikh, men lyser med sin frånvaro i det svenska klimatarbetet. 

Sverige har satt mål för att minska sina utsläpp. Men de är helt otillräckliga: minskningstakten är för låg och målen tillåter samtidigt att åtgärder skjuts på framtiden. Dessutom exkluderas merparten av Sveriges utsläpp från de svenska nationella utsläppsmålen; bland annat utelämnas utsläpp som svensk konsumtion orsakar utanför Sveriges gränser, utsläpp från utrikes transporter och utsläpp från markanvändning och skogsbruk, exempelvis utsläpp från förbränning av biobränslen eller utsläpp från dikade våtmarker (Prop. 2016/17:146 s.25-28).

Sverige saknar dessutom ett eget mål för att öka upptaget av växthusgaser genom utökat skydd och restaurering av ekosystem, något som krävs för att begränsa de värsta konsekvenserna av klimatkrisen (IPCC s.32). Trots dessa låga ambitioner misslyckas Sverige med att nå sina utsläppsmål, konstaterar både Klimatpolitiska rådet och Naturvårdsverket. En klimatpolitik i linje med Parisavtalet kräver både att alla typer av växthusgasutsläpp minskar samtidigt som – inte i stället för – upptaget av växthusgaser maximeras: i dag misslyckas Sverige på bägge fronter.

Slutsatsen är tydlig. Sverige vidtar inte de åtgärder som krävs för att skydda barns och ungdomars rättigheter enligt Europakonventionen till skydd för de mänskliga rättigheterna. Detta medför allvarliga risker för liv och hälsa för unga generationer, människor i andra länder och särskilt utsatta grupper. Detta kan inte fortsätta. Därför ställer vi oss bakom Auroras krav att Sverige börjar göra sin rättvisa andel och omedelbart sätter igång ett omfattande och långtgående klimatarbete som vilar på vetenskaplig grund och sätter rättvisa i centrum.