Ulla Mörtberg | KTH Royal Institute of Technology (original) (raw)

Papers by Ulla Mörtberg

Balancing ecosystem services in local and regional water governance : A case study from Lake Mala... more Balancing ecosystem services in local and regional water governance : A case study from Lake Malaren catchment, Sweden

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The Brazilian Amazon rainforest is protected largely by command and control regulation of public ... more The Brazilian Amazon rainforest is protected largely by command and control regulation of public and private land. The Brazilian Forest Act requires private landholders within the Amazon to set aside 80% of their land as legal reserves for nature protection, but this requirement can be reduced to 50% if more than 65% of a state’s territory is protected public land (for example, public conservation units and indigenous reserves). In the ongoing land designation process in Brazil, some Amazonian states may cross this 65% threshold. We assess the potential reduction in the legal reserve requirement from 80% to 50%, through spatially explicit modelling of scenarios concerning land tenure consolidation, employing up-to-date databases on land ownership. Depending on the outcome of land designation processes and political priorities, some 6.5–15.4 million hectares of private land previously protected as legal reserves may become available for legal deforestation. While protection of public land is crucial for safeguarding the Amazon, revisions of federal and state legislation may be needed to avoid the further extension of protected public land triggering increased legal deforestation on private lands. Zero-deforestation commitments and other initiatives may mitigate impacts in the absence of such revision.
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Freitas, F.L.M., Sparovek, G., Berndes, G., Persson, M., Englund, O., Barretto, A., Mörtberg, U., 2018. Potential increase of legal deforestation in Brazilian Amazon after Forest Act revision. Nature Sustainability 1, 665–670.

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Diversity and Distributions, 2018

Urbanization broadly affects the phylogenetic and functional diversity of natural communities thr... more Urbanization broadly affects the phylogenetic and functional diversity of natural communities through a variety of processes including habitat loss and the introduction of non-native species. Due to the challenge of acquiring direct measurements, these effects have been studied primarily using ‘space-for-time’ substitution where spatial urbanization gradients are used to infer the consequences of urbanization occurring across time. The ability of alternative sampling designs to replicate the findings derived using space-for-time substitution has not been tested. Here, we contrast the phylogenetic and functional diversity of breeding bird assemblages in 58 cities worldwide with the corresponding regional breeding bird assemblages estimated using geographic range maps. Our findings indicate that urban areas are associated with lower phylogenetic diversity, lower phylogenetic beta diversity, a reduction in the least evolutionary distinct species, and the complete loss of the most evolutionarily distinct species. We found no evidence that these effects were related to the presence of non-native species. At a function level, our findings indicate that urban areas were associated with fewer aquatic species, fewer small and especially large bodied species, fewer narrowly and especially broadly distributed species, fewer herbivores, and fewer aquatic foraging species. Conversely, urban areas were associated with a greater prevalence of passerines, doves and pigeons, granivores, species that forage in association with vegetation or in the air, and species with more generalized associations with foraging strata. In total, our findings indicate that urbanization is associated with the overall reduction and constriction of phylogenetic and functional diversity, results that largely replicated those generated using space-for-time substitution, increasing our confidence in the quality of the combined inferences. When direct measurements are unavailable, our findings emphasize the value of developing independent sampling methods that broaden and reinforce our understanding of the ecological implications of urbanization.
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La Sorte, F., Lepczyk, C., Aronson, M., Goddard, M., Katti, M., MacGregor-Fors, I., Mörtberg, U., Nilon, C., Warren, P., Nicholas, W., Yang, J., 2018. The phylogenetic and functional diversity of regional breeding bird assemblages is reduced and constricted through urbanization. Diversity and Distributions 24, 928-938.

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Land Degradation and Development, 2018

In an increasingly urban world, developing sustainable cities is crucial for global sustainabilit... more In an increasingly urban world, developing sustainable cities is crucial for global sustainability. Urban nature-based solutions (NBS), such as green infrastructure, are often promoted for their potential to provide several urban services. These include storm-water mitigation, improving energy efficiency of buildings and carbon emissions mitigation, but few studies have compared the multi-functionality of NBS to conventional urban solutions providing similar services. Fewer yet have acknowledged the indirect resource (specifically Climate, Land, Energy, Water (CLEW) nexus) impacts that these solutions may have. This paper analyses these aspects, employing a simple CLEW nexus accounting framework, and attempts a consistent comparison across different resource systems. The comparison includes direct and indirect impacts of a set of stylized – and diverse – solutions, each with different primary objectives: green roofs, representing a multi-functional urban NBS; permeable pavements targeting mitigation of storm-water flows; window retrofits targeting energy efficiency; and roof-top PV installations targeting CO2 emissions mitigation. The results highlight both the direct and total (CLEW nexus) impacts of green roofs on storm-water retention, energy use, storm-water retention and CO2 emissions. However, also for the studied conventional solutions with primarily a single direct function, CLEW nexus impacts spread across all measured dimensions (energy, water, CO2) to varying degrees. Although the numerical results are indicative and uncertainty needs to be further assessed, we suggest that the development of this type of multi-functional, multi-system assessment can assist urban sustainability planning, with comprehensive and consistent comparison of diverse (NBS and conventional) solutions.
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Engström, R., Destouni, G., Mörtberg, U., Howells, M., 2018. A nexus view of the multi-functionality of nature based and other urban sustainability solutions: Comparisons for New York City. Land Degradation and Development, (accepted).

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Journal of Environmental Management, 2018

Catchments are complex social-ecological systems involving multiple, and often competing, interes... more Catchments are complex social-ecological systems involving multiple, and often competing, interests. Water governance and management regimes are increasingly embracing pluralistic, participatory, and holistic norms as a means to engage with issues of complexity, uncertainty, and value-conflicts. Integrated, participatory approaches are theoretically linked to improved learning amongst stakeholders across sectors and decision-making that is grounded in shared knowledge, experiences and scientific evidence. However, few studies have empirically examined the impacts of an integrated approach to learning and knowledge practices related to water resources. Here, a Swedish sub-catchment that has adopted such an approach in association with implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is examined. Interview-based analyses show that WFD implementation has both helped and hindered learning and knowledge practices surrounding both water planning and spatial planning. Whilst communities of practice have developed in the study area, a number of important challenges remain. These include the rigid goal-orientation of the WFD, the fragmentation of knowledge caused by an over-reliance on external consultants, as well as a lack of resources to synthesise information from multiple sources. Present results raise questions regarding the efficacy of the WFD to sufficiently enable the development of learning and knowledge practices capable of handling the complexity, uncertainties and value-conflicts facing catchments in Sweden and elsewhere.
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Dawson, L., Persson, K., Balfors, B., Mörtberg, U., Jarsjö, J., 2018. Impacts of the water framework directive on learning and knowledge practices in a Swedish catchment. Journal of Environmental Management 223, 731-742.

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Global Change Biology, 2018

Brazil is one of the major contributors to land-use change emissions, mostly driven by agricultur... more Brazil is one of the major contributors to land-use change emissions, mostly driven by agricultural expansion for food, feed and bioenergy feedstock. Policies to avoid deforestation related to private commitments, economic incentives, and other support schemes are expected to improve the effectiveness of current command and control mechanisms increasingly. However, until recently, land tenure was unknown for much of the Brazilian territory, which has undermined the governance of native vegetation and challenged support and incentive mechanisms for avoiding deforestation. We assess the total extent of public governance mechanisms protecting aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks. We constructed a land tenure dataset for the entire nation and modeled the effects and uncertainties of major land-use acts on protecting AGC stocks. Roughly 70% of the AGC stock in Brazil is estimated to be under legal protection, and an additional 20% is expected to be protected after areas in the Amazon with currently undesignated land undergo a tenure regularization. About 30% of the AGC stock is on private land, of which roughly two-thirds are protected. The Cerrado, Amazon and Caatinga biomes hold about 40%, 30% and 20% of the unprotected AGC, respectively. Effective conservation of protected and unprotected carbon will depend on successful implementation of the Forest Act, and regularization of land tenure in the Amazon. Policy development that prioritizes unprotected AGC stocks is warranted to promote conservation of native vegetation beyond the legal requirements. However, different biomes and land tenure structures may require different policy settings considering local and regional specifics. Finally, the fate of current AGC stocks relies upon effective implementation of command and control mechanisms, considering that unprotected AGC in native vegetation on private land only accounts for 6.5% of the total AGC stock.
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Freitas, F.L.M., Englund, O., Sparovek, G., Berndes, G., Guidotti, V., Mörtberg, U., 2018. Who owns the Brazilian carbon? Global Change Biology 24: 2129-2142.

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Ecosystem Services, 2017

Forests provide a multitude of ecosystem services. In Sweden, the goal to replace fossil fuels co... more Forests provide a multitude of ecosystem services. In Sweden, the goal to replace fossil fuels could induce substantial changes in the current management and use of forests. Therefore, methods and tools are needed to assess synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services for policy and planning alternatives. The aim of this study was to develop methods for integrated sustainability assessment of forest management strategies for long-term provisioning of various ecosystem services. For this purpose, the Landscape simulation and Ecological Assessment (LEcA) tool was developed to analyse synergies and trade-offs among five ecosystem services: bioenergy feedstock and industrial wood production, forest carbon storage, recreation areas and habitat networks. Forest growth and management were simulated for two scenarios; the EAF-tot scenario dominated by even-aged forestry (EAF), and the CCF-int scenario with a combination of continuous-cover forestry (CCF) and intensified EAF. The results showed trade-offs between industrial wood and bioenergy production on one side and habitat, recreation and carbon storage on the other side. The LEcA tool showed great potential for evaluation of impacts of alternative policies for land zoning and forest management on forest ecosystem services. It can be used to assess the consequences of forest management strategies related to renewable energy and conservation policies.

Pang, X., Nordström, E.-M., Böttcher, H., Trubins, R., Mörtberg, U., 2017. Trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services under different forest management scenarios – the LEcA tool. Ecosystem Services 28: 67-79.

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Land Use Policy, 2017

The Brazilian native vegetation supports essential ecosystem services and biodiversity for the gl... more The Brazilian native vegetation supports essential ecosystem services and biodiversity for the global society, while land use competition may intensify around the increasing needs for food, fibre and bioenergy. The Brazilian Forest Act of 2012 amplified a market-based mechanism for offsetting native vegetation deficits in private farmlands. This mechanism enables a large-scale trading system allowing landholders to offset their own deficits of native vegetation by purchasing certificates associated with a surplus of native vegetation from other landholders. This mechanism is an alternative for the more expensive restoration of native vegetation on own land. The launching of the mechanism now depends on specific regulations at state level, which may include geographical restrictions for offsetting deficits. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects in nature protection and socio-economic development of different offsetting implementation alternatives. Our findings suggest that in a business-as-usual scenario the offsetting mechanism may have little or no additional effects on protection of native vegetation, because most of the offsetting is likely to take place where native vegetation is already protected by prevailing legislations. We concluded that it is possible to maximise environmental and socio-economic returns from the offsetting mechanism without undermining productive land. This would be possible if regulations ensure additionality in nature protection while enabling a self-sustaining mechanism for income generation for small-scale family farmers in the poorest region of Brazil, protecting biodiversity and counteracting major trade-offs between ecosystem services.

Freitas, F.L.M., Sparovek, G., Mörtberg, U., Silveira, S., Klug, I., Berndes, G., 2017. Offsetting legal deficits of native vegetation among Brazilian landholders: Effects on nature protection and socioeconomic development. Land Use Policy 68: 189-199.

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Urbanization contributes to the loss of the world’s biodiversity and the homogenization of its bi... more Urbanization contributes to the loss of the world’s biodiversity and the homogenization of its biota. However, comparative studies of urban biodiversity leading to robust generalities of the status and drivers of biodiversity in cities at the global scale are lacking. Here, we compiled the largest global dataset to date of two diverse taxa in cities: birds (54 cities) and plants (110 cities). We found that the majority of urban bird and plant species are native in the world’s cities. Few plants and birds are cosmopolitan, the most common being Columba livia and Poa annua. The density of bird and plant species (the number of species per km2) has declined substantially: only 8% of native bird and 25% of native plant species are currently present compared with estimates of non-urban density of species. The current density of species in cities and the loss in density of species was best explained by anthropogenic features (landcover, city age) rather than by non-anthropogenic factors (geography, climate, topography). As urbanization continues to expand, efforts directed towards the conservation of intact vegetation within urban landscapes could support higher concentrations of both bird and plant species. Despite declines in the density of species, cities still retain endemic native species, thus providing opportunities for regional and global biodiversity conservation, restoration and education.

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Environmental Management, 2017

Inadequate infrastructural networks can be detrimental to society if transport between locations ... more Inadequate infrastructural networks can be detrimental to society if transport between locations becomes hindered or delayed, especially due to natural hazards which are difficult to control. Thus determining natural hazard susceptible areas and incorporating them in the initial planning process, may reduce infrastructural damages in the long run. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of expert judgements for assessing natural hazard susceptibility through a spatial multi-criteria analysis (SMCA) approach using hydrological, geological and land use factors. To utilize SMCA for decision support, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was adopted where expert judgements were evaluated individually and in an aggregated manner. The estimates of susceptible areas were then compared with the methods weighted linear combination (WLC) using equal weights and factor interaction method (FIM). Results showed that inundation received the highest susceptibility. Using expert judgement showed to perform almost the same as Equal weighting where the difference in susceptibility between the two for inundation was around 4%. The results also showed that downscaling could negatively affect the susceptibility assessment and be highly misleading. Susceptibility assessment through SMCA is useful for decision support in early road planning despite its limitation to the selection and use of decision rules and criteria. A natural hazard SMCA could be used to indicate areas where more investigations need to be undertaken from a natural hazard point of view, and to identify areas thought to have higher susceptibility along existing roads where mitigation measures could be targeted after in-situ investigations.

Karlsson, C.S.J., Kalantari, Z., Mörtberg, U., Olofsson, B., Lyon, S.W., 2017. Natural hazard susceptibility assessment for road planning using spatial multi-criteria analysis. Environmental Management 60: 823-851.

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The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2017

Karlsson, C.S.J., Miliutenko, S., Björklund, A., Mörtberg, U., Olofsson, B., Toller, S., 2017. Li... more Karlsson, C.S.J., Miliutenko, S., Björklund, A., Mörtberg, U., Olofsson, B., Toller, S., 2017. Life cycle assessment in road infrastructure planning using spatial geological data. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 22: 1302–1317.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to outline and demonstrate a new geographic information system (GIS)-based approach for utilising spatial geological data in three dimensions (i.e. length, width and depth) to improve estimates on earthworks during early stages of road infrastructure planning.
Methods: This was undertaken by using three main methodological steps: mass balance calculation, life cycle inventory analysis and spatial mapping of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use. The mass balance calculation was undertaken in a GIS environment using two assumptions of geological stratigraphy for two proposed alternative road corridors in Sweden. The estimated volumes of excavated soil, blasted rock and filling material were later multiplied with the GHG emission and energy use factors for these processes, to create spatial data and maps in order to show potential impacts of the studied road corridors. The proposed GIS-based approach was evaluated by comparing with actual values received after one alternative was constructed.
Results and discussion: The results showed that the estimate of filling material was the most accurate (about 9 % deviation from actual values), while the estimate for excavated soil and blasted rock resulted in about 38 and 80 % deviation, respectively, from the actual values. It was also found that the total volume of excavated and ripped soils did not change when accounting for stratigraphy.
Conclusions: The conclusion of this study was that more information regarding embankment height and actual soil thickness would further improve the model, but the proposed GIS-based approach shows promising results for usage in LCA at an early stage of road infrastructure planning. Thus, by providing better data quality, GIS in combination with LCA can enable planning for a more sustainable transport infrastructure.

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International Journal of Hydrogen Energy , 2015

Siyal, S.H., Mentis, D., Mörtberg, U., Samo, S.R., Howells, M., 2015. A preliminary assessment of... more Siyal, S.H., Mentis, D., Mörtberg, U., Samo, S.R., Howells, M., 2015. A preliminary assessment of wind generated hydrogen production potential to reduce the gasoline fuel used in road transport sector of Sweden. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 40: 6501–6511.

Hydrogen produced with the help of local wind energy resource can be considered as a key energy carrier, which can play a major role in switching the transport fuels from fossil to renewable. In this paper, we preliminary assessed the wind generated hydrogen production potential in order to provide the environmentally clean, renewable and cheap fuel to the road transport sector of Sweden. Vestas-112 wind turbine (V-112) and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer were used as main components. Land use restrictions related to wind to hydrogen energy installation were also taken into account. Geographic Information System (GIS) tool was used for this study. We estimated that in Sweden, 25,580 ktons/year of hydrogen can be produced by using local wind energy resource, which is equivalent to 860 TWh of energy. Moreover, by using per capita gasoline consumption of Sweden, it was also estimated that during year 2011, 2900 ktons of imported gasoline was used in transport sector, which emitted 8700 ktons of CO2 into the local atmosphere of country. It was also estimated that in Sweden, gasoline consumption and CO2 emission can be reduced to 50% by using only 530 ktons i.e. (2%) of total local wind generated hydrogen production.

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Energy, 2015

Siyal, S.H., Mörtberg, U., Mentis, D., Welsch, M., Babelon, I., Howells, M., 2015. Wind energy as... more Siyal, S.H., Mörtberg, U., Mentis, D., Welsch, M., Babelon, I., Howells, M., 2015. Wind energy assessment considering geographic and environmental restrictions in Sweden: A GIS-based approach. Energy 83: 447-461.

The wind energy being a freely available and low-carbon energy source has got the focus of decision makers around the world, because wind energy systems can reduce the dependence of a nation on fossil fuels and can contribute to a sustainable development of both climate and energy. However, wind power comes with certain environmental impacts and land use constraints that should be taken into account, in order to reach main sustainability goals concerning biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Swedish national goal regarding wind energy development has been set to 30 TWh by the year 2020, of which 20 TWh should come from the on-shore wind energy resource. Therefore, wind energy development in Sweden could play an important role in achieving the future energy and environmental targets. In this regard, we assessed the wind energy potential available in Sweden using a GIS-based approach. We aimed to estimate the technical onshore wind energy potential available in Sweden by considering system performance, topographic limitations, environmental, and land use constraints in the form of two restriction scenarios. The results of this paper can draw the attention of decision makers to reach a sustainable wind energy development in Sweden. The results achieved in this paper suggest that Sweden possesses sufficient wind energy potential and land area available for wind energy installations, which can be used to meet the future renewable energy targets in Sweden.

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Ecological Modelling, 2017

Pang, X., Mörtberg, U., Sallnäs, O., Trubins, R., Nordström, E.-M., Böttcher, H., 2017. Habitat n... more Pang, X., Mörtberg, U., Sallnäs, O., Trubins, R., Nordström, E.-M., Böttcher, H., 2017. Habitat network assessment of forest bioenergy options using the landscape simulator LandSim – A case study of Kronoberg, southern Sweden. Ecological Modelling 345: 99-112.

Forest biomass is a renewable resource that is increasingly utilised for bioenergy purposes in Sweden, which along with the extraction of industrial wood may conflict with biodiversity conservation. The aim of this paper is to present a method for integrated sustainability assessment of forest biomass extraction, particularly from bioenergy and biodiversity perspectives. The landscape simulator LandSim was developed and linked with models for the assessment of biomass yields and habitat networks representing prioritised biodiversity components. It was applied in a case study in Kronoberg County in southern Sweden. Forest growth and management were simulated for the period 2010–2110, following two land zoning scenarios, one applying even-aged forest management on all forest land except for protected areas (EAF-tot), and one applying continuous cover forest management on parts of the forest land, combined with protected areas and an intensified even-aged management on the other parts (CCF-int). The EAF-tot scenario implied higher yields of biomass feedstock for bioenergy, the CCF-int scenario only giving 66% of that yield, while the CCF-int scenario performed substantially better when it came to the habitat network indicators, if habitat suitability was ensured. Conclusively, the case study confirmed that the modelling framework of the LEcA tool, linking the landscape simulator LandSim with the biomass yield assessment and the habitat network model can be used for integrating main policy concerns when assessing renewable energy options.

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Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2017

Olsson, B.A., Hannrup, B., Jönsson, M., Larsolle, A., Nordström, M., Mörtberg, U., Rudolphi, J., ... more Olsson, B.A., Hannrup, B., Jönsson, M., Larsolle, A., Nordström, M., Mörtberg, U., Rudolphi, J., Strömgren, M., 2017. A decision support model for individual tree stump harvesting options based on criteria for economic return and environmental protection. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 32: 246-259.

Based on principles of multi-criteria analysis techniques, a model (MAPStump-E) for decision support on stump harvesting at stand level was developed. The model applies the concept that each stump can be attributed production values (economic) and environmental values (here soil protection and water quality). Individual tree stump information was incorporated directly from the production reports of harvesters and combined with high-resolution Geographical Information System data on topography and soil type to create a production submodel and a soil and water vulnerability submodel (SWM). To test the model, it was applied to a 45-ha study forest in south-central Sweden and the outcome of nine scenarios with varying bioenergy prices and environmental protection levels was examined. Combined analysis of the effects of production and environmental criteria on total dry mass of harvestable stumps at the study site showed that biomass prices had a stronger influence than environmental criteria. Conflict stumps were defined as stumps suitable for harvest based on production criteria, but unsuitable based on soil and water protection criteria. In a ?medium? price scenario, the proportion of conflict stumps at the study site ranged from 6% to 18%, depending on protection level set.

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Energy Policy, 2017

Mörtberg, U., Goldenberg, R., Kalantari, Z., Kordas, O., Deal, B., Balfors, B., Cvekovic, V., 201... more Mörtberg, U., Goldenberg, R., Kalantari, Z., Kordas, O., Deal, B., Balfors, B., Cvekovic, V., 2017. Integrating ecosystem services in the assessment of urban energy trajectories - A study of the Stockholm Region. Energy Policy 100: 338-349.

Urban development trajectories are changing towards compact, energy-efficient cities and renewable energy sources, and this will strongly affect ecosystem services (ES) that cities are dependent on but tend to disregard. Such ES can be provisioning, regulating and cultural ES, around which competition over land resources will increase with energy system shifts. Much of this can be foreseen to take place within urbanising regions that are simultaneously the living environment of a major part of the human population today. In order to inform critical urban policy decisions, tools for integrated assessment of urban energy and transport options and ecosystem services need to be developed. For this purpose, a case study of the Stockholm region was conducted, analysing three scenarios for the future urbanisation of the region, integrating a transport energy perspective and an ES perspective. The results showed that a dense but polycentric development pattern gives more opportunities for sustainable urban development, while the dense monocentric scenario has apparent drawbacks from an ES perspective. The methodology is compatible with a model integration platform for urban policy support and will thus enable integrated policy assessment of complex urban systems, with the goal of increasing their sustainability.

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Ecological Engineering, 2017

Karlson, M., Seiler, A., Mörtberg, U., 2017. The effect of fauna passages and landscape character... more Karlson, M., Seiler, A., Mörtberg, U., 2017. The effect of fauna passages and landscape characteristics on barrier mitigation success. Ecological Engineering 105: 211-220.

Transport infrastructure can impose significant barriers to movements to many, if not most terrestrial animals. Barrier effects can lead to increased isolation of wildlife populations, which in turn might have demographic effects and even increase genetic differentiation between neighbouring populations. This study attempted to clarify the role of fauna passages and generic landscape patterns for connectivity in fragmented landscapes, and to improve the theoretical basis for future experimental approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of barrier mitigation strategies. Specifically, the issue of whether it would be more effective to construct a single large rather than several small crossing structures (SLOSS) was addressed by this study. Three hypotheses were formulated on the relationship between habitat connectivity, as a prerequisite for genetic exchange, and habitat aggregation and contrast between habitat types. Random landscapes with different combinations of aggregation, contrast and number and size of fauna passages were created in a GIS. Connectivity was then quantified as a function of movement resistance using circuit theory and related methods, and measurements from the random landscapes were statistically analysed. The results indicate that in any landscape, it would be more effective to construct several small fauna passages instead of a single large one to mitigate the effect of a barrier. The level of aggregation appeared to have no influence per se on connectivity, and increasing the level of contrast increased the variance in the results. It is recommended that barrier effect mitigation strategies focus on the location and design of several small fauna passages rather than a single large one. Future research should focus on the development of dispersal and movement models for a set focal species. The effectiveness of increasing fauna passage dimensions above those of crossing structures that are evidently used by the intended species should also need more research.

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Sustainability, 2017

Kalantari, Z., Khoshkar, S., Falk, H., Cvetkovic, V. & Mörtberg, U. 2017. Accessibility of water-... more Kalantari, Z., Khoshkar, S., Falk, H., Cvetkovic, V. & Mörtberg, U. 2017. Accessibility of water-related cultural ecosystem services through public transport - A model for planning support in the Stockholm region. Sustainability 9: 346.

Planning for sustainable cities involves supporting compact, energy-efficient urban form as well as maintaining attractive and liveable urban landscapes. Attractive cities depend highly on services provided by ecosystems, especially cultural ecosystem services (ES), which give direct benefits to urban citizens. Therefore, access to a diversity of urban functions and publicly available ES by walking and public transport should be considered when planning for sustainable cities. This could be facilitated by user-friendly planning support models. The aim of this study was to develop a GIS-based model for assessing accessibility to ES, more specifically, water-related cultural ecosystem services (WCES), via walking and public transport, with input from stakeholders. The model was applied to the Stockholm region in Sweden. Travel times and census data were used to derive measures and maps of accessibility to prioritised WCES in the region, today and in urbanisation scenarios for 2050. The results showed how access to WCES varied spatially within the region. The number of potential visitors to different WCES sites now and in the future urbanisation scenarios was estimated, and areas in need for future development of the public transport system as well as WCES were identified. The GIS-based accessibility model has potential to be used as planning support in urban planning.

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Science of the Total Environment, 2017

Goldenberg, R., Kalantari, Z., Cvetkovic, V., Mörtberg, U., Deal, B., Destouni, G., 2017. Distinc... more Goldenberg, R., Kalantari, Z., Cvetkovic, V., Mörtberg, U., Deal, B., Destouni, G., 2017. Distinction, quantification and mapping of potential and realized supply-demand of flow-dependent ecosystem services. Science of the Total Environment 593-594: 599-609.

This study addresses and conceptualizes the possible dependence of ecosystem services on prevailing air and/or water flow processes and conditions, and particularly on the trajectories and associated spatial reach of these flows in carrying services from supply to demand areas in the landscape. The present conceptualization considers and accounts for such flow-dependence in terms of potential and actually realized service supply and demand, which may generally differ and must therefore be distinguished due to and accounting for the prevailing conditions of service carrier flows. We here concretize and quantify such flow-dependence for a specific landscape case (the Stockholm region, Sweden) and for two examples of regulating ecosystem services: local climate regulation and storm water regulation. For these service and landscape examples, we identify, quantify and map key areas of potential and realized service supply and demand, based for the former (potential) on prevailing relatively static types of landscape conditions (such as land-cover/use, soil type and demographics), and for the latter (realized) on relevant carrier air and water flows. These first-order quantification examples constitute first steps towards further development of generally needed such flow-dependence assessments for various types of ecosystem services in different landscapes over the world.

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Diversity and Distributions, 2018

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Land Degradation and Development, 2018

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Journal of Environmental Management, 2018

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Global Change Biology, 2018

Freitas, F.L.M., Englund, O., Sparovek, G., Berndes, G., Guidotti, V., Mörtberg, U., 2018. Who owns the Brazilian carbon? Global Change Biology 24: 2129-2142.

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Ecosystem Services, 2017

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Land Use Policy, 2017

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Environmental Management, 2017

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The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2017

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International Journal of Hydrogen Energy , 2015

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Energy, 2015

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Ecological Modelling, 2017

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Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2017

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Energy Policy, 2017

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Ecological Engineering, 2017

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Sustainability, 2017

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Science of the Total Environment, 2017

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Handbook on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment, 2016

Balfors, B., Azcarate, J., Mörtberg, U., Karlson, M., Odelius Gordon, S., 2016. Impacts of urban ... more Balfors, B., Azcarate, J., Mörtberg, U., Karlson, M., Odelius Gordon, S., 2016. Impacts of urban development on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Chapter 8 in: Geneletti, D. (ed.), Handbook on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 167-194.

Global urbanization has increased rapidly and it is expected to continue. Due to the continuing urbanization process, green areas are transformed into areas for housing, industry and infrastructure. As a consequence, ecosystems in urbanizing areas are affected, which results in degradation of habitats, due to fragmentation and disturbances, with significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. In cities, green areas are of primary interest to support biodiversity as well as in their role as producers of ecosystem services; that is, services that ecosystems produce to the benefit of humans often without any costs. In addition, publicly accessible urban green areas enhance life quality for urban citizens. To strengthen biodiversity and ecosystem services considerations in the planning process and contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in the long term, a consistent assessment of potential impacts is required. In particular, a landscape approach in urban planning and assessment is needed to address the scales of ecological processes, to strengthen important landscape structures and functions in urban, regional and infrastructure planning. A landscape approach calls for methods for assessing the impacts of human actions on biodiversity at a landscape level, across administrative borders. Such methods should allow an analysis of cumulative impacts of many single planning decisions. Several of the processes involved have a temporal and spatial dimension and are possible to quantify, analyse, and visualize with geographical information systems (GIS) combined with spatial ecological models. This allows for localization and quantification of predicted effects of urbanization on biodiversity components over landscape and regional scales. This chapter addresses impacts of urbanization on biodiversity and urban green areas’ capacity in providing ecosystem services. A brief description of the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services provides a framework for a landscape approach in biodiversity assessments and for the practical examples from the Stockholm region. Related to the assessment, tools for predicting and assessing biodiversity impacts at a landscape level will be discussed as well as planning and management of urban green areas. The chapter concludes with lessons learned and key recommendations for best practice.

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Sustainability of Integrated Water Resources Management, 2015

Tessema, S.M., Setegn, S.G., Mörtberg, U., 2015. Watershed modeling as a tool for sustainable wat... more Tessema, S.M., Setegn, S.G., Mörtberg, U., 2015. Watershed modeling as a tool for sustainable water resources management: SWAT model application in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia. 30 in: Setegn, S.G., Donoso, M.C. (eds.), Sustainability of Integrated Water Resources Management. Springer International Publishing, pp. 579-606.

Improving the reliability of streamflow prediction under limited data conditions is a vital step to achieve a sustainable water management system. In many areas, when planning for balancing water demands for hydropower, irrigation, and ecosystem services as well as preventing flood risk, major gaps exist on baseline information of water resources. The prediction of streamflow requires adequate understanding of the characteristics of the river basin. Awash River basin has been a subject of large-scale flooding for several years mainly due to heavy rains and inadequate water resource management. The lack of decision support tools and limitation of available data hinder research and development in the area. The main objective of this study was to characterize the hydrological components of the upper part of Awash River basin under limited data condition. The optimal approach for this purpose was considered to be statistical analysis of the time series hydrometeorological data and to adapt existing hydrological models. The physically based Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was successfully calibrated and validated in the watershed. The performance of the model was evaluated based on the streamflow prediction at four subbasin outlets and the main outlet of the river basin. Model validation indicated that daily streamflows were predicted reasonably which was verified by Nash-Sutcliffe values ranging from 0.55 to 0.71. The evaluations from tributary rivers indicate that the drainage area is one of the important factors that affect the direct transferring of parameter values from one watershed to another. The catchment characteristics and its different hydrological components of the water balance are discussed.

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Urban Remote Sensing : Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment, 2011

Hedblom, M., Mörtberg, U., 2011. Characterizing biodiversity in urban areas using remote sensing.... more Hedblom, M., Mörtberg, U., 2011. Characterizing biodiversity in urban areas using remote sensing. Urban Remote Sensing : Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 287-304.

Fauna and flora, and their diversity in cities have long been a neglected research area; instead, more natural environments or environments used for human production, such as forests or rural areas, have been prioritized. However, there has been a recent major increase in studies of urban green areas and their importance for species richness. The urbanization process has led to fragmentation of habitats, which has become one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide. Remote sensing is a cost-efficient data source covering large areas, capturing information in a systematic manner and can provide data for spatiotemporal studies in urban environments. However, few studies have examined biodiversity in urban ecosystems using satellite images. Here, we review remote sensing techniques for the study of biodiversity in urban areas, different approaches for characterizing biodiversity with remote sensing and the effects of urbanization on biodiversity; we also discuss applications of remote sensing in planning and management, and past and future avenues for research.We conclude that urban biodiversity studies are still far from exploiting the full potential of advances in data capture, data interpretation and classification methods in combination with field studies for deriving ecologically meaningful information.

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Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment, 2011

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Ecology of Cities and Towns : A Comparative Approach, 2009

Mörtberg, U., 2009. Landscape ecological analysis and assessment in an urbanizing environment. Ec... more Mörtberg, U., 2009. Landscape ecological analysis and assessment in an urbanizing environment. Ecology of Cities and Towns : A Comparative Approach. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 439-455.

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