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Policy formulation refers to how problems identified in the agenda-setting phase transform into government programs. As the process of designing policy alternatives expresses and allocates power among different interests, policy formulation affects both implementation and outcomes. This paper examines the Swedish moose policy of 2010, revealing that the policy portrays the issue of moose as an ecological problem, while motivations for adopting policy measures are largely described in economic terms. Because of this incongruity, the policy may not achieve its goals. Furthermore, implementation principles stemming from different design strategies clash in the attempt to incorporate both local and ecosystem-based levels of management into a single system, leaving the policy implementation with many uncertainties and tensions. To deliver the policy’s goal, the government could consider clarifying the operationalization of the ecosystem-based management approach and identifying the prerequisites necessary for building capacity, dealing with strong stakeholders, and ensuring fair representation of key actors. Future research should further explore the consequences of policy imbalances in relation to intended goals, the importance of understanding the rationales and design strategies underpinning implementation principles, and the need to discuss operationalization of EBM in relation to different types of objects of management and to issues of scale.
Katarina Hansson-Forman; Elsa Reimerson; Therese Bjärstig; Camilla Sandström. A view through the lens of policy formulation: the struggle to formulate Swedish moose policy. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning 2021, 1 -15.
AMA StyleKatarina Hansson-Forman, Elsa Reimerson, Therese Bjärstig, Camilla Sandström. A view through the lens of policy formulation: the struggle to formulate Swedish moose policy. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning. 2021; ():1-15.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKatarina Hansson-Forman; Elsa Reimerson; Therese Bjärstig; Camilla Sandström. 2021. "A view through the lens of policy formulation: the struggle to formulate Swedish moose policy." Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning , no. : 1-15.
Strong land-use pressure challenges sustainable development and calls for landscape approaches that balance economic, ecological, and socio-cultural aspects and interests. In the boreal, sub-alpine, and alpine regions in Sweden, encompassing 32 million ha, many and different land-use interests overlap, which causes risks for conflict, but potentially also suggests integration and synergy opportunities. Based on geographic information system (GIS) analyses of geographically delineated national interests regulated in the Swedish Environmental Code, including, amongst others, Natura 2000, contiguous mountains, recreation, reindeer husbandry, and wind power, and based on forestry as a dominating land use, we found extensive overlap among similar but also between dissimilar types of interest. In some mountain municipalities, our results show that the designated national interest area is four times as large as the available terrestrial area. Moreover, the overlap is much higher in the alpine than in the boreal biome, and there is increasing designation for nature conservation and a decreasing designation for national interests for culture, recreation, and tourism from south to north. We interpret the results with reference to multiple-use needs and opportunities for landscape approaches to sustainable planning. Departing from biodiversity conservation values, we also discuss opportunities to focus planning strategies on assessing synergy, integration, and conflict based on nature-based and place-based land-use characteristics.
Johan Svensson; Wiebke Neumann; Therese Bjärstig; Anna Zachrisson; Camilla Thellbro. Landscape Approaches to Sustainability—Aspects of Conflict, Integration, and Synergy in National Public Land-Use Interests. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5113 .
AMA StyleJohan Svensson, Wiebke Neumann, Therese Bjärstig, Anna Zachrisson, Camilla Thellbro. Landscape Approaches to Sustainability—Aspects of Conflict, Integration, and Synergy in National Public Land-Use Interests. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5113.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohan Svensson; Wiebke Neumann; Therese Bjärstig; Anna Zachrisson; Camilla Thellbro. 2020. "Landscape Approaches to Sustainability—Aspects of Conflict, Integration, and Synergy in National Public Land-Use Interests." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5113.
The concept of woodland key habitats is well-established in northern Europe, denoting sites in the forest landscape with particularly high biodiversity. In Sweden, woodland key habitats have been inventoried on individual forest owner’s land by the Swedish Forest Agency since 1993. Recently, various actors have questioned the woodland key habitat concept and its policy implications. To investigate how framing of the concept has changed over time we conducted a media analysis based on theories of collective action frames. The analysis covered the period 1991–2018 and a total of 293 articles in daily newspapers. Our results showed that, over time, woodland key habitats have mostly been framed by government agencies, journalists and environmental organizations as suffering as a result of forestry practices and that nature conservation is the solution to this problem. Actors presenting other or conflicting frames are not as common and they occur mostly when the frequency of articles is high. However, it is noteworthy that individual forest owners sometimes framed themselves as suffering economically from the woodland key habitats, which contrasts with the dominant framing. There were no large differences between national and regional newspapers in the framing of woodland key habitats.
Isabella Hallberg-Sramek; Therese Bjärstig; Annika Nordin. Framing woodland key habitats in the Swedish media – how has the framing changed over time? Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 2020, 35, 198 -209.
AMA StyleIsabella Hallberg-Sramek, Therese Bjärstig, Annika Nordin. Framing woodland key habitats in the Swedish media – how has the framing changed over time? Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 2020; 35 (3-4):198-209.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsabella Hallberg-Sramek; Therese Bjärstig; Annika Nordin. 2020. "Framing woodland key habitats in the Swedish media – how has the framing changed over time?" Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 35, no. 3-4: 198-209.
Quests for devolving more power to local actors for nature protection stem from both international and national policies. Also, there is a growing recognition of the need for local governments to promote green infrastructure for citizens to recreate and learn about their environment. Starting in 2004, the Swedish government has allocated special funding towards these goals through the Local Nature Conservation Programme (LONA). Virtually all Swedish municipalities have received such funding in pursuit of facilitating wide access to nature and promoting recreational activities, including the protection of nature areas, creating pathways, information devices, and promoting these areas among new societal groups to enjoy. This study presents the results of ten years of experience with LONA. A survey with respondents from 191 municipalities and 20 county administrations, together with 20 key informant interviews, show that the programme has been a success in several respects. Not only have most municipalities created a wealth of new ways to engage local organisations and citizens in nature conservation and recreation, but they have also broadened the ways they think about how nature is important to their constituencies. Due to innovative ways to count voluntary work as local matching of funding, smaller and less resourceful municipalities have also become engaged. Still, the local needs for further initiatives are deemed considerable. State support coupled with knowledge sharing is important to show policy priority to such bottom-up initiatives.
Katarina Eckerberg; Therese Bjärstig; Matilda Miljand; Irina Mancheva. Devolving power from the state: local initiatives for nature protection and recreation in Sweden. Local Environment 2020, 25, 433 -446.
AMA StyleKatarina Eckerberg, Therese Bjärstig, Matilda Miljand, Irina Mancheva. Devolving power from the state: local initiatives for nature protection and recreation in Sweden. Local Environment. 2020; 25 (6):433-446.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKatarina Eckerberg; Therese Bjärstig; Matilda Miljand; Irina Mancheva. 2020. "Devolving power from the state: local initiatives for nature protection and recreation in Sweden." Local Environment 25, no. 6: 433-446.
The Sami are recognized as an Indigenous people and a national minority in both Norway and Sweden, and their involvement in any planning concerning their traditional territories is required. The aim of this article is to examine how Sami interests are secured and institutionalized in municipal comprehensive planning (MCP). We use two case study areas: Sortland municipality in Norway and Vilhelmina municipality in Sweden. Analysis of various qualitative materials indicates that, despite contextual and institutional differences, the planning processes in the case study areas have similar outcomes. We conclude that formal rights of the Sami are not always acknowledged by the politicians who make the final decision. Rather, the Sami depend on the politicians’ willingness to consider their needs.
Therese Bjärstig; Vigdis Nygaard; Jan Åge Riseth; Camilla Sandström. The Institutionalisation of Sami Interest in Municipal Comprehensive Planning: A Comparison Between Norway and Sweden. International Indigenous Policy Journal 2020, 11, 1 .
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Vigdis Nygaard, Jan Åge Riseth, Camilla Sandström. The Institutionalisation of Sami Interest in Municipal Comprehensive Planning: A Comparison Between Norway and Sweden. International Indigenous Policy Journal. 2020; 11 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Vigdis Nygaard; Jan Åge Riseth; Camilla Sandström. 2020. "The Institutionalisation of Sami Interest in Municipal Comprehensive Planning: A Comparison Between Norway and Sweden." International Indigenous Policy Journal 11, no. 2: 1.
Therese Bjärstig; Camilla Sandström; Jörgen Sjögren; Johan Soneson; Annika Nordin. A struggling collaborative process – revisiting the woodland key habitat concept in Swedish forests. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 2019, 34, 699 -708.
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Camilla Sandström, Jörgen Sjögren, Johan Soneson, Annika Nordin. A struggling collaborative process – revisiting the woodland key habitat concept in Swedish forests. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 2019; 34 (8):699-708.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Camilla Sandström; Jörgen Sjögren; Johan Soneson; Annika Nordin. 2019. "A struggling collaborative process – revisiting the woodland key habitat concept in Swedish forests." Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 34, no. 8: 699-708.
Sweden’s mountain areas are sensitive ecosystems that are used by a wide range of stakeholders, and this raises multiple sustainability concerns. Collaborative governance solutions are becoming increasingly common in such situations to promote more sustainable practices. While the Swedish mountain area is indeed a hot spot for different forms of public–private partnerships (PPPs) related to natural resources management, as yet, little is known about the shaping of participation, leadership, and implementation of these processes. What are the drivers for implementing collaborative environmental partnerships, do the drivers differ, and if so, how? What role does the specific context play in the design of these PPPs? Are the PPPs useful, and if so, for what? To analyze those issues, we conducted 38 semi-structured interviews with project leaders from a sample randomly selected from a database of 245 public–private collaborative projects in the Swedish mountains. Our results indicate that consequential incentives in the form of funding and previous successful collaborations seem to be the major drivers for such partnerships. A critical discussion of the possibilities and limitations of public–private forms of governance in rural mountain areas adds to the ongoing debate on the performance of environmental PPPs in a regional context.
Camilla Thellbro; Therese Bjärstig; Katarina Eckerberg. Drivers for Public–Private Partnerships in Sustainable Natural Resource Management—Lessons from the Swedish Mountain Region. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3914 .
AMA StyleCamilla Thellbro, Therese Bjärstig, Katarina Eckerberg. Drivers for Public–Private Partnerships in Sustainable Natural Resource Management—Lessons from the Swedish Mountain Region. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (11):3914.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCamilla Thellbro; Therese Bjärstig; Katarina Eckerberg. 2018. "Drivers for Public–Private Partnerships in Sustainable Natural Resource Management—Lessons from the Swedish Mountain Region." Sustainability 10, no. 11: 3914.
Therese Bjärstig; Camilla Thellbro; Anna Zachrisson; Johan Svensson. IMPLEMENTING COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN THE SWEDISH MOUNTAINS – THE CASE OF VILHELMINA. Sustainable Development and Planning X 2018, 1 .
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Camilla Thellbro, Anna Zachrisson, Johan Svensson. IMPLEMENTING COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN THE SWEDISH MOUNTAINS – THE CASE OF VILHELMINA. Sustainable Development and Planning X. 2018; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Camilla Thellbro; Anna Zachrisson; Johan Svensson. 2018. "IMPLEMENTING COLLABORATIVE PLANNING IN THE SWEDISH MOUNTAINS – THE CASE OF VILHELMINA." Sustainable Development and Planning X , no. : 1.
As an integrated social and ecological system, the forest landscape includes multiple values. The need for a landscape approach in land use planning is being increasingly advocated in research, policy and practice. This paper explores how institutional conditions in the forest policy and management sector can be developed to meet demands for a multifunctional landscape perspective. Departing from obstacles recognised in collaborative planning literature, we build an analytical framework which is operationalised in a Swedish context at municipal level. Our case illustrating this is Vilhelmina Model Forest, where actual barriers and opportunities for a multiple-value landscape approach are identified through 32 semi-structured interviews displaying stakeholders’ views on forest values, ownership rights and willingness to consider multiple values, forest policy and management premises, and collaboration. As an opportunity to overcome the barriers, we suggest and discuss three key components by which an integrated landscape planning approach could be realized in forest management planning: the need for a landscape coordinator (broker), the need for a collaborative forum (arena), and the development of the existing forest management plan into an advanced multifunctional landscape plan (tool).
Julia Carlsson; Gun Lidestav; Therese Bjärstig; Johan Svensson; Eva-Maria Nordström. Opportunities for Integrated Landscape Planning – the Broker, the Arena, the Tool. Landscape Online 2017, 55, 1 -20.
AMA StyleJulia Carlsson, Gun Lidestav, Therese Bjärstig, Johan Svensson, Eva-Maria Nordström. Opportunities for Integrated Landscape Planning – the Broker, the Arena, the Tool. Landscape Online. 2017; 55 ():1-20.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJulia Carlsson; Gun Lidestav; Therese Bjärstig; Johan Svensson; Eva-Maria Nordström. 2017. "Opportunities for Integrated Landscape Planning – the Broker, the Arena, the Tool." Landscape Online 55, no. : 1-20.
Forests are considered crucial assets for sustainable rural development, and contemporary forestry is an industry where production, environmental and social goals can—and should—be handled simultaneously. Swedish family forest owners (FFOs) are expected to both manage and conserve their forests for the benefit of the whole country, but there are contradictions between development and conservation and between traditional and alternative forms of utilization representing dilemmas in rural areas. Tensions between urban and rural areas, between demands on what to produce and protect, are often linked to the FFOs’ views on opportunities for forest management. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the extent to which FFOs perceive that social values have the ability to generate “new” goods and services as a supplement or alternative to traditional forestry, and to suggest how the forests might be managed to render high social values. Fifty-seven interviews were conducted with FFOs (both resident and non-resident). The results indicate that regardless of where they reside, FFOs have a multifunctional view of their forests and forest management, that the social values attached to forests can play an important role in development of local recreation- and forest-based tourism activities, and in this respect they can enhance sustainable rural development. It is, however, not obvious who might start and develop these businesses, since there seems to be a lack of interest among the FFOs themselves.
Therese Bjärstig; Anna Sténs. Social Values of Forests and Production of New Goods and Services: The Views of Swedish Family Forest Owners. Small-scale Forestry 2017, 17, 125 -146.
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Anna Sténs. Social Values of Forests and Production of New Goods and Services: The Views of Swedish Family Forest Owners. Small-scale Forestry. 2017; 17 (1):125-146.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Anna Sténs. 2017. "Social Values of Forests and Production of New Goods and Services: The Views of Swedish Family Forest Owners." Small-scale Forestry 17, no. 1: 125-146.
The conflicts that frequently manifest in the Swedish mountains often stem from the use and preservation of natural resources. Resistance against protected area proposals, protests concerning the management of large carnivores, the felling of old-growth forests, and disputes over who should be allowed to hunt or fish are all commonplace. There are currently strong trends, both in national and international policy making, towards leaning on various forms of collaborative governance arrangements to deal with such policy failures. Consequently, various forms of partnerships have been initiated to promote more sustainable practices in the mountain regions of Sweden. To what extent has the creation of these collaborative partnerships in natural resource management improved policy output and sustainability outcomes? To examine the issue, data was extracted from 47 semi-structured interviews with 39 project leaders and eight county officials, with the sample randomly selected from a database of 245 public–private collaborative projects in the Swedish mountains. The results indicate that partnerships do lead to improved sustainability, especially when it comes to social outcomes. However, there is a need for more systematic follow-ups by practitioners, particularly on ecological outcomes, where the country administrative boards should take a leading role and facilitate such evaluations in the future.
Therese Bjärstig. Does Collaboration Lead to Sustainability? A Study of Public–Private Partnerships in the Swedish Mountains. Sustainability 2017, 9, 1685 .
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig. Does Collaboration Lead to Sustainability? A Study of Public–Private Partnerships in the Swedish Mountains. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (10):1685.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig. 2017. "Does Collaboration Lead to Sustainability? A Study of Public–Private Partnerships in the Swedish Mountains." Sustainability 9, no. 10: 1685.
Spatial planning using a landscape approach has been recognized as being essential for reconciling ecological, cultural and socio-economic dimensions in sustainable development (SuD). Although embraced as a concept, there is a lack of planning tools capable of incorporating multi-level, multifunctional and multi-sectoral perspectives, especially in a rural context. The departure point in this paper is the legal requirements for municipal comprehensive planning (MCP) in Sweden and an e-mail survey about incentives, stakeholder involvement, policy integration and implementation in MCP in all 15 Swedish mountain municipalities. The purpose of this explorative study is to examine whether MCP could be a tool in planning for SuD. Results indicate a general lack of resources and a low status of MCP that affect, and even limit, stakeholder involvement, policy integration and implementation. However, legal requirements for MCP are targeted at SuD, and municipal personnel responsible for planning appreciate the potential of MCP. Therefore, there is potential to develop the MCP into an effective landscape planning tool. To accomplish this, the status of an active planning process has to be raised, the mandate of the local planning agency has to be secured, and residents and land users have to be involved throughout the planning process.
Therese Bjärstig; Camilla Thellbro; Olof Stjernström; Johan Svensson; Camilla Sandström; Per Sandström; Anna Zachrisson. Between protocol and reality – Swedish municipal comprehensive planning. European Planning Studies 2017, 26, 35 -54.
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Camilla Thellbro, Olof Stjernström, Johan Svensson, Camilla Sandström, Per Sandström, Anna Zachrisson. Between protocol and reality – Swedish municipal comprehensive planning. European Planning Studies. 2017; 26 (1):35-54.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Camilla Thellbro; Olof Stjernström; Johan Svensson; Camilla Sandström; Per Sandström; Anna Zachrisson. 2017. "Between protocol and reality – Swedish municipal comprehensive planning." European Planning Studies 26, no. 1: 35-54.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become a popular tool for governing rural development in a European context. PPPs are often presented as significant solutions for increasing both the effectiveness (problem-solving capacity) and the legitimacy of sustainable rural governance in terms of participation and accountability. In Sweden, where PPPs have played a marginal role, due to the EU cohesion policy they are now gaining ground as a model for the governance and management of natural resources in rural areas. Previous research shows that the state remains crucial in governing the process of governance through partnerships, especially in a rural as opposed to an urban context, where the state plays an ongoing role in initiating, structuring, financing and regulating partnerships. Is this an example of the state trying to counterbalance the increased power of the private sector, or the opposite – that is, an attempt to reduce social exclusion and increase participation by promoting the interest of private actors in local development processes? Our study examines the critical role of the state in these partnerships. We focus on authorities in charge of natural resource management and rural development and assess the enabling role of the authorities in rural areas with a weak or dispersed private sector. Empirical data is collected via group interviews at a workshop in which key representatives from the authorities participated. We identify a number of potential challenges associated to PPPs in a rural context, and in light of this we clarify how the authorities engage in different types of partnership arrangements, as well as their capacity to facilitate these partnerships in attempt to enhance sustainable rural development
Therese Bjärstig; Camilla Sandström. Public-private partnerships in a Swedish rural context - A policy tool for the authorities to achieve sustainable rural development? Journal of Rural Studies 2017, 49, 58 -68.
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Camilla Sandström. Public-private partnerships in a Swedish rural context - A policy tool for the authorities to achieve sustainable rural development? Journal of Rural Studies. 2017; 49 ():58-68.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Camilla Sandström. 2017. "Public-private partnerships in a Swedish rural context - A policy tool for the authorities to achieve sustainable rural development?" Journal of Rural Studies 49, no. : 58-68.
The sustainability paradigm of the European Landscape Convention calls for increased involvement of all affected parties in combination with active leadership to promote social values. As a result, the Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) has requested further development of methods for broad consultation and active participation in order to strengthen the social values of forests. This paper aims to identify in particular the private forest owners' perceived need for collaboration and dialog regarding the social values of forests. The study's primary empirical data was derived from interviews with 40 private forest owners. A framework developed by Emerson et al. (2012) was applied to facilitate analysis of the forest owners' perceptions of procedural and institutional arrangements, existing leadership, the current level of knowledge and access to different types of resources. The paper identifies a need for the SFA to become more proactive and assume more of a leading role. The level of knowledge regarding social values was found to be quite low among the majority of the private forest owners. They wanted more information; they asked for increased support and advice, and they wanted to see improved coordination rather than collaboration on social values.
Therese Bjärstig; Emma Kvastegård. Forest social values in a Swedish rural context: The private forest owners' perspective. Forest Policy and Economics 2016, 65, 17 -24.
AMA StyleTherese Bjärstig, Emma Kvastegård. Forest social values in a Swedish rural context: The private forest owners' perspective. Forest Policy and Economics. 2016; 65 ():17-24.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTherese Bjärstig; Emma Kvastegård. 2016. "Forest social values in a Swedish rural context: The private forest owners' perspective." Forest Policy and Economics 65, no. : 17-24.
This study examines which kinds of social benefits derived from forests are emphasised by Swedish stakeholders and what governance modes and management tools they accept. Our study shows that there exists a great variety among stakeholders’ perceptions of forests’ social values, where tourism and recreation is the most common reference. There are also differences in preferred governance modes and management where biomass and bioenergy sectors advocate business as usual (i.e. framework regulations and voluntarism) and other stakeholders demand rigid tools (i.e. coercion and targeting) and improved landscape planning. This divide will have implications for future policy orientations and require deliberative policy processes and improved dialogue among stakeholders and authorities. We suggest that there is a potential for these improvements, since actors from almost all stakeholder groups support local influence on governance and management, acknowledged and maintained either by the authorities, i.e. targeting, or by the stakeholders themselves, i.e. voluntarism.
Anna Sténs; Therese Bjärstig; Eva-Maria Nordström; Camilla Sandström; Clas Fries; Johanna Johansson. In the eye of the stakeholder: The challenges of governing social forest values. Ambio 2016, 45, 87 -99.
AMA StyleAnna Sténs, Therese Bjärstig, Eva-Maria Nordström, Camilla Sandström, Clas Fries, Johanna Johansson. In the eye of the stakeholder: The challenges of governing social forest values. Ambio. 2016; 45 (2):87-99.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnna Sténs; Therese Bjärstig; Eva-Maria Nordström; Camilla Sandström; Clas Fries; Johanna Johansson. 2016. "In the eye of the stakeholder: The challenges of governing social forest values." Ambio 45, no. 2: 87-99.