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Skötsel och gestaltning av den tätortsnära skogen
Get PDFUppsatsen centrerar kring Marieholmsskogen vilket är en tätortsnära skog i sydvästra Mariestad. Generellt är skötseln av den tätortsnära skogen ofta bristfällig, vilket även är fallet i Marieholmsskogen. Skogsområdet har stor potential att vara en plats för vardagsrekreation för många eftersom stora bostadsområden finns i nära anslutning. Det som främst hindrar Marieholmsskogen från att uppfattas som rekreativ är den täta undervegetationen, vilket forskning visar att människor generellt ogillar (Tyrväinen, Silvennoinen & Kolehmainen 2003; Ode Sang 2019). Uppsatsens syfte är att belysa hur Marieholmsskogen kan få ett större rekreativt värde genom att upprätta en skötselplan.
Källan till kunskap är en litteraturstudie där första delen behandlar växtsamhällens utveckling respektive dynamik, medan andra delen behandlar skötsel och design av tätortsnära skogar. Därtill utfördes en växtinventering som kompletterades av ett linjediagram för att öka förståelsen för fördelningen av arter, vegetationsstrukturen samt områdets topografi. I stora drag utgörs Marieholmsskogen av en högre mitt, där tall dominerar, medan områdets kantzoner som är topografiskt lägre utgörs även av lövträdsarter. Vidare identifierades styrkor, svagheter och möjligheter i skogsområdet för att vara vägledande vid utformningen av skötselplanen. Den främsta styrkan är det mogna trädskiktet som, om det betraktas separerat från den täta undervegetationen, ger rekreativa värden. Utöver den täta undervegetationen är ett otillräckligt gångnätverk den främsta svagheten, dagens stigar möjliggör att passera igenom men inte promenera en längre sträcka inne i skogsmiljön.
Uppsatsens resultat presenteras i form av en skötselplan uppdelad i sex skötselområden. Åtgärderna som presenterats i skötselplanen kan kategoriseras i två typer av åtgärder, de som syftar till att tillgängliggöra skogsområdet visuellt och fysiskt samt de åtgärder som syftar till att uppnå stabila vegetationssystem. Skötselplanen genomsyras av en grundidé att förvalta och utveckla det befintliga snarare än att planera något nytt. Skötselplanen har ambitionen att kunna genomföras med relativt enkla medel, det ska vara en låg tröskel för en mindre kommun att erbjuda invånarna en attraktiv tätortsnära skogsmiljö.The essay centers around Marieholmsskogen, which is an urban forest in southwestern Mariestad. In general, management of urban forests are often deficient, which is also the case in Marieholmsskogen. The forest area has great potential to be a place for everyday recreation for many people that live in the residential areas in close proximity to Marieholmsskogen. What mainly prevents Marieholmsskogen from being perceived as recreational is the dense undergrowth, which research shows that people generally dislike (Tyrväinen, Silvennoinen & Kolehmainen 2003; Ode Sang 2019). The purpose of the thesis is to shed light on how Marieholmsskogen can have a greater recreational value by establishing a management plan.
Literature studies are the main source of information. study where the first part describes the development and dynamics of plant communities, while the second part describes management and design of urban forests. In addition, a plant inventory was carried out, which was supplemented by a line diagram to increase the understanding of the distribution of species, the vegetation structure and the topography of the area. Broadly speaking, Marieholmsskogen consists of a higher center, where pine dominates, while the area’s edge zones, which are topographically lower, also consist of deciduous tree species. Furthermore, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in the forest area were identified to use as a guide when designing the management plan. The forest asreas main strength is the mature tree layer which, if considered separated from the dense undergrowth, provides recreational values. In addition to the dense undergrowth, an insufficient network of paths is the main weakness, today’s paths make it possible to pass through but not walk a longer distance inside the forest.
The results of the thesis are presented as a management plan, divided into six management areas. The measures presented in the management plan can be categorized into two types of measures, the ones that aim to make the forest area visually and physically accessible and the ones that aim to achieve stable vegetation systems. The thesis as a whole has a fundamental idea of managing and developing the existing rather than planning something new. The management plan has the ambition of being able to be implemented with relatively simple means, it should be a low threshold for a smaller municipality to offer the inhabitants an attractive urban forest environment
Heritage cereals : tasty and sustainable?
Get PDFHeritage cereals, a group of cereals that have not been subjected to modern crop breeding, have been getting attention due to their generally high genetic diversity, traits like high drought and disease tolerance as well as high nutritional values. Knowledge about how consumers relate to heritage cereals in Sweden is limited, and therefore this thesis aims to, firstly, explore acceptance, awareness and preferences among a specific consumer group; students in the agriculture program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and, secondly, quality perception in relation to heritage cereals among consumers, bakers and retailers, in a Swedish context. The thesis used a mixed-method approach, and is based on quantitative data from a survey to capture perspectives from the student consumer group and semi-structured interviews with bakers and retailers to gain additional perspectives about food quality.
The findings from this study suggests that the awareness of heritage cereals is high among the specific consumer group. Bread and pasta make up the most preferred food products, and supermarkets were the most preferred shopping location. Gender had some influence on differences within the group, while high similarities were found between the different educational backgrounds. Results from the survey indicate that taste and Swedish food production are two very important food quality aspects for heritage cereals. Additionally, quality aspects like health, environmental impact, organic and local production were also found to be important to consumers, bakers and retailers. Consuming heritage cereals can also be seen as a tool to support sustainable food systems and different political discourses, avoiding risks associated with industrial farming and express belonging to certain cultural identities. These were also important dimensions of heritage cereal food quality.Kulturspannmål, en grupp av spannmål som inte genomgått modern växtförädling, har under de senaste åren fått allt mer uppmärksamhet på grund av faktorer såsom deras generellt höga genetiska diversitet, resistans mot torka och sjukdomar samt nutritionsvärden. Kunskap om konsumenters syn på dessa spannmål i Sverige är idag begränsad och därför syftar denna uppsats till att undersöka acceptans, familjaritet och preferenser hos en specifik konsumentgrupp; studenter som går agronomprogrammet på Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, samt konsumenters, bagares och handlares syn på viktiga kvalitetsaspekter kopplade till kulturspannmål. Denna studie utgår från både kvantitativ data från en enkät, som använts för att undersöka konsumentgruppens perspektiv, samt semistrukturerade intervjuer för att undersöka bagares och handlares perspektiv.
Resultaten visade på hög familjaritet av kulturspannmål hos konsumentgruppen. Bröd och pasta var de kulturspannmålsprodukter som flest föredrog, och flest föredrog att handla på stora matbutiker. Skillnader inom konsumentgruppen var framför allt beroende av kön och resultaten visade på stora likheter mellan olika utbildningsbakgrunder inom agronomprogrammet. Från enkäten framkom att smak och svenskproducerat var två väldigt viktiga kvalitetsaspekter kopplat till kulturspannmål. Från intervjuerna framkom även att kvalitetsaspekter som hälsa, miljöpåverkan, ekologisk och lokal produktion också var viktiga. Konsumtion av kulturspannmål kan också ses som ett verktyg för att stödja hållbar matproduktion och olika politiska diskurser, undvika olika typer av risker som associeras med industriellt jordbruk samt för att uttrycka tillhörighet till en viss kulturell identitet. Dessa aspekter visade sig också vara viktiga dimensioner av matkvalitet kopplat till kulturspannmål
Presence of bacteria in modified atmosphere packed raw chicken meat and their effect on shelf life and sensory characteristics
Get PDFFood waste is a huge challenge and constitutes a massive hurdle for development of sustainable food systems. Around 30% of all food produced for human consumption globally is estimated to be discarded, which in many cases is due to the foods having reached best-before-date. Bacterial groups such as Total aerobic count (TAC), Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Enterobacteriaceae (EB) are important quality indicators or spoilage bacteria of many food items, for example fresh and perishable foods such as chicken or minced meat. The aim of this study is to evaluate if the shelf life of chicken breast fillet can be extended by analyzing bacterial levels and sensory characteristics of chicken. In the present study, chicken breast fillets were analysed at three different time points; EXP (day or expiration), EXP+2 (2 days past expiration date) and EXP+4 (4 days past expiration date) at two different storage temperatures (4°C and 8°C) to see changes in growth of different bacterial populations over time from established expiration date up to 4 days past expiration date. In addition, two sensory evaluations were performed to evaluate flavor, odor and texture at the three different time points. The results from the microbiological study were compared to the sensory evaluation results in order to investigate the potential to extend the shelf life of chicken without compromising sensory characteristics. The highest population of TAC (8.1 log CFU/g) was found in chicken breast fillets stored at 8°C and analysed 4 days after expiration date. Chicken breast fillets that had been stored at 4°C and analysed at expiration date had the lowest TAC levels (5.9 log CFU/g). However, the sensory evaluations showed that none of the chicken breast fillets tested was significantly different to the other. This means that chicken with prolonged shelf life (and with TAC 8.1 log CFU/g) was consumable and had no significant effect on flavor, odor or texture of the cooked product compared to chicken consumed at expiration date. Further research needs to be conducted to extend the shelf life of raw chicken breast fillets, and to establish a scientific foundation for appliance and use of dynamic food labels to reach the long-term goal of reducing food waste
Säker bortkoppling av balpress vid brand
Get PDFEn stor risk vid pressning av halm är att en brand uppstår i balpressen. Balpressens
flertal rörliga delar i kombination med torra, varma och dammiga förhållande är en
bidragande orsak till bränderna och att dessa snabbt riskerar att bli omfattande.
Detta innebär att när en brand uppstår i en balpress så är även risken att branden
sprider sig till traktorn och skadorna kan genast bli mer omfattande.
I denna studie vill vi undersöka vilka hjälpmedel och tekniska lösningar som finns
för att hindra spridningen från balpressen till traktorn. Detta görs genom att
undersöka vilka olika former av draganordningar och nödutlösningssystem som
finns samt hur resterande komponenter ska kopplas bort så som hydraulik och
kraftöverföring. Detta med målet att snabbt och säkert kunna koppla loss balpressen
innan branden sprider sig till traktorn och därmed minimera skadorna.
I litteraturstudien framgår det att två draganordningar är framtagna för detta
ändamål. Däremot är det bara Scharmüllers nödutlösningssystem ute på marknaden
medans det andra är under utveckling. Fördelen med samtliga drag är att inga utav
dragen kräver heller några modifieringar på maskinerna. Däremot kan vissa
modifikationer eller andra val av kopplingar till hydraulik och elektronik krävas.
Det framgår även av intervjuerna med Lindqvist (2022) att kännedomen om dessa
drag är bristande vilket troligtvis beror på att de är relativt nya produkter som inte
marknadsförts i stor omfattning i Skandinavien. Studien har identifierat och jämfört
ett antal olika draganordningar och kombinationslösningar.
Som slutsats kan studien konstatera att hjälpmedel och tekniska lösningar för att
koppla bort en brinnande balpress säkert och effektivt finns, alternativt är under
utveckling. Den allmänna vetskapen om dessa lösningar är dock bristande. Studien
kan också konstatera att prisbilden på dessa behöver reduceras alternativt
subventioneras för att de ska anses som rimliga. Då inte praktiska tester gjort och
då det inte ställs krav från försäkringbolagen på mer avancerade lösningar så är det
svårt att fastställa vilket drag som är lämpligast i dagsläget. Vidare kan vi konstatera
att den tekniska utvecklingen främst har fokuserat på draganordning och att
utvecklingen kring hydraulik, elektronik samt kraftöverföring behöver gå framåt
för att fler lösningar ska utvecklas.A major risk when baling straw is that a fire occurs in the baler. All the balder's
moving parts in combination with dry, hot and dusty conditions are a contributing
factor to the fires and that these quickly risk becoming extensive. This means that
when a fire occurs in a baler, there is also a risk that the fire will spread to the tractor
and the damage can immediately become more extensive.
In this study, we want to investigate what aids and technical equipment are available
to prevent the spread from the baler to the tractor. This is done by examining what
different forms of towing devices and emergency releasesystems are available and
how the remaining components are to be disconnected, such as hydraulics and PTO.
This with the goal of being able to quickly and safely disconnect the baler before
the fire spreads to the tractor and thereby minimize the damage.
The literature study shows that two towing devices have been developed for this
purpose. However, only Scharmüller's emergency release system is on the market
while the other is under development. The advantage of all features is that none of
the features require any modifications to the machines. However, some
modifications or other kind of connections to hydraulics and electronics may be
required. It also appears from interviews with Lindqvist (2022) that knowledge of
these features is lacking, which is probably due to the fact that they are relatively
new products have not been marketed to a large extent in Scandinavia. The result
of this study is material collected in the form of literature reviews and interviews.
Through this, we have found and compared a number of different towing devices
and combination solutions.
The conclusion, this study can state that aids and technical solutions for
disconnecting a burning baler safe and effective exist, or is under development.
However, there is a lack of general knowledge about these solutions. The study can
also state that the price of these needs to be reduced or subsidized in order for them
to be considered reasonable. Since no practical tests have been done and since there
are no requirements from the insurance companies for more advanced solutions, it
is difficult to determine which towing device is most suitable at present.
Furthermore, we can state that the technical development has mainly focused on
traction devices and that the development around hydraulics, electronics and PTO
needs to expand and be more complex solutions
Service dominant logic for actor-to-actor co-creation of value and sustainability outcomes
Get PDFShifts to less energy intensive diets based on plant protein are necessary to meet the food demands of 2050. High protein crops such as legumes are a solution that confers farm-level and societal benefits. However, Sweden lacks the physical, societal, and political infrastructure needed for improved production and consumption. Currently, several market-facing, public and private institutions are acting to innovate and collaborate to develop new products, networks, and systems for market development of legumes and legume-based meat and dairy alternatives. This study explains how actors perceive and act on the environmental, social, and economic potential of legumes through semi-structured interviews. This qualitative data was analysed through the service-dominant logic (SDL) framework with the aim to understand which factors of the legume network need further development.
The study involves five actors which include a legume wholesaler, legume-based cheese processor, food system innovation incubator, a multistakeholder network for collaboration and a project for improving school meal systems. Overall, the actors understand the sustainability potential of legumes and show strong collaborative competencies for innovation, marketing, and some national level policy interactions. The results also show the importance of public and private institutions in facilitating transparent resource exchange for the co-creation of value. However, stronger EU-level policy interactions are needed which can influence the sociotechnical regime. Moreover, customer knowledge needs development for improving customer operant resources so that value propositions can be fully understood. Thus, marketers should consider the different product attributes of different legume varieties and legume-based meat and dairy alternatives when developing marketing strategy. This is important when considering trends such as local food which have the potential to be marketed to certain target markets albeit with unclear sustainability trade-offs. To address these issues, the SDL framework suggests that actors should consider coordinated multi-stakeholder collaboration within overlapping institutional logics for comprehensive development of firm strategy, national and EU-level policy for valorising the environmental and social impacts of legume production and consumption for improving farm level viability and customer acceptanc
Ett nyliberalt skifte i Tanzania?
Get PDFDenna uppsats undersöker huruvida Tanzanias president Samia Suluhu Hassan har en nyliberal inställning till utländska direktinvesteringar. Ledarkrönikor från den statligt ägda tidningen Daily News analyseras med hjälp av WPR-metoden, en definition av nyliberalism inklusive de två begreppen anti-politics och render technical.
Slutsatsen är att Suluhu Hassan för en nyliberal politik vad gäller utländska direktinvesteringar. Stort fokus i ledarkrönikorna läggs på tekniska, byråkratiska och anti-politiska lösningar för att locka utländska investerare till landet och därmed skapa socio-ekonomisk utveckling och fattigdomsbekämpning.This paper examines if Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan has a neoliberal attitude regarding foreign direct investments. Editorials from the state-owned newspaper Daily News are analysed with the WPR-method, a definition of neoliberalism including the two concepts anti-politics and render technical.
The conclusion is that Suluhu Hassan promotes a neoliberal politic regarding foreign direct investments. Most of the editorials focus on technical, bureaucratic, and anti-political solutions to attract foreign investors to the country and thereby provide socio-economic development and poverty reduction
Innovation as an Adaptive Response to Natural Disasters : a Dynamic Cross-Country Panel Data Analysis of the Impact of Floods on Risk-mitigating Patents
Get PDFAs climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of natural disasters worldwide, the question of coping with extreme events is gaining more attention. Within the climate discourse, innovation is an essential adaptation strategy. This study explores the relationship between natural disasters and risk-mitigating innovation by employing a dynamic cross-country panel data analysis on the impact of social and economic damage from floods on patent applications for flood-mitigating innovation domestically between 1996–2018. Inconsistent with prior literature and the theory of risk perception, the results provide no clear evidence of floods having a spurring effect on patenting activities. The estimated effects are significantly small for all damages, suggesting a weak positive impact on patents from economic damages, while social damage seems to have a slightly dampening effect. The findings contribute to the scarce research on the link between climate shocks and innovation as an endogenous process. Based on the findings of this study, more research is needed to improve the econometric approach and make further use of patent and damage data in order to examine how weather extremes influence proactive measures and adaptive responses
Consumer Technology for Sustainable Food Practices : the impact of mobile applications on consumer food behaviour
Get PDFA food system is a long chain of activities comprised and contributed by multiple industry inputs and processes where a consumer in the food system is typically represented at the end of the value chain. A sustainable food system recognises the various influencing factors throughout the value chain and considers social, economic, and environmental impacts along all steps.
With a system thinking approach to a sustainable food system, this thesis explores the use cases of consumer technology in driving consumer behaviour toward more sustainable food practices. Through triangulation data collection comprising of a literature review, corporate material, and corporate interviews, mobile applications which aim to track user carbon emissions and behaviours are evaluated for their ability to influence consumers toward more sustainable food habits. A qualitative review is conducted comprising of six companies utilising consumer technology and applying behavioural economics to promote more sustainable actions.
An individual’s carbon emissions produced by their food choices can be considered minimal in comparison to an entire food system or even global emissions, consumers can be viewed as a driver for change within an industry. Consumers may exhibit habitual decision-making processes that can become more cognitive and extended through nudges, education, and suggested actions. Consumer technology values (primarily hedonistic, egoist, social, and utilitarian) must be addressed for apps to have a continued value and long-term use by an individual.
Data collection, accuracy in reporting, and scalability are challenges faced by companies providing carbon or sustainability tracking mobile applications
Matförgiftningar och dess orsaker i Sverige under perioden 2012–2021
Get PDFVarje år rapporterar Sveriges kommuner och Folkhälsomyndigheten ca 2000–3000 fall av matförgiftning till Livsmedelsverket. Livsmedelsverkets uppskattning är att ca en halv miljon svenskar drabbas per år.
Den här studien syftar till att undersöka matförgiftningar under de senaste 10 åren. Genom att undersöka förekomst av matförgiftningar, de vanligaste smittämnena, de vanligaste utpekade smittkällorna och bidragande faktorer kan vi dra slutsatser om hur matförgiftningar kan minimeras. Denna studie baseras på data som Livsmedelsverket samlat in under de senaste tio åren. Informationen inkluderar rapporter av bekräftade matförgiftningar som rapporterats in av kontrollmyndigheter till livsmedelsverket och kompletterats med resultatet av utredningar som utförs av Livsmedelsverket och Folkhälsomyndigheten i samråd.
Resultatet visar att totalt antal rapporterade matförgiftningar för perioden 2012-2021 var 3643 med 26 847 fall. För de flesta var orsak ”Okänd” (2962 matförgiftningar), därnäst kommer Calicivirus för 234 matförgiftningar, följd av Histamin för 111 matförgiftningar, följd av Salmonella som rapporterades för 67 matförgiftningar.
”Kycklingkött och produkter därav” var den livsmedelskategorin som rapporterades ha orsakat flest antal till matförgiftningars, följd av livsmedelskategorin ”Sammansatta måltid (ej buffé)” t.ex. kebabtallrik, hamburgare, eller kyckling med rissoto .
De flesta rapporterade matförgiftningarna har skett under vintern och sommaren. ”Olämplig temperatur” var den mesta rapporterade orsaken som anges för 616 matförgiftningar, följd av ”Dålig hygien hos personalen” som anges för 523 matförgiftningar, följd av ”Kontaminering” som anges för 453 matförgiftningar. Sommaren var den årstiden där utredare kunde lätt konstatera vilka faktorer kan betraktas som bidragande pga Ordinarie personal brukar inte vara på plats under sommaren och ersätts med vikarier. Flera mobila verksamheter, säsongsanläggningar dyker upp. Det kan göra att dessa anläggningar inte har tydliga rutiner och inte följer hygien praxis.Every year, Sweden's municipalities and the Swedish Public Health Agency report approximately 2,000–3,000 cases of food poisoning to the Swedish Food Agency. The Swedish Food Agency has estimated that about a half million people in Sweden are affected every year.
This study aims to investigate food poisoning over the past 10 years. By examining the occurrence of food poisoning, most common causative agents, most commonly identified sources of infection and contributing factors, to conclude how to minimize food poisoning.
This study is based on data collected by the Swedish Food Agency for the past ten years. The data is about confirmed food poisoning reported by the control authorities to the Swedish Food Agency and completed with the results of investigations carried out by Swedish Food Agency and Swedish Public Health Agency in consultation.
The results showed that the total number of reported food poisonings for the period 2012-2021 was 3643 with 26,847 cases. For most, the cause was "Unknown" (2962 food poisoning), followed by Calicivirus for 234 food poisoning, followed by Histamine for 111 food poisoning, followed by Salmonella, which was reported for 67 food poisoning.
"Poultry meat and products thereof" was the common food category reported in most cases, followed by the food category "Compound meal (not buffet)" e.g. kebab plate, burgers, or Chicken with irssoto.
Winter and summer are the seasons when most reported food poisonings have occurred.
Most reported food poisonings occurred during the winter and summer. "Inappropriate temperature" was the most reported factor reported for 616 food poisoning, followed by "Poor personal hygiene" reported for 523 food poisoning, followed by "Contamination" reported for 453 food poisoning. Summer was the time of year when investigators could easily ascertain which factors could be considered as contributing because Statutory staff are usually not in place during the summer and are replaced by replacement staff. Several mobile and seasonal installations are emerging. This may mean that these establishments do not have clear rutines and do not follow hygiene practices
Female reproduction in young Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)
Get PDFI Sverige lever Europas störa kattdjur – det eurasiska lodjuret (Lynx lynx). Arten klassas som
livskraftig globalt sett men är i Sverige fridlyst sedan 90-talet och klassas som sårbar enligt 2020
års rödlista.
Sedan 1990-talet har man i Sverige genomfört en årlig inventering av lodjur för att uppskatta
stammens storlek och utveckling. Denna inventering ligger sedan till grund för beslut kring bland
annat licensjakt och fortsatt förvaltning av den svenska lodjursstammen. Inventeringen baseras på
observationer av familjegrupper, det vill säga lodjurshonor med årsungar, och med hjälp av omräkningsfaktorer beräknar man sedan populationens totala storlek. Dessa omräkningsfaktorer baseras i
hög utsträckning på den förväntade andelen lodjurshonor som kan reproducera sig, varför ytterligare
kunskap kring lodjurens reproduktion, och i synnerhet unga lodjurshonors reproduktion, fyller ett
stort syfte. Detta på grund av att stammens totala reproduktionskapacitet sannolikt varierar beroende
av fertiliteten hos framför allt unga lodjurshonor.
Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka olika faktorer som kan påverka unga lodjurshonors
reproduktion. Detta på grund av att det är information som i hög utsträckning påverkar den fortsatta
förvaltningen såväl som hållbarheten hos den svenska lodjurpopulationen och potentiellt även den
hos andra lodjursarter.
Reproduktionsorgan från 151 lodjurshonor i ålder 1-3 år undersöktes makroskopiskt, bland annat
med avseende på strukturer i äggstockarna som representerar vilket reproduktionsstadium djuret
befinner sig i och placentaärr i livmodern som visar om djuret varit dräktig eller ej. Informationen
från dessa undersökningar kombinerades med data kring ålder, vikt, hull och dödsplats. Detta är data
som Statens Veterinärmedicinska anstalt samlar in i samband med den rutinmässiga obduktion som
genomförs vid omhändertagandet av kroppar.
Resultaten kunde inte påvisa några regionala skillnader i vare sig könsmognad eller dräktighetsandel hos varken 1-åriga eller 2-åriga lodjurshonor. Det kunde inte heller påvisas en skillnad i
kroppsvikt eller hull mellan 1-åriga honor som genomgått könsmognad jämfört med de som inte
gjort det. Detsamma gällde för 2-åriga honor. Resultaten indikerade även att persisterande gulkroppar, ett unikt fenomen hos lodjuren, inte tycks ha en stöttande roll för dräktighet.
Studien bekräftade en del av de slutsatser som dragits av tidigare studier som genomförts inom
samma område. För att kunna dra generella slutsatser kring faktorer som potentiellt har en inverkan
på lodjurens reproduktion krävs dock mer data från en mer harmoniserad grupp samt säkrare
undersökningsmetoder än enbart makroskopisk för att fastställa exempelvis reproduktionsstadium.
Som ett verktyg i den fortsatta förvaltningen av den svenska populationen är metoden dock fullt
duglig, varför fortsatt utvärdering av reproduktionsorgan och insamling av data fyller ett stort värde
även framledes.Sweden is populated by the largest feline in Europe – the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Globally the
species is not considered as threatened but in Sweden the species has been protected since the 90s
and is considered vulnerable according to the 2020 Red List.
Since the 1990s a yearly inventory of lynx has been performed in Sweden to estimate the
population size and its development. That inventory acts as the basis for decisions regarding hunting
and the continued management of the Swedish lynx population. The inventory is based on observations of family groups, that is, female lynx and their yearlings. With multiplication factors it is then
possible to calculate the total population size. These multiplication factors are highly based on the
estimated proportion of female lynx in reproduction. Because of this, additional knowledge
regarding the reproduction of female lynx, and especially the reproduction of young female lynx, is
of great importance. This due to the fact that the total reproduction capacity of the entire population
likely varies with, above all, the fertility of young female lynx.
The purpose of this study was to investigate different factors that may affect the reproduction in
young female lynx. This because said information highly affects the continued management as well
as the sustainability of the lynx population in Sweden, and possibly other lynx species.
Reproduction organs from 151 female lynx between the ages of 1 to 3 years were macroscopically evaluated. Among other things, structures in the ovaries were noted since they represent
reproductive status, as well as placental scars since they tell if the animal has been pregnant or not.
Information from these examinations were combined with data regarding age, bodyweight, body
condition and place of death. Said data was collected by the Swedish Veterinary Institute in
connection to the routine necropsy that is performed upon body receival.
The results could not demonstrate any regional differences in neither sexual maturity nor
pregnancy rates among one-year-old females or two-year-old females. No differences in bodyweight
or body condition score could be demonstrated between one-year-old females that had reach sexual
maturity compared to those that had not. The same results were obtained for two-year-old females.
The results also indicated that retained luteal bodies, a unique phenomenon amongst the lynx, did
not seem to have a supporting role for pregnancy.
The study confirmed some of the conclusions that have already been drawn from previous
studies within the same area. To be able to draw general conclusions regarding factors that may
affect reproduction in lynx more data from a more harmonized group is necessary, as well as more
precise methods to determine for example reproduction status. Macroscopic evaluation is however,
in general, a useful method and remains an important tool in the continued management of the
Swedish lynx population