Malgorzata Blicharska

The focus of my work in my PhD (finalized in 2011) was on implementation of biodiversity conservation policies, public participation in environmental decision making, spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and conservation conflicts.

Since then my research interest have included different aspects of linked to sustainable development of natural resources. For example, I worked with application of sustainable forest management concept, implementation of action plans for threatened species, the impacts of management and socio-economic factors on biodiversity of urban ponds, the role of religions in conservation of biodiversity and the North-South divide in science and policy.

Recent years the focus of my work has shifted towards the concept of ecosystem services: its implementation, its role in the argumentation for biodiversity conservation and its effectiveness in the policy process. I also applied ecosystem services perspective in investigating conservation conflicts, assessing cultural values in the Swedish mountains, and the application of nexus perspective in natural resources management. In addition, my work focuses a lot on effective involvement of stakeholders in environmental decision making.

In the Department of Earth Sciences I work with numerous issues linked to sustainable development, including governance aspects and management measures in fish conservation and habitat restoration, socio-economic valuation of recreational fisheries, ecological and socio-economic assessment of ecosystem services, implementation of the ecosystem services concept and Sustainable Development Goals.

Presently I am also working within the following projects:

1. LANDPATHS (as co-ordinator): a research programme funded by Swedish Environmental Protection Agency on multifunctional landscapes. The goal of the LANDPATHS is to develop new strategies for governance and management that strengthen the landscape's biodiversity and promote its multifunctionality. The programme includes 9 Sub-projects and covers five different landscapes: forest, agricultural landscape, sea and coast, city and mountains. https://www.geo.uu.se/research/natural-resources-sustainable-development/ongoing-research/landpaths/

2. Horizon 2020 project PONDERFUL (as WP lead): the project explores effects of land use and climate changes on biodiversity of small waterbodies (ponds) and the implications for delivery of ecosystem services. It is conducted in close collaboration with stakeholders and include policy, social and economic analysis of ponds and pondscapes as Nature-Based Solutions. https://ponderful.eu/

3. Horizon 2020 project NEXOGENESIS (as WP lead): the project focuses on streamlining water-related policies into Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus. We apply policy analysis to map the nexus and then conduct modelling of the interactions between nexus components. We finally use Artificial Intelligence to explore available actions to be taken while optimizing a reward function representing a desired state (e.g. integration of water policies minimizing detrimental impacts to other sectors). https://nexogenesis.eu/

4. Wet-Kit (as WP lead): a project funded by Swedish Environmental Protection Agency on optimazing and promoting wetland creation and restoration. https://wetkit.weebly.com/

5. PUDDLE-JUMP (as WP lead): a project funded by Formas focusing on hydrological and other ecosystem services that can be provided by small artificial waterbodies (SAWs: ponds and wetlands).