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Keller, R.& Engen, S. 2022. Perceptions of human waste mitigation in Kvalvika, Lofotodden National Park: A mixed method study of visitor impacts, behaviors, and waste mitigation preferences. NINA Rapport 2238. Norsk institutt for naturforskning The vital importance of national parks in Norway provisioning recreation values and friluftsliv experiences and underpinning local economic value creation is uncontested. In 2022, the number of jobs in Norway related to provisioning nature-based tourism services in communities near national parks and other natural attractions was 170 000, a 35% increase in jobs in this sector from 2000. But with increased tourism comes damages from heavy use, and we aim to understand how to reduce the negative consequences of high tourism and preserve the natural values of the national parks. We first mapped the extent of waste in Kvalvika (in Lofotodden National Park) following the Torsfjorden trail with 30 m wide transects in order to identify hotspots and conduct initial testing of water quality for potential hazards to human health. We also gathered qualitative data on visitor experience from short on-site interviews. We then conducted a broadscale visitor survey guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Azjen 1991) and themes taken from our interviews and discussion with local managers to explore how visitors perceive waste and barriers to changing behavior. TPB suggests that human behaviors are the result of attitudes, norms (social rules of behavior), and perceptions of difficulty (of doing a particular behavior). We also explored through the survey what behaviors were most suited to visitor type with respect to visitor volume. The survey was designed to reveal human waste perception and preferences for management strategies and information modes. We had targeted questions about human waste pack out bags to assess knowledge and likelihood of use. The survey was launched online and in a survey box at the site. In total we collected 556 responses. We additionally cooperated with the Lofoten Friluftsrådet to establish trail counters in our study areas to corroborate our findings with actual visitor numbers. All data collection occurred during the peak tourist season: June – September. Our last stage of the project (summer 2023) will test the carrying out waste solution for human waste reduction that was most realistic for overnight visitors according to the responses. We will further evaluate the efficacy of the solution by measuring treatment and control areas for waste buildup. We will also test different communication strategies, both passive and active, to assess the efficacy in using communication tools to reduce negative impacts. Keller, R.& Engen, S. 2022. Perceptions of human waste mitigation in Kvalvika, Lofotodden National Park: A mixed method study of visitor impacts, behaviors, and waste mitigation preferences. NINA Rapport 2238. Norsk institutt for naturforskning Nasjonalparker i Norge sørger for rekreasjonsverdier og friluftslivsopplevelser, og underbygger lokal økonomisk verdiskaping. I 2022 var 170 000 arbeidsplasser knyttet til naturbaserte reiselivstjenester i lokalsamfunn nær nasjonalparker og andre naturattraksjoner, en 35 % økning i arbeidsplasser i denne sektoren fra 2000. Men med økt turisme kommer skader fra stor bruk, og vi har som mål å forstå hvordan vi kan redusere de negative konsekvensene av høy turisme og bevare naturverdiene i nasjonalparkene. Vi kartla først omfanget av avfall i Kvalvika (i Lofotodden nasjonalpark) langs Torsfjorden sti for å identifisere særlig utsatte områder. I tillegg gjennomførte vi innledende testing av vannkvalitet for å kartlegge mulige helsefarer. Vi gjennomførte deretter en bred skala besøksundersøkelse veiledet av Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Azjen 1991) og temaer hentet fra våre intervjuer og diskusjoner med lokale leder for å utforske hvordan besøkende oppfatter avfall og barrierer for endret atferd. TPB antyder at menneskelig atferd er et resultat av holdninger, normer (sosiale regler for atferd) og oppfatninger av vanskeligheter (av å gjøre en bestemt atferd). Vi undersøkte også gjennom undersøkelsen hvilken atferd som var best egnet for besøkstypen med hensyn til antall besøkende. Undersøkelsen ble designet for å rette seg mot oppfatninger av forsøpling og preferanser for styringsstrategier og informasjonstyper. Vi hadde målrettede spørsmål knyttet til avføring for å vurdere sannsynlighet for kommende bruk av poser for å fjerne spor av dobesøk fra området. Undersøkelsen ble lansert online og i en fysisk svarkasse på stedet. Totalt samlet vi inn 556 svar. Vi samarbeidet i tillegg med Lofoten Friluftsrådet for å etablere løypetellere i våre studieområder for å bekrefte funnene våre med faktiske besøkstall. All datainnsamling foregikk i høysesongen for turister: juni – september. I siste del av prosjektet (sommer 2023) vil vi teste løsningen som undersøkelsen viser er mest realistisk for de besøkende å gjennomføre. Videre vil vi evaluere effektiviteten til løsningen ved å undersøke både behandlingsområdet og et kontrollområde. Vi vil også teste ulike kommunikasjonsstrategier, både passive og aktive, for å vurdere effektiviteten av å bruke kommunikasjonsverktøy for å redusere negative påvirkninger av et høyt antall besøkende.

Engen, S., Hausner, V., Mikkelsen, E., Gundersen, H., Christie, H., Falk-Andersson, J., Espinasse, J., Lennert, A.E., Olsen, E. og Fauchald, P. 2020. Bærekraftig kyst: utvikling av et Kystbarometer for Nord-Norge. NINA Rapport 1736. Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Forskningsrådsprosjektet Ocean Health under Blue transitions (BlueTrans) har som mål å lage et Kystbarometer hvor lokalbefolkning, interessegrupper og beslutningstakere kan få kunnskap om utviklingen i nordnorske kystkommuner knyttet til kyst- og havøkosystem og om denne er bærekraftig. Dette innebærer å utvikle indikatorer som skal gjenspeile status for ulike bærekraftsmål og at disse blir utviklet i samråd med lokale aktører. I denne rapporten har vi oppsummert innspill fra ulike samfunnsaktører som vi innhentet våren 2019 gjennom spørreundersøkelser, intervju og fokusgruppemøter i seks kystkommuner i Nord-Norge. Basert på innspillene har vi identifisert lokale prinsipper for bærekraft og kriterier som kan brukes for å vurdere om prinsippene etterleves. Vi har også vurdert om det finnes tilgjengelige data for å måle disse kriteriene, identifisert områder med datamangler og sett på mulighetene for å skaffe til veie manglende data ved hjelp av spørreundersøkelser som vi skal gjennomføre i løpet av prosjektperioden.

Worldwide there have been many attempts to implement community-based conservation to gain a more inclusive protection of biological diversity. Reducing human pressures on ecosystems is necessary for favorable ecological outcomes of protected areas, but conservation initiatives that rely on strict enforcement without local support are vulnerable to rule-violations, public protests and a reduced political commitment. The Norwegian government decided in 2009 to employ a community-based conservation strategy for protected areas in Norway, and in this thesis I explore whether the reform has led to less local resistance towards conservation and reduced threats to biodiversity. Included are four studies that shed light on this main research question. In this thesis, I investigate the strictness level of the current conservation policy and the local acceptance of spatially restricting resource use. I evaluate the impact of the Norwegian community-based conservation reform on the local decisions to regulate use, and analyze the views of conservation among local stakeholders. This thesis shows that community-based conservation has accommodated local needs through a less strict conservation practice on private land. The local residents living near the protected areas seemed to accept the idea of restricting residential and industrial development inside protected areas, whereas a large proportion of key local stakeholders were less supportive of prioritizing conservation over economic development. The reform includes two governance bodies that are trusted by stakeholders holding different views of conservation, which suggests that local protected area boards along with stakeholder advisory councils could be in a good position to reconcile contrasting views of conservation. The overall liberal conservation policy and practice makes it reasonable to question the impact protected areas have on reducing threats to biodiversity. The pressure for human activities is high in mountain areas and combined with a more lenient conservation practice this could reduce protected area effectiveness. Therefore I suggest that more attention should be devoted to the impact protected areas have on reducing human activities that pose a threat to biodiversity, compared with a situation without protection.

Source at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/conl.12369 Community-based conservation, where local decision makers are responsible for balancing conservation and development, is often preferred to exclusion- ary conservation that prioritizes use-limitation through strict regulation. Un- raveling the evidence for conservation impact of different governance regimes is challenging. Focusing on conservation practices before and after a reform can provide an early indication of behavioral changes acting as a precursor to changes in social and ecological outcomes, which generally need more time to materialize. A recent reform in Norway provides a unique opportunity to eval- uate the impact of local empowerment on conservation practices in protected areas. We analyzed 1,466 decisions in 31 protected areas before and after the reform while accounting for differences between private and public property ownership. We found that the conservation practices were liberal both before and after the reform. The impact of local empowerment on conservation prac- tices was contingent on land tenure: more use was allowed after the reform on private land. We conclude that conservation impact evaluations could benefit from a before-and-after spatial approach taking into account land tenure for analyzing the impacts of local decision making.

Fauchald P, Anker-Nilssen T, Barrett RT, Bustnes JO, Bårdsen B-J, Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Descamps S, Engen S, Erikstad KE, Hanssen SA, Lorentsen S-H, Moe B, Reiertsen TK, Strøm H, Systad GH (2015) The status and trends of seabirds breeding in Norway and Svalbard – NINA Report 1151. 84pp. This report presents the updated sizes, trends and spatial distributions of the breeding populations of 17 seabird species breeding in Norway and Svalbard. The analyses are based on available census and monitoring data from SEAPOP; the Norwegian monitoring and mapping program for seabirds. In addition, the report presents results from a species-specific literature review of the most important prey items and drivers of population change. The report documents large-scale decadal changes in the seabird communities along the coast of Norway and Svalbard. A division of the populations into five geographical regions (North Sea & Skagerrak; Norwegian Sea; Barents Sea; Bjørnøya; and Spitsbergen) was used as a basis for the analyses of population dynamics from 1980 to present. 13 of the 35 regional seabird populations assessed have declined by more than 50% the last 25 years. 5 regional populations increased by more than 100% in the same period, while 8 populations showed large decadal fluctuations. Several populations were not assessed due to the lack of census and/or monitoring data. In order to improve the dataset, it is recommended that a census of breeding seabirds from Vesterålen to the Swedish border is completed. Declining populations were found in all regions and included all major ecological groups (i.e.; Pelagic surface-feeding (Ps), Pelagic diving (Pd), Coastal surface-feeding (Cs), Coastal benthic-feeding (Cb) and Coastal diving (Cd) seabirds). Populations with more than a 50% decline the last 25 years were: Common Gull (Cs), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Ps) and Atlantic Puffin (Pd) in the North Sea & Skagerrak; Great Cormorant (Cd), Common Eider (Cb), Black-legged Kittiwake (Ps) and Common Guillemot (Pd) in the Norwegian Sea; Herring Gull (Cs), Great Black-backed Gull (Cs), Black-legged Kittiwake (Ps) and Brünnich’s Guillemot (Pd) in the Barents Sea; Northern Fulmar (Ps) and Glaucous Gull (Ps) on Bjørnøya; and Brünnich’s Guillemot (Pd) on Spitsbergen. The populations of European Shag and Great Cormorant have shown large fluctuations with a notable increase in the population of Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis in North Sea & Skagerrak. Common guillemot has been increasing in the Barents Sea since the collapse in the population in the 1980s, however the population in the Norwegian Sea has been steadily declining since the early 1980s. Atlantic Puffin is declining in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, but the population in the Barents Sea is stable or is increasing slightly. The datasets were too small to assess several of the large gull species in the Norwegian Sea. However, extensive monitoring in the North Sea & Skagerrak and recent censuses in the Barents Sea suggest declines by more than 50% in several of the gull populations in these areas. Black-legged Kittiwake has declined in all regions except for Bjørnøya. The large colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemot on Spitsbergen have declined from 1.15 million pairs in 1988 to 522 000 pairs in 2013. The colony on Bjørnøya (about 100 000 pairs) has in the same period been stable or declined slightly, while the small populations on the Norwegian mainland have almost disappeared. Northern Gannet has been increasing in Norway since the establishment of this species on Runde in the 1940s. The species has expanded northward and has recently established a small colony as far north as Bjørnøya. The review of diet studies highlighted the importance of the young age-classes of cod fish, the importance of pelagic forage fish species and in particular the importance of sandeel. However, the differences in diet among ecological groups combined with the fact that declining seabird populations were found in all regions and included all major ecological groups suggest that the recent changes in Norwegian seabird communities cannot be explained by changes in the abundance of a single group of resources alone. On the contrary, this might suggest a combined effect of simultaneous changes in several prey items, possibly involving entire trophic levels. Alternatively, it might suggest that bottom-up regulation through food is less important, and that top-down mechanisms such as anthropogenic stressors and predation are more involved in the present changes. A large number of studies have been conducted to investigate how different anthropogenic and environmental factors affect seabird populations. Factors such as fisheries by-catch, harvest and intentional killing, pollution and disturbance are all anthropogenic stressors with a welldocumented negative impact. Although most of these stressors have been reduced in Norwegian waters due to the implementation of regulatory mechanisms and protection measures, they might still have impact on local populations. For example, the decline in the population of Glaucous Gull on Bjørnøya has been related to high levels of persistent organic pollutants. Several case studies suggest that predation from avian and small mammalian predators in the seabird colonies might be important, and we cannot exclude this driver as an important mechanism behind the observed declines. The large spatial and the relatively long temporal scale of the population changes observed in the present report, might suggest that fluctuations in the marine ecosystems, possibly partly due to climate change and past and present fishing pressures, might be important. This is corroborated by numerous studies documenting a direct impact from food deprivation and an indirect impact from climatic factors on seabird population dynamics. Such factors often involve complex indirect trophic links which make it difficult to point out the ultimate cause of the observed change. We conclude that the two most likely candidates to explain the recent declines in Norwegian seabird populations are 1) increased predation in the seabird colonies from avian and mammalian predators and 2) ecosystem changes affecting the availability of prey. The impact from these drivers might be difficult to document and even more challenging to control. In contrast, more easily managed direct anthropogenic stressors such as fisheries by-catch, pollution, hunting and disturbance have either been constant or have shown a decreasing trend. Although these drivers cannot explain the recent population declines, they still contribute to the cumulative impact on seabird populations and these stressors are therefore especially important to control and minimize in rapidly declining and threatened populations. © Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Publikasjonen kan siteres fritt med kildeangivelse.