SWEDEN (News release) -- The Södra Research Foundation has decided to grant SEK 3 million to research projects linked to biodiversity. Three different projects have received funding.

This is the first time since funding commenced in 1995 that the Södra Research Foundation has called for research projects with a specific theme. The aim is to develop knowledge in order to improve assessments of how biodiversity is changing in the forests of southern Sweden.

The highest amount of funding was awarded to a project led by Jan-Olov Weslien, from the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden. The aim of the research project is to analyse data on the state of biodiversity in southern Sweden and how conditions have changed over time.

"Monitoring changes in biodiversity entails a number of serious methodological problems. The projects will provide knowledge of how the environmental objective for forestry can be better monitored. Södra has worked systematically with nature conservation for more than 20 years and receiving confirmation that our nature conservation activities have generated results is important to us" said Göran Örlander, Chairman of the Södra Research Foundation.

The other two projects to receive funding will partly focus on global biodiversity monitoring and draw lessons to apply to Swedish forestry. The third will investigate whether nature conservation considerations after harvesting have long-lasting effects on biodiversity while forests are growing.

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