THE FOUNDATION'S DEFINITIONS OF THE RESEARCH AREAS FUNDED

Landscape conservation

The proposed research should have relevance to Swedish nature conservation in the sense of conservation and restoration of biodiversity in a landscape context. It may refer to species, biotopes, ecosystems, landscape elements and natural geography regions, in all cases focusing on the interaction with the characteristics and functions of the landscape.  

Soil conservation

The concept of soil conservation, as defined by the foundation, includes the conservation and restoration of managed and unused land from local to national scale. This includes chemical, physical and biological aspects. If the application concerns managed land, such as agriculture or forestry, the applicant must clearly state the link to nature conservation so that it is clear that the proposed research aims to achieve an environmental gain compared to, or preservation of, prevailing conditions.

Water conservation

In this context, the concept of water conservation includes the conservation and restoration of water from local to national scale. The area includes freshwater as well as seawater and drinking water. This includes chemical, physical and biological aspects. It can be water ecosystems locally or on a landscape scale, or groundwater. The application may concern measures that prevent or mitigate the effects of the impact of human activities such as hydropower, aquaculture, agriculture or forestry. Negative exploitation of aquatic ecosystems, such as overfishing and environmental toxins, which can harm habitats in water or water resources for drinking water, is also included in this area.

Plant health
The foundation define the concept of 'plant health' to include, on the one hand, the protection of plants in a conservation context (e.g. through various measures to preserve biodiversity or through the planning of reserves), and, on the other hand, the protection of plants against the infestation of parasites, pests, pathogens and game from an agricultural or forestry perspective. If the application concerns agriculture or forestry, the applicant must clearly state the link to nature conservation so that it is clear that the proposed research aims to achieve an environmental benefit compared to the prevailing conditions.