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Plant protection products are used in agriculture for more predictable and better harvests. Honeybees and other flower-visiting insects are exposed to residues of these substances when they collect pollen and nectar in the landscape. According to a new study from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Lund University, pollen was found to contain high concentrations of many subst

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/pollinators-exposure-pesticides-swedish-agricultural-landscape - 2025-10-01

Have you made adjustments to your garden to make it more welcoming for pollinators? If so, you have probably made a valuable contribution, according to a new study from Lund University. The researchers evaluated the national ‘Operation: Save the Bees’ campaign, and their results indicate that what private individuals do in their gardens really can make a positive difference. The fact that pollinat

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/what-you-do-your-garden-help-pollinators-works - 2025-10-01

Forests are important for climate change mitigation, both as raw material for biofuels and for carbon storage. At the same time, forests are under pressure from a changing climate and more intensive forestry. A new thesis by Klas Lucander at Lund University, also member of BECC, shows the possible consequences for forests of fertilisation, and how this could lead to eutrophication and acidificatio

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/risk-eutrophication-and-acidification-if-forest-fertilization-introduced-southern-sweden - 2025-10-01

BECC are opening four, 2-year postdoctoral positions. Post-doctoral fellow in biosphere-atmosphere interactions The research concerns the ability of ecosystem carbon fluxes to adapt to changes in the frequency and intensity of drought-rainfall events. The main tasks of the project will be framed around the: characterization of the disproportional CO2 pulses induced by rainfall events identificatio

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/opportunities-post-doctoral-fellowships - 2025-10-01

With a rainy and blustery Lund as backdrop outside the windows of the Elite Hotel Ideon, the ClimBEco winter meeting 2023 offered a warm and welcoming atmosphere for one and a half days this January. The main focus of this meeting was to learn more about the ongoing research of current PhD students through flash talks. As always with ClimBEco, talks covered a wide spectrum of research that falls w

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/climbeco-winter-meeting-2023-summary - 2025-10-01

We need to prioritise nature even if there are other conflicting interests – biodiversity is essential to all of us on the planet and ultimately to our health and wellbeing. The statement comes from Maria Blasi Romero, researcher in Biodiversity and Conservation at Lund University and a member of BECC. “I went to COP15 to learn about the processes and how to share my research with those who can ma

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/young-scientists-eager-influence-policy-makers-biodiversity - 2025-10-01

Small passerine birds, such as blue and great tits, avoid breeding in urban areas where there are many non-native trees. Chicks also weigh less the more non-native trees there are in the vicinity of the nest. This is shown in a long-term study by Johan Kjellberg Jensen, doctoral student Department of Biology and member of BECC. City trees contribute to several important ecosystem services such as

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/urban-birds-prefer-native-trees - 2025-10-01

Congratulations to Tristan Bakx, BECC-doctoral student, who has published his first paper from his PhD. The researchers studied temporal and spatial scale effects on carbon stocks and financial value, showing that early carbon storage led to higher costs than late carbon storage, which should be considered in potential climate policies. Increasing carbon stock in standing forests is one of the pro

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/temporal-and-spatial-scale-effects-carbon-stocks-and-financial-value - 2025-10-01

Nature-based solutions offer excellent opportunities to address environmental and social challenges. They can help mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity. However, better governance and funding, complemented by clear political priorities, are needed to scale up such solutions in the Nordic region. This is the finding of a new research report from the Nordic Council of Ministers, in which

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/opportunities-scale-nature-based-solutions-nordics - 2025-10-01

With the arrival of spring, bumblebee queens take their first wing beat of the season and set out to find new nesting sites. But they are flying earlier in the year as a result of warmer climate and changing agricultural landscape, new research shows. – The risk is that we will lose additional bumblebee species and have reduced pollination of crops and wild plants, says researcher Maria Blasi Rome

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/climate-change-means-early-flight-start-risk-fewer-bumblebees-and-reduced-pollination - 2025-10-01

Sustainability Week is an annual event organised in collaboration between Lund University and Lund Municipality. This year, over 60 lectures, guided tours, exhibitions, and more are arranged. Researchers from BECC are part in several of the events – you are all welcome to join! Andas frisk luft och höra fågelsång i en tät stad - hur kommer vi dit? 17 april, 09:00-12:00  Städernas befolkning ut

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/sustainability-week-lund-events-becc-researchers - 2025-10-01

For the past year, Henrik Smith has been a member of the Climate Policy Council, which recently launched its report for. Henrik is a professor in Animal Ecology at CEC and the Department of Biology and the coordinator of BECC. At the report launch, he especially highlighted the importance of handling both the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis at the same time. The Climate Policy Council e

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/henrik-smith-reflections-release-swedish-climate-councils-report - 2025-10-01

Climate change can be stopped - with the right policy instruments. But to be effective, these policies must be accepted by both citizens and businesses. In a new research project, Thomas Sterner, Professor of Environmental Economics at the School of Business, Economics and Law in Gothenburg and a member of BECC, will get a better knowledge of how these policies should be designed. Policy instrumen

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/more-efficient-policy-instruments-can-save-climate - 2025-10-01

While southern species such as European goldfinch and European stonechat are becoming increasingly common in our latitudes, species such as curlew and redwing are in northern retreat. This is shown in the Swedish Bird Survey's annual report for 2022. Within the Swedish Bird Survey, the Department of Biology at Lund University monitors changes in the size of Swedish bird populations. For more than

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/climate-change-changing-map-swedish-birds - 2025-10-01

During his stay, Professor Detlef F. Sprinz focused on collaboration on the project LiMa – A Liquid Market for Forest Carbon. The project’s goal is to elucidate whether forest carbon can be a major component in the transition towards a greenhouse gas future where net emissions approach zero. Professor Detlef F. Sprinz is a leading expert on climate governance from the Potsdam Institute for Climate

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/guest-researcher-prof-detlef-f-sprinz-working-topic-forest-carbon-removals-becc - 2025-10-01

An increasing number of people want to help bees and other pollinators by growing flowers that are rich in pollen and nectar. But which flowers are the most beneficial? If the point is to aid threatened bee species and biodiversity, then a variety of native plants is the way to go. If you are a farmer, with large areas of insect-pollinated crops, it might be easiest to aim for a few species of flo

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/flowers-benefit-both-bees-and-biodiversity - 2025-10-01

A major benefit of being part of BECC is the possibility for researchers to apply for project funding. Recently, 14 new projects that will contribute to delivering world leading research on biodiversity and ecosystem services under global change were granted funding. At the end of 2022, 14 new research projects were funded by BECC. Most of them are interdisciplinary and collaborations between Lund

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/14-new-projects-funded-becc - 2025-10-01

A new study conducted by researchers in Europe shows that urban great tits have paler plumage than their countryside counterparts. Since the yellow pigment of the breast feathers of great tits comes from the food they eat, the paler yellow plumage of urban birds indicates that the urban environment affects the entire food chain. Caroline Isaksson, BECC PI, was one of the co-authors to a study rece

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/urban-great-tits-have-paler-plumage-their-forest-living-relatives - 2025-10-01

Children in preschool and primary school will now be able to learn more about insects, birds, flowers and plants, how valuable they are and how we humans can protect nature. The collaborative project ‘Natural Nations’ is introducing biodiversity in the curriculum. In the past, knowledge of species and the natural world was part of general knowledge and was passed down through generations. Today, t

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/children-and-biologists-research-biodiversity-together - 2025-10-01

Using micro-designed soil models, researchers at Lund University and members of BECC, have investigated how tiny particles of polystyrene affect bacteria and fungi. Although this nanoplastic reduced both bacterial and fungal growth, the fungus actually managed to 'clean up' its environment and mitigate the impact of the plastic. - Plastic waste is a huge problem today. Whether discarded carelessly

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/vacuum-cleaner-effect-fungi-can-keep-nanoplastic-particles-bay - 2025-10-01