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Rewetting Sweden’s drained peatlands: a multi-level socio-ecological-technical systems analysis

Fröhlich, Joséphine Emilia LU (2026) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20261
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Sweden’s drained peatlands produce around one-fifth of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, and although rewetting is widely recognised as an important mitigation measure, progress has remained slow. This thesis characterises Sweden’s drained peatlands as a multi-level socio-ecological-technical system (ML-SETS) and analyses why the drainage-based regime persists. Using a mixed-methods design guided by the ML-SETS framework, the thesis shows that land use and emissions are spatially uneven and shaped by heterogeneous forestry, agriculture, and extraction-based sub-systems. Persistence is reproduced through feedback between productive land values, historic ditch infrastructure, legal barriers, uncertainty about rewetting, and fragmented... (More)
Sweden’s drained peatlands produce around one-fifth of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, and although rewetting is widely recognised as an important mitigation measure, progress has remained slow. This thesis characterises Sweden’s drained peatlands as a multi-level socio-ecological-technical system (ML-SETS) and analyses why the drainage-based regime persists. Using a mixed-methods design guided by the ML-SETS framework, the thesis shows that land use and emissions are spatially uneven and shaped by heterogeneous forestry, agriculture, and extraction-based sub-systems. Persistence is reproduced through feedback between productive land values, historic ditch infrastructure, legal barriers, uncertainty about rewetting, and fragmented governance. Rewetting is a small but increasingly institutionalised niche emerging from within the system, mainly within forestry, while exogenous pressures demand wider attention to high-emission peatland areas, including agricultural drained peatlands with high per-hectare emissions. Scaling this transition requires stronger coordination, fair compensation, spatial prioritisation, and landowner-oriented support. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Fröhlich, Joséphine Emilia LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Drained peatlands, Peatland rewetting, Socio-ecological-technical systems, Sustainability Transitions, land use, Sustainability Science
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2026:012
language
English
id
9229509
date added to LUP
2026-06-03 14:28:17
date last changed
2026-06-03 14:28:17
@misc{9229509,
  abstract     = {{Sweden’s drained peatlands produce around one-fifth of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, and although rewetting is widely recognised as an important mitigation measure, progress has remained slow. This thesis characterises Sweden’s drained peatlands as a multi-level socio-ecological-technical system (ML-SETS) and analyses why the drainage-based regime persists. Using a mixed-methods design guided by the ML-SETS framework, the thesis shows that land use and emissions are spatially uneven and shaped by heterogeneous forestry, agriculture, and extraction-based sub-systems. Persistence is reproduced through feedback between productive land values, historic ditch infrastructure, legal barriers, uncertainty about rewetting, and fragmented governance. Rewetting is a small but increasingly institutionalised niche emerging from within the system, mainly within forestry, while exogenous pressures demand wider attention to high-emission peatland areas, including agricultural drained peatlands with high per-hectare emissions. Scaling this transition requires stronger coordination, fair compensation, spatial prioritisation, and landowner-oriented support.}},
  author       = {{Fröhlich, Joséphine Emilia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Rewetting Sweden’s drained peatlands: a multi-level socio-ecological-technical systems analysis}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}