In all three learning environments, Skolbäcken begins with educators contacting
schools near water sites where the Swedish Anglers Association is doing restoration
work. The teachers and their classes are invited for a morning or an afternoon
session, usually lasting between 2 and 3 h. Prior to the visit, the teacher is sent a
short instruction booklet, which introduces what will happen during the day, how
Skolbäcken connects to the curriculum learning goals and how the class can prepare
themselves for the day outdoors. Regardless of the learning environment,
Skolbäcken consists of the following main activities: games and play; possibilities
to observe and learn more about fish; small breaks; practical restoration activities. At
the end of the day, the children receive a diploma and are given the title “environmental heroes” by the educators. After a couple of months, the children are invited
for a return visit in order to let them know what they have achieved, and to
consolidate the knowledge and experiences gained during the first visit.
6 Promising “Socio-Ecological” Outcomes
Evaluation of the Skolbäcken project has so far showed promising results and there
are good indications that both teachers and children appreciate the activities and
learn new things from participating (Sandberg and Hansen 2018). Below we touch
upon the background and effects of restoration carried out by the Swedish Anglers
Association and local municipalities, focusing particularly on coastal wetland restoration (the pike factories), before we present some experiences of Skolbäcken by
children and teachers.
6.1 Ecological Outcomes
The restoration of coastal wetlands (like the flooded grassland used in our
Skolbäcken example introduced in this chapter) can, together with fishing restrictions, contribute substantially to improving the pike populations in Sweden. The
pike populations in the Baltic Sea use two different strategies for reproduction; they
either spawn in shallow brackish water or in coastal freshwater streams. A large
portion of the pike populations (including “Martha-Humlan”) migrate and return to
their hatching sites on flooded land (so-called “homing anadromous pike”). For these
populations the loss of coastal wetlands has a severe impact. One way to counteract
this is to restore wetlands and bring the water back into the landscape. Studies made
of three coastal wetlands on the south eastern coast of Sweden, restored in different
ways, emphasized the importance terrestrial vegetation for successful pike reproduction. In wetlands where terrestrial vegetation was temporarily flooded with
shallow water, the pike larval/juvenile emigration increased from about three thousand individuals before restoration to over a hundred thousand after restoration
(Nilsson et al. 2014).
224
M. Sandberg and A. S. Hansen
schools near water sites where the Swedish Anglers Association is doing restoration
work. The teachers and their classes are invited for a morning or an afternoon
session, usually lasting between 2 and 3 h. Prior to the visit, the teacher is sent a
short instruction booklet, which introduces what will happen during the day, how
Skolbäcken connects to the curriculum learning goals and how the class can prepare
themselves for the day outdoors. Regardless of the learning environment,
Skolbäcken consists of the following main activities: games and play; possibilities
to observe and learn more about fish; small breaks; practical restoration activities. At
the end of the day, the children receive a diploma and are given the title “environmental heroes” by the educators. After a couple of months, the children are invited
for a return visit in order to let them know what they have achieved, and to
consolidate the knowledge and experiences gained during the first visit.
6 Promising “Socio-Ecological” Outcomes
Evaluation of the Skolbäcken project has so far showed promising results and there
are good indications that both teachers and children appreciate the activities and
learn new things from participating (Sandberg and Hansen 2018). Below we touch
upon the background and effects of restoration carried out by the Swedish Anglers
Association and local municipalities, focusing particularly on coastal wetland restoration (the pike factories), before we present some experiences of Skolbäcken by
children and teachers.
6.1 Ecological Outcomes
The restoration of coastal wetlands (like the flooded grassland used in our
Skolbäcken example introduced in this chapter) can, together with fishing restrictions, contribute substantially to improving the pike populations in Sweden. The
pike populations in the Baltic Sea use two different strategies for reproduction; they
either spawn in shallow brackish water or in coastal freshwater streams. A large
portion of the pike populations (including “Martha-Humlan”) migrate and return to
their hatching sites on flooded land (so-called “homing anadromous pike”). For these
populations the loss of coastal wetlands has a severe impact. One way to counteract
this is to restore wetlands and bring the water back into the landscape. Studies made
of three coastal wetlands on the south eastern coast of Sweden, restored in different
ways, emphasized the importance terrestrial vegetation for successful pike reproduction. In wetlands where terrestrial vegetation was temporarily flooded with
shallow water, the pike larval/juvenile emigration increased from about three thousand individuals before restoration to over a hundred thousand after restoration
(Nilsson et al. 2014).
224
M. Sandberg and A. S. Hansen