Meanwhile, over one quarter of the wetland areas in Sweden have been lost due to
ditching over the last 100–200 years. In some parts of Sweden, approximately 90%
of the wetlands have been converted into agricultural and forest land. This is not only
a problem for the pike and other fish populations. Being a top predator, the pike also
play important ecosystem functions through the mechanism of “trophic cascades”, as
top-predators help regulate other fish communities in the ecosystem. Studies made in
lakes have shown the importance of predators like pike in regulating zooplanktonfeeding fish, which in turn can improve water quality levels in terms of clearer water
and fewer algal blooms. There are studies suggesting that these relationships also
operate in marine environments, and that the increase of pike in the Baltic Sea might
mitigate severe problems with eutrophication (Engstedt 2011, p. 14 with reference to
Carpenter et al. 2001; Persson et al. 1999, Spens and Ball 2008; Frank et al. 2005;
Scheffer et al. 2001). Notwithstanding the efforts made with restoring coastal
wetlands, the situation for the coastal pike populations in the Baltic Sea coast is
still far from sustainable.
Wetland restorations, meanwhile, also have direct important effects for
counteracting eutrophication. Wetlands increase the retention time of water, which
in turn means that nutrients from fresh water systems are denitrified or incorporated
in freshwater primary production instead of ending up in the sea (Nilsson et al.
2014). Furthermore, wetlands are some of the most diverse and species-rich biotopes
that exist in Sweden, hosting many types of vegetation and a large variety of
amphibians and insects, the latter being a source of food for other fish, birds as
well as other species. About 19% of red-listed species in Sweden are connected to
wetland habitats, and 11% directly depend on wetland areas for their survival
(Naturvårdsverket 2019).
6.2 Learning Outcomes
Recently, the learning and inspirational outcomes of Skolbäcken have been evaluated on the basis of observations of three school classes and follow-up interviews
with children and educators. The follow-up interviews, which took place about a
month after the day in the field, were made with two of the classes (9–10 years old)
that we observed (one class visiting the wetland/the pike-factory, and one class
visiting the ice). The schoolchildren were interviewed only once and in smaller
groups with a mix of boys and girls. The interviews were recorded and transcribed.
The observed class (7 years old) visiting running water did drawings of their day by
the water, instead of being interviewed, and thereby also got a chance to evaluate
their experiences of the different activities during the day. The educators were
interviewed both during and after the day outside. The results from the evaluation
indicates that schoolchildren have strong memories of their visits and can recall the
fact-based information given by the educators concerning life of fish and the
understandings of basic ecosystem structures and functions (Sandberg and Hansen
2018). The observations, one class visiting each of the different learning
From Onlookers to Ecosystem-Assistants: Exploring the Potentials of Ecological. . .
225
ditching over the last 100–200 years. In some parts of Sweden, approximately 90%
of the wetlands have been converted into agricultural and forest land. This is not only
a problem for the pike and other fish populations. Being a top predator, the pike also
play important ecosystem functions through the mechanism of “trophic cascades”, as
top-predators help regulate other fish communities in the ecosystem. Studies made in
lakes have shown the importance of predators like pike in regulating zooplanktonfeeding fish, which in turn can improve water quality levels in terms of clearer water
and fewer algal blooms. There are studies suggesting that these relationships also
operate in marine environments, and that the increase of pike in the Baltic Sea might
mitigate severe problems with eutrophication (Engstedt 2011, p. 14 with reference to
Carpenter et al. 2001; Persson et al. 1999, Spens and Ball 2008; Frank et al. 2005;
Scheffer et al. 2001). Notwithstanding the efforts made with restoring coastal
wetlands, the situation for the coastal pike populations in the Baltic Sea coast is
still far from sustainable.
Wetland restorations, meanwhile, also have direct important effects for
counteracting eutrophication. Wetlands increase the retention time of water, which
in turn means that nutrients from fresh water systems are denitrified or incorporated
in freshwater primary production instead of ending up in the sea (Nilsson et al.
2014). Furthermore, wetlands are some of the most diverse and species-rich biotopes
that exist in Sweden, hosting many types of vegetation and a large variety of
amphibians and insects, the latter being a source of food for other fish, birds as
well as other species. About 19% of red-listed species in Sweden are connected to
wetland habitats, and 11% directly depend on wetland areas for their survival
(Naturvårdsverket 2019).
6.2 Learning Outcomes
Recently, the learning and inspirational outcomes of Skolbäcken have been evaluated on the basis of observations of three school classes and follow-up interviews
with children and educators. The follow-up interviews, which took place about a
month after the day in the field, were made with two of the classes (9–10 years old)
that we observed (one class visiting the wetland/the pike-factory, and one class
visiting the ice). The schoolchildren were interviewed only once and in smaller
groups with a mix of boys and girls. The interviews were recorded and transcribed.
The observed class (7 years old) visiting running water did drawings of their day by
the water, instead of being interviewed, and thereby also got a chance to evaluate
their experiences of the different activities during the day. The educators were
interviewed both during and after the day outside. The results from the evaluation
indicates that schoolchildren have strong memories of their visits and can recall the
fact-based information given by the educators concerning life of fish and the
understandings of basic ecosystem structures and functions (Sandberg and Hansen
2018). The observations, one class visiting each of the different learning
From Onlookers to Ecosystem-Assistants: Exploring the Potentials of Ecological. . .
225