Smalls streams are some of the most degraded ecosystems globally and in countries with a large forestry sector, they are frequently impacted by forestry operations. In Sweden, small streams host vast biodiversity and sustain many important ecological functions but they are poorly protected from land use impacts. Riparian buffers that are placed along streams, rivers and lakes are often insufficient to mitigate forestry impacts and protect small streams from stressors. Yet, new scientific knowledge about the scale of degradation, combined with novel thinking about riparian buffer designs can aid society to protect these important ecosystems better.
Lenka Kuglerová is a senior lecture and docent in forest management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, dept. of Forest Ecology and Management. Most of her research centers on freshwater ecosystems, small streams in particular, and she studies their ecological and physicochemical responses to forestry operations. In her applied work, she works with the development of best-management-practices for riparian buffers.
