RØSKing together for nature

Fall of 2024 the student association RØSK/ (restoration ecologists) was started. They wish to increase engagement and knowledge of the restoration of nature through various activities and projects. Tuntréet sat down with parts of the board in RØSK — Christina Myklebust, Marius Aas Høy, Kristoffer Olsen and Amalie Paulsen – to learn more about both the association and nature restoration.

Journalist: Trygve Bø Kongsbakk
Translator: Helene Edith Nylehn
Illustratør: Marwa Nader

What is nature restoration?

“I usually say that it is to repair damaged nature. You go into a nature reserve that isn’t in optimal condition and try to make it better”, says Kristoffer. “A lot of nature will to a large extent fix itself if you just let it be, but it can often take a long while, so you have a number of measures you can get started to make it go faster”, says Marius.

When RØSK are working with restoration it is often in collaboration with other associations or experts that can teach them the methods used. Varied nature means a lot of variation in both methods and timeframes for restoration. They mention hay meadows as a type of nature that is quick to restore. It can take 10 to 20 years. Restoring a pine forest can take 1,000 years, says Kristoffer. But even though things take time in the nature restoration field, it’s not the case that you do not see the results of your efforts: “It’s important to point out that you get a lot of benefits quickly, so you get to see the effect of the work you do”, says Amalie.

Most important to avoid downsizing

The biggest threat to the biological diversity is area changes. A new principle within spatial planning, called spatial neutrality, has received increasing attention in recent years due to this threat. The principle is about trying to avoid downsizing of nature and that possible downsizing of nature should be compensated with nature restoration. For the RØSK-group it is important that the possibility of restoring doesn’t become a resting cushion that contributes to continued downsizing of nature: “It is much more important to protect an area than to restore something”, says Kristoffer.

“There has been a lot of criticism to nature restoration in the times before now because people didn’t want is to become an alternative to protecting. Now there is so much damage that we see you have to restore as well as protect”, says Amalie.

RØSK so far – and forward

Since the start last autumn, RØSK has been involved in several projects. Among other things, they have participated in wetland restoration and alien species removal. This autumn, they will continue with the removal of alien species, and if the weather permits it, a delegation will travel to Western Norway to burn heather to preserve the coastal heathlands. They also have planned several workshops and lectures. In addition, they are about to embark on a new project focusing on improving the health of the Oslo fjord.

RØSK is open to everyone. They say that little prior knowledge is required, but it’s good to be willing to get your hands dirty. And if that is a problem, gloves get purchased anyway. In other words, very open to welcoming any new interested. “You get to know very cool people if you join RØSK. It is very social”, says Christina. “If you feel alone with nature grief, there are many that are here with the same feeling, and then you can do something together to work against it”, says Kristoffer. “It gives hope”, Amalie finishes.