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Queue for barbecue areas, garbage and full parking: our greatest interest during the pandemic increases the burden on protected nature. At the same time, the country’s national parks and reserves can see how many new visitors are suddenly coming out into the woods and fields.
The colors and arrows show the way in the Svartbäcksmåla municipal nature reserve on the outskirts of Nybro in Småland.
– It’s not so peaceful anymore, I can think, when I look at the matter selfishly. But it’s great that so many find out.
Emily Södergren takes a brisk lunch break in the Svartbäcksmåla municipal nature reserve on the outskirts of Nybro in Småland. She herself has always been in the forest a lot and has noticed a clear pandemic effect, especially on weekends when there are many people.
Frida Karlsson, Outdoors and Nature Developer at Nybro, agrees that there is increased pressure from visitors.
– There is more pressure in the barbecue areas and some weekends it has been filled – almost a queue – to be able to grill. We have never experienced this before in a month like October.
On the bridge over the rolling Svartbäcken that crosses the nature reserve hangs one of the devices that, with the help of a laser beam, counts the number of visitors. Last year, it reached a total of 212,000 visitors. It was really considered many and it was explained, among other things, by the fact that the World Shot Dog World Cup was held here.
But this year, that number was already far exceeded in mid-November, says Frida Karlsson.
– We think it’s funny that people, and especially those who may not have been here before, now get together in a slightly different way, he says and explains that there was even a children’s party in the forest.
– Yes, most children’s parties. Maybe you celebrate the kids in the family and grill out with family and friends.
More and more people are looking for nature now, but what does this mean for protected area management? The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has sent a questionnaire to, among other things, county administrative boards, outdoor organizations, wilderness and tourism companies in the country to get an idea of the past season.
The result?
– The season has meant a greater consumption of wood, a greater emptying of wood. Then, of course, there’s this with congestion in general – the crown has been a challenge, says Camilla Näsström, who is an administrator for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
– Parking and littering are the biggest challenges, so it will be to avoid wear and tear completely. We work to make these environments accessible.
However, it is welcome that more people get to know nature, emphasizes Näsström.
– Then there are always challenges. There are many visitors in some places.
Parking facilities have been problematic in some places as many people go out into the wild by car.
– Partly because you just don’t have a place to park, and parking guards have been needed in some counties. In some counties, shuttle buses have been available.
When visitors park along the roads, it can also cause problems for rescue vehicles to get there.
Garbage has also been dumped in some places. More information is needed there, says Näsström. The erosion of nature is something that you constantly work to avoid in protected areas.
– We work to prevent wear and tear by making areas accessible, we direct visitors to the right places.
With the crown year 2020 in the bag, many protected areas are preparing for the upcoming season. Tomas Staafjord, a nature conservationist at the County Administrative Board in Västerbotten and head of the Björnlandet National Park in southeastern Lapland, tells TT that they are only going through the situation in the county’s protected areas for the next year.
– We have to go through the reserve by the reserve to assess the situation, he says and explains:
– For the nature reserves around Umeå, these are trails, open-air baths, ramps for the disabled; We are not really involved in the attention that is needed and we must calculate how to increase our presence of attention.
Tomas Staafjord welcomes more visitors, and even if nature is hit by increased visitor pressure, such as the reserve at Hässningsberget on the outskirts of Umeå, where hiking trails have become wider, wear and tear will not it’s a big problem here.
– At Västerbotten, I wouldn’t say there is so much wear and tear that it is cause for concern.
Reserve and national park: what is the difference?
Sweden has 30 national parks. All are unique areas that are considered particularly important to protect and preserve.
There are more than 5,000 nature reserves in Sweden. Nature reserves make up the largest proportion of protected nature in Sweden.
A natural monument is a distinctive natural object that needs special care or protection. There are more than 1,500 decisions in force on natural monuments in Sweden. They are usually pointed objects such as giant oaks, large specimens of felled pine, beech and lime trees, as well as clumps of trees. They can also be moving blocks, giant vessels, caves, and other rock formations.
Natura 2000 is a network of protected areas across the EU. In Sweden, there are just over 4,000 Natura 2000 areas on a total area of more than seven million hectares. Some of them are also nature reserves or national parks.
Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
