Nature conservation and wildlife management

Bee and flower Photo: Alf Linderheim The task for nature conservation in Sweden is to both meet the needs and wishes of people and society, and to conserve valuable nature and species. Local participation is necessary in order to maintain the support from Swedish people for environmental protection.

The responsibility for the environment was divided on two agencies in 2011: land issues belong to the Swedish EPA, while The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) took over most of the responsibility for issues related to seas and freshwater.

Nature conservation

Modern nature conservation concerns both people and nature. It requires skills in dialogue and local participation and management.

Protection of plants and animals

In Sweden, any plant or animal that is in danger of extinction or plundering may be given protected status. This means that it is forbidden to pick, catch, gather, kill or in any other way injure the species in question.

Wildlife management and hunting

Sweden is committed to long-term conservation of viable populations of wild animals occurring naturally in the country. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the sectoral agency responsible for management of wild mammals and birds.

The large predators

Sweden's large carnivores have started to increase in number again, having been virtually exterminaed in the middle of the last century. Bears are doing best, whereas wolverine, wolf and lynx remain seriously endangered.

Research

The new knowledge generated by the research programmes that we fund helps us achieve our mission and environmental quality objectives.