The County Administrative Board of Skåne is receiving support from the EU to launch Europe’s largest water restoration project. Almost SEK 400 million will be invested in improving aquatic environments, mitigate the effects of climate change and strengthen threatened fish and mussel populations in southern Sweden, including the restoration of rivers, wetlands and coastal waters will be restored.
Largest project ever
– It is extremely gratifying and somewhat fantastic that on the first attempt we achieved the largest Life Nature SAP project ever in terms of EU funding. We will start this fall and continue until 2031 with initiatives in nine counties in southern Sweden, says project manager Karin Olsson at the County Administrative Board of Skåne, which runs Improve Aquatic LIFE, as the project is called.
500 actions
Over seven years, project stakeholders will implement more than 500 actions in 20 water bodies. These range from removing migration barriers to recreating floodplains, restoring wetlands and restoring habitats for fish and other aquatic animals in rivers and coastal waters.
Over seven years, project stakeholders will implement more than 500 measures in 20 water bodies.
Success factors
– In Improve Aquatic LIFE, we connect authorities, research and non-profit organizations. The fact that actors from different areas collaborate and implement large-scale projects is the key to long-term effective restoration and sustainable water management,” says project coordinator Vibeke Lirås, adding that the diversity of actors and measures within the project is of central importance for the project to be successful.
Skåne measures
The Skåne measures amount to around SEK 50 million and concern measures in Rönne å, Råån, Kävlingeån, Vramsån and coastal waters. The measures include:
- Restoration of stone reefs in coastal waters and removal of migration barriers in rivers. Unique habitats are restored, which strengthens fish stocks and biodiversity. It also provides better conditions for recreation and increased nature tourism.
- Special focus is placed on salmon, sea lamprey and eel, which are highly endangered species in Europe and also in Skåne. Through smart passage solutions and improvements in habitats and water quality, survival and production can increase significantly.
- The pearl mussel and the thick-shelled mussel, both critically endangered in our waters, are being reintroduced into watercourses where they have been severely reduced or disappeared. The mussels act as waterways’ own purification plants. Successful establishment contributes to improved water quality and increased biodiversity.
- Challenges such as floods and droughts in a changing climate will be addressed by restoring the natural hydrology of watercourses through the creation of wetlands and floodplains.
Historical event
– In Skåne, we are going to put stones in the sea in a couple of places. It will be a historic event for two reasons. Firstly, it will be the first major stone reef restoration in Skåne. But it will also be a symbolic start for the work to begin restoring some of the damage that historical stone fishing caused to Skåne’s coastal environments,” says marine biologist Jonas Gustafsson at the Skåne County Administrative Board.
Stakeholders in Improve Aquatic LIFE: The nine county administrative boards in the Västerhavets- and Södra Östersjö water district (Värmland, Västra Götaland, Halland, Skåne, Blekinge, Kronoberg, Jönköping, Kalmar, Östergötland) together with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Karlstad University, University of Gothenburg, Lund University, Helsingborg Municipality, Tingsryd Municipality and Swedish Anglers Association.
Funders: EU (60%), Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (22.5%), Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (5%) and other partners (total 12.5%).