River Ljungbyån

River Ljungbyån is a 62 km long river in south-eastern Sweden with a catchment area of 757 km². The source flows come from an extensive area of marshes and small lakes in the southwestern parts of Kalmar County, and the river flows into Kalmarsund at Ljungbylund. The main river divides into two streams – River Ljungbyån and Gunnaboån.

River Ljungbyån flows through a landscape of farmland, flooded meadows and swamp forest. The river is characterized by its meandering course through an extremely flat moraine plateau with small differences in level. The most valuable parts of the river have a branching quill system and deciduous swamp forest, creating a unique habitat.

The river has a rich fish fauna and is particularly interesting as it is home to large sea trout

Unusual moss and rich fish fauna
The lush flora along the waterways includes many species. One of the most unusual species is hairy claw moss, which grows on boulders and alder roots along the Gunnaboån river.

River Ljungbyån has a rich fish fauna and is particularly interesting as it is home to large sea trout. The river is also of national interest for nature conservation and the Natura 2000 site consists mainly of the habitat type “Watercourse with floating leaf vegetation or aquatic mosses”.

Impacts and ecological status
Despite its high nature values, River Ljungbyån has been affected by human impact, and today has a moderate ecological status according to the EU Water Framework Directive.

Historically, the river has been used as a source of power, resulting in many old mills and hydropower plants along the river. This causes severe fragmentation, with dams preventing fish migration and natural sediment transport. Furthermore, stretches of stream with spawning grounds for trout, among others, have disappeared when the river was dammed. In addition, the river has been cleared of large stones and dead wood, which reduces biodiversity. Some sections of the river have also been straightened and re-dug.

In recent years, water scarcity has become a recurring problem in the summer, negatively affecting both habitats and species.

Restoration actions under Improve Aquatic LIFE

According to the management plan for River Ljungbyån, ensuring free migration opportunities for fish, restoring and creating new spawning areas and recreating wetlands are priorities.

Within the LIFE Improve project, it is planned to remove two major and several minor migration barriers, opening up 5,000 meters of the river for free migration of fish and other aquatic species. Habitat restoration will be carried out on about 1,500 meters of the river, focusing on important environments for migratory fish such as the large sea trout. Measures will also be implemented to recreate natural water level fluctuations, which will benefit species such as the hairy claw moss and the flora and fauna of the swamp forest that depend on these fluctuations.

The measures will improve connectivity, hydrology, biodiversity, fish production and habitats. They will also contribute to strengthening the Natura 2000 species hairy claw moss, bullhead, sea trout, lamprey and minnow by enabling free migration from the Baltic Sea to the spawning and nursery areas in the Ljungbyån catchment.