River Storån

Species-rich area
The meandering course of the River Storån is a particularly valuable riverstretch. The aquatic nature values consist of ravines, stretches of rapids, raised bogs, meandering sections and riparian zones with deciduous forest. From Falerum and up towards Gärdserum, the river is dominated by flowing sections but with calmer elements. In a large part of the area there is a deciduous forest-dominated ravine formation around the river and the channel probably meandered much more in the past. Alongside the river, there are also high nature values in the wetland at the outlet of Lake Båtsjön and the meadows at Gärdserum. The size of the wetland and the fact that it is kept open by grazing contribute to its high nature values, and the wetland is home to a very rich flora and fauna. Today, it is rare to find large areas of meadow environments that have grazing where typical vegetation zones are created along the banks. In addition, there are large, free-standing oaks in the area that are home to several red-listed species.

The aim is to achieve a favorable conservation status for the thick-shelled river mussel

 

The area is central to the Ukna Valley, which is designated as being of national interest for both nature conservation and cultural heritage. The valley has great landscape value due to its location in the valley. The habitats in the area consist of small rivers and wet meadows.

Trout, mussels and otters
River Storån has a high level of biodiversity and provides habitat for species such as trout, bullhead, thick-shelled river mussel and otter. The river is one of Sweden’s finest large mussel waters. The area is home to a reproducing population of the threatened species thick-shelled river mussel. Previously, restoration measures have been carried out in River Storån within the LIFE project UC4LIFE, which aimed to increase knowledge about thick-shelled river mussel and improve its habitats. This project builds on that successful work and aims to restore residual impacts on the aquatic environment and carry out host fish restoration to help the thick-shelled river mussel spread to suitable areas throughout the Natura 2000 site. The aim is to achieve a favorable conservation status for the species. The project includes habitat restoration of a 1,000-meter stretch of the river that is currently cleared and reshaped.

Strengthening stocks

The aim is to restore, as far as possible, the currently cleared, reshaped and submerged sections of the river, thereby increasing and improving the habitat for aquatic species in the area, especially for trout and thick-shelled river mussel. The restoration will have a large-scale effect on the River Storån ecosystem through increased biodiversity, improved fish production and a more stable hydrological system down to the sea. In addition, an increased abundance of the mussels host fishes, such thick-shelled river mussel, will benefit the natural reproduction of large mussels in the river.