Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [28]
Click here for information about local ornithological groups.
FISH & CRUSTACEANS
Many marine species have been badly affected by ecological problems in the Baltic (Click here).
Sprats and herring are economically important food sources. Among other marine species, haddock, sea trout, whiting, flounder and plaice are reasonably abundant, particularly in the salty waters of the Kattegatt and Skagerrak, but the cod is heading for extinction due to overfishing.
Indigenous crayfish were once netted or trapped in Sweden’s lakes, but overfishing and disease has driven them to extinction.
Plants
Swedish flora is typical of that in temperate climates, and includes around 250 species of flowering plants.
In the mountains along the border with Norway, alpine and Arctic flowers predominate, including mountain avens (with large white eight-petalled flowers), long-stalked mountain sorrel (an unusual source of vitamin C), glacier crowfoot, alpine aster and various saxifrages.
The limey soils of Öland and Gotland produce rare flowering plants including orchids, all of them protected.
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Four of the national parks in Lappland – Muddus, Padjelanta, Sarek and Stora Sjöfallet – are Unesco World Heritage sites.
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Southern Sweden originally had well-mixed woodland, but much of this has been replaced by farmland or conifer plantations. Northern forests are dominated by Scots pine, Norway spruce and various firs.
Hikers will find a profusion of edible berries, mostly ripe between mid-July and early September. The most popular are blueberries (huckleberries), which grow on open uplands, blue swamp-loving bilberries, red cranberries, muskeg crowberries and amber-coloured cloudberries. The latter, known as hjortron, grow one per stalk on open swampy ground and are a delicacy.
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NATIONAL PARKS
Sweden was the first country in Europe to set up a national park (1909). There are now 28, along with around 2600 smaller nature reserves; together they cover about 9% of Sweden. The organisation Naturvårdsverket oversees and produces pamphlets about the parks in Swedish and English, along with the excellent book Nationalparkerna i Sverige (National Parks in Sweden).
Four of Sweden’s large rivers (Kalixälven, Piteälven, Vindelälven and Torneälven) have been declared National Heritage Rivers in order to protect them from hydroelectric development.
The right of public access to the countryside (allemansrätten) includes national parks and nature reserves; Click here for details.
Northern Sweden
Abisko Numerous hiking routes and good accessibility. Northern gateway to the famed Kungsleden hiking track Click here.
Haparanda Skärgård A group of several islands in the far north of the Gulf of Bothnia, with sandy beaches, striking dunes and migrant bird life. Reached by boat from Haparanda.
Muddus Ancient forests and muskeg bogs, plus several deep and impressive gorges, and superb birdwatching opportunities.
Padjelanta High moorland surrounds the lakes Vastenjaure and Virihaure, favoured by a range of Swedish wildlife. The renowned hiking trail, Padjelantaleden, is here Click here.
Pieljekaise Just south of the Arctic Circle, with moorlands, birch forests, flowering meadows and lakes rich in Arctic char.
Sarek Sweden’s best-loved national park, with wild mountain ranges, glaciers, deep valleys, impressive rivers and vast tracts of birch and willow forest. There’s no road access, but experienced hikers can reach the park from the Kungsleden route.
Stora Sjöfallet This park’s famous waterfall has been throttled by hydroelectric development, and the wildlife and vegetation have suffered as a result.
Vadvetjåkka Sweden’s northernmost national park. Protects a large river delta containing bogs, lakes, limestone caves and numerous bird species. Access on foot from Abisko.
Central Sweden
Björnlandet