More than 1,300 islands are included in the newly formed marine national park, located in the Stockholm archipelago. But they only make up 3 percent of the area. The rest of the 25,300 hectares is water.
This will be the first marine national park in the Baltic Sea for Sweden's part, says Sandra Wennberg from the Environmental Protection Agency, who is the project manager for the work of forming the national park.
The preparations have been special since it has required mapping of animals and nature both on land and in water.
Fear of reduced grants
As the area becomes a national park, the protection for animals and nature increases.
It is needed not least when the Baltic Sea's life is pressed by both climate change and eutrophication, says Sandra Wennberg.
Almost all the islands can only be reached by private boat or kayak. Those who want to can moor and it is okay to pitch a tent for up to two nights in the same place. In some places, however, it is forbidden to stay to protect bird life during the breeding period.
There are tourist boats to Bullerö from Stavsnäs on the mainland. On the island, there are also marked trails, a guest house for overnight stays, a sauna, toilets, and an outdoor kitchen. There is also staff from the county administrative board on site all year round.
At the same time, there is a fear that the grants for the maintenance of both national parks and nature reserves have decreased significantly during the term of office.
Now, money has been allocated for this particular park, but we do not know how the grants will be in the future, says Sandra Wennberg.
Lagoons and open sea
In connection with the park's inauguration, a number of school classes from Värmdö municipality, where Bullerö is located, have been invited. On this particular day, there are three seventh-grade classes that share the area with sheep and birds on trails and rocks. In the water, they find, among other things, pipefish - a type of seahorse - and hopping prawns.
I hope that the visit will give our students an increased respect and greater understanding of animals and nature in the surrounding area. That they will understand that it is worth protecting, says Lars Nykvist, one of the teachers on site.
Carolina Enhus, a marine biologist at the County Administrative Board, explains that the marine environments in the national park have a great variation and a rich biological diversity.
Here, among other things, there are wave-protected bays, so-called lagoons, which are important for underwater plants and fish. On more wave-affected hard bottoms, there are large amounts of red algae and blue mussels. Blue mussels are an important food source for both seabirds and fish.
The story of Zarah Leander then? Yes, according to the story, the artist should have visited Torsten Kreuger, brother of the match king, who owned a house on the island. When she announced that she could only imagine bathing from a sandy beach, he is said to have had sand transported from a nearby bay so that she could take a dip.
Petra Hedbom/TT
Facts: National park or nature reserve?
TT
Sweden has 31 national parks scattered from north to south. They are all unique areas that are particularly important to protect and preserve.
Unlike nature reserves, it is the government and parliament that make decisions about national parks, while it is the county administrative board or municipality that decides on nature reserves.
In a national park, all land must be state-owned, and it is larger natural areas of a certain landscape type that are protected. The areas must be in a natural state, which means that nature is often allowed to continue as it is.
In areas that have been characterized by traditional management, it is important that the management continues so that the areas do not become overgrown. In addition to the protection, a national park also creates greater opportunities for increased employment in the surrounding area, for example in tourism and the visitor industry.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
