The positive thing about the list is that more species that have a high threat class on the Red List are now proposed for protection, says Emelie Nilsson, an expert in conservation policy at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These include, for example, the eel. The hedgehog is considered vulnerable and is therefore proposed to be protected.
The hedgehog is not as endangered as most of the other species that are proposed. It is good to have species that are well known and that people can report, but that are declining. It has educational value.
Political governance
Although WWF welcomes the new list, the organization believes that the assignment to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has been highly political. It fears that the restrictions on species protection that the government wants to see for forestry and agriculture could make the protection toothless for many of the proposed species.
This means that you only need to take into account species that are critically endangered, and it is difficult not to link the list to the changes to the conservation regulations that are underway.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation also points out that the protected areas risk becoming ineffective.
For many of these species, it really means that, precisely where they are most threatened, they receive no protection, says chairwoman Beatrice Rindevall.
The forest is a huge part of Sweden's land area. There are an incredible number of species living there that are really crying out for our protection right now. Instead, the government is doing exactly the opposite and trying to minimize protection.
Off the list
234 species are on the list. Since last autumn, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has removed 27 species. Nine species are being added and another nine are having their conservation category changed.
Among the species classified as acutely or critically endangered is the eel, which is assessed as acutely endangered, while a couple of the proposed butterflies may already be extinct.
However, well-known species such as the bluebell and lily of the valley are doing well and are no longer considered to need conservation protection.
