If something breaks in a nature reserve, it is no longer obvious how to fix it, says Daniel Skog, sustainability manager at the Swedish Tourist Association (STF).
Because you can't afford it. Instead you remove it so that it doesn't become dangerous.
During the current term of office, appropriations for outdoor recreation and the environment have in practice decreased by 50 percent, according to a report from STF and Friluftsfrämjandet.
Can't "patch and fix"
However, the government has presented investments of 130 million kronor in "measures for valuable nature" that will go towards upgrading hiking trails and maintaining national parks and reserves.
But it does not cover inflation or the budget hole that arose in 2023, when the allocation for nature conservation decreased by over one billion kronor from 2022's record high of just over two billion kronor.
It's not possible to patch and repair for as long as you want. When you've taken away such enormous amounts of money, large amounts of money have to be added if you're going to be able to let people out into nature.
Need a billion
The deficit is also reflected by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which in its latest budget document estimates that an additional one billion kronor is needed annually to bring the management of the reserves and parks back to a reasonable level.
People unfamiliar with nature and families with children are considered to be the hardest hit when resources that simplify spending time in nature – such as signs, well-maintained trails and windbreaks – disappear.
