PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Located on the Baltic island of Öland, the area known as Stora Alvaret is a vast (25,000 ha) open alvar grassland on a limestone plateau. This habitat type is found only in two Baltic islands off Sweden and in a few small areas on the mainland. It is characterised by its high density of different habitat types, many of which are marked 'priority' under the Habitats Directive. It also hosts a remarkable number of species for which the area constitutes the limit of their geographical range and others that are quite isolated from their normal distributions (eg the alpine species Poa alpina) as well as species that occur nowhere else. Stora Alvaret has in fact one of the most species-rich grasslands in the world. In areas with shallow soils, the open landscape is largely the result of edaphic and climatic factors regulating plant cover. Where the soil is deeper, however, humans and their grazing animals have been the most important influencing factors over the last thousand years. Until recently, the spread of scrub and woodland was kept in check by the constant grazing activities of cattle, sheep and horses, as well as by firewood cutting. However, in the last 30-40 years, faced with increasing competition from intensive farming, many of Öland's small-scale farmers have had to abandon these and other practices. When the agri-environment regulation entered into force in Sweden, there was an opportunity for Öland's farmers to regain part of their livelihoods whilst preserving this unique habitat. However, the invading scrub first had to be removed. In an attempt to bring about benefits both for the local farming community and nature conservation, the County of Kalmar sought, through the LIFE-Nature project, to restore 15 sites of high conservation potential to a level where they would again be attractive for grazing and eligible for agri-environment support. This would involve, amongst others, clearing 1500ha of scrub (using local labour as part of a job creation scheme), establishing grazing management regimes that would ensure the conservation of the habitats and species, erecting fences and raising awareness amongst locals and visitors alike.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the project was to restore 15 pSCI sites covering 6,840 ha within Stora Alvaret to open pasture with its representative species and habitats. This was later raised to 16 sites, comprising a total area of 7,705 ha. The specific actions included: · Development of 4 management plans for the remaining pSCIs (the others all had one already at project start) · Restoration through clearing Juniperus communis etc. from semi-natural dry grasslands on calcareous substrates; 570 ha · Restoration through clearing Potentilla fruticosa etc. from Molinia meadows on chalk and clay; 270 ha · Restoration of 15 ha of alkaline fens · Restoration through clearing of open Nordic alvar and other thin calcareous soils; 600 ha · Fencing, including restoration of stone walls as well as new enclosures, 85 km in total · Temporary grazing contracts with farmers on 3000 ha to be restored in order to qualify for agri-environmental support. After the termination of the project, recurring biotope management (mainly grazing) was to be linked to agreements within the agri-environmental scheme.
RESULTS
This was the first LIFE-Nature project in Sweden to adopt the (now quite common) approach to finance the initial restoration phase of overgrown meadow and grasslands habitats with support from the LIFE instrument, and to assure the long-term management and maintenance of the project results through agri-environmental agreements. This close link between the project and agri-environment subsidies for long-term management (grazing) was crucial for the final success. Through the project it became possible to demonstrate that these subsidies can be potentially beneficial not only for nature conservation but also for the farmers themselves, a classic 'win win' situation. Also, methods for clearing and restoring alvar vegetation, before re-opening them to grazing and linking them to the agri-environmental scheme, were successfully demonstrated. By the end of the project, 98 % of the total area of approximately 7,700 ha was opened to grazing, compared to the overall project objective of achieving 90 % well-established grazing area. 5,495 ha (71 %) had been linked to the agri-environmental scheme, i.e. way above the target of achieving temporary grazing contracts for 3,000 ha listed in the project application. The total cleared area was 1,620 ha, adding actions targeted against Juniperus communis, Potentilla fruticosa, sedge vegetation and “bushes on thin alvar” together. This was 113 % above the initial target of 1,455 ha. Restoration of stone walls and erection of new fences came to a total of 87.2 km, or 103 % above the target of 85 km Taking Stora Alvaret as a whole (25,000 ha), through the agri-environmental scheme it had by 1999 become possible to stop the declining trend in grazing pressure which had lasted since the 1940s. During the 1990s, the proportion of grazed area increased drastically up to 82 % of the total alvar land in 1999, although problems with too low grazing pressure remained to be solved in parts of this area. The possibility to link the land use to the agri-environmental scheme was an important catalyst. But also partnership, meaning both the formal as well as informal relations developed between the beneficiary and landowners within the framework of the LIFE project, contributed to this positive trend. Another effect was the establishment of six protected areas, outside the framework of the project, at Stora Alvaret in 1999 and 2000. In terms of habitats and species benefiting from the LIFE project, nine FFH habitats are present in the sites covered, and roughly 75 % of the total area is priority habitat. Nordic alvar (6280) constitutes the bulk of it, almost two thirds, while substantial parts of the land classified as xeric and calcareous grasslands (6210) qualify as priority habitat with reference to the occurrence of orchids. A small proportion is lake or fen habitats (7210, 7230), which nevertheless are very important from a quality perspective. In addition, some FFH species such as Artemisia oelandica (endemic to the island of Öland), Senecio jacobea ssp. gotlandicus and Sisymbrium alpinum are found at some of the project sites. During the project, various restoration methods were tested and their pros and cons were evaluated in some detail. Basically, it was found that for the majority of alvar and grasslands, manual clearing was both the most work- and nature conservation-effective alternative (a detailed analysis was done in the final report). Concerning socio-economic effects / job creation; six contractors (approximately 15 persons) were hired for restoration actions during the project. They invested in machines and other relevant equipment for future work, and they also represent a valuable source of experience and knowledge. In total, around 20 persons were involved on short- or long-term basis. To ensure future nature conservation planning and monitoring at the regional level, four persons who were initially engaged on a short-term basis by the beneficiary obtained permanent jobs. The project included traditional investments in brochures, information panels etc, but it also produced a 32 page booklet, entitled “Welcome to Stora Alvaret” (available in Swedish, English and German); useful both as a source of general information about land use history, geology and nature conservation values, and as a guide-book for visits to the project sites.
