PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In earlier days, western taiga was the dominant habitat in the woodlands of northern Sweden covering vast tracts of land. This consisted mostly of coniferous or mixed forests that saw almost no human influence for hundreds of years. Left untouched, the forests developed naturally into an impressive mixture of different tree species of varying age groups, from the majestic old trees (often several hundred years old) to the young saplings chancing their luck in the clearing of a fallen tree. But what made these forests so rich, biologically speaking, was the amount of dead and dying wood that remained on the ground. This provided an ideal microhabitat for a vast array of plants and insects which adapted themselves specifically to these environments over the centuries. Losing these forests would therefore not only mean losing the trees themselves, but also the thousands of species that are now totally dependent upon them for their survival. Unfortunately, as elsewhere in Sweden, only a small part of the woodland area which can still be characterised as western taiga remains in Norrland. Commercial forestry has been one of the main contributing factors to its decline. The situation now is so serious that this habitat type, which is only found in Sweden and Finland within the EU, is considered a priority under the Habitats Directive.
OBJECTIVES
The project targeted three of the best remaining sites for this habitat type in northern Sweden. Although none of the sites are large they are nevertheless strategically important in terms of their location and species diversity and, together with the other projects agreed for western taiga conservation in Sweden, would make a significant contribution to the long-term protection of the habitat type in the EU. Once the initial costs of land purchase or economic conpensation to the land-owners for restricting their forestry activities had been met, the habitat would be allowed to continue to develop naturally as before, without human intervention. In view of the nature of the habitat type, leaving it untouched is essentially its only means of survival. Thus, land purchase is the only cost effective option available for certain core areas if the overall resource is to be safeguarded for future generations. In quantitative terms, the main project objective was to acquire and legally protect 345 of natural forest, dominated by western taiga, at three sites in northern Sweden.
RESULTS
During 1995-99, a series of 12 LIFE Nature projects with the primary objective to protect natural forest and mire habitats were launched in Sweden, with land purchase and legal protection as the main project actions. This particular project was aimed at three sites dominated by western taiga, 345 ha in total, in northern Sweden. The final result can be summarised: · Two of the three sites could be acquired; the third site (Haberget) did not succeed during the LIFE project due to change in ownership. The beneficiary would pursue its efforts after the LIFE project. · The two sites protected and purchased through the LIFE project cover altogether 298 ha, i.e. 86 % of the original target of 345 ha. · After the project, the sites have been left for passive management. The collective results from this project and the 11 others under LIFE II aimed for the protection of natural forest sites in Sweden should be evaluated in the perspective that although 65 % of the land surface of Sweden is covered by forests, and predominantly coniferous forests, most of this land is today characterised by commercial forestry. Less than 5 % of this land is judged to qualify as "natural forests" with reference to "key" characters such as the proportion of old trees, dead and decaying wood etc. Of the land benefiting from satisfactory legal protection, there was a geographical unbalance so far as most of it was located in the alpine region of Sweden previous to 1995. In this perspective, any contribution of western taiga and other natural forest habitats is a valuable input to the Natura 2000 network. The support from LIFE Nature to the various projects launched during LIFE II (1996-99) represented a total additional contribution of 14 % on top of the expenditure from the national budget for the purchase of land for nature protection at that time. During 1995-99, a series of 12 LIFE Nature projects with the primary objective to protect natural forest and mire habitats were launched in Sweden, with land purchase and legal protection as the main project actions. This particular project was aimed at three sites dominated by western taiga, 345 ha in total, in northern Sweden. The final result can be summarised: · Two of the three sites could be acquired; the third site (Haberget) did not succeed during the LIFE project due to change in ownership. The beneficiary would pursue its efforts after the LIFE project. · The two sites protected and purchased through the LIFE project cover altogether 298 ha, i.e. 86 % of the original target of 345 ha. · After the project, the sites have been left for passive management. The collective results from this project and the 11 others under LIFE II aimed for the protection of natural forest sites in Sweden should be evaluated in the perspective that although 65 % of the land surface of Sweden is covered by forests, and predominantly coniferous forests, most of this land is today characterised by commercial forestry. Less than 5 % of this land is judged to qualify as "natural forests" with reference to "key" characters such as the proportion of old trees, dead and decaying wood etc. Of the land benefiting from satisfactory legal protection, there was a geographical unbalance so far as most of it was located in the alpine region of Sweden previous to 1995. In this perspective, any contribution of western taiga and other natural forest habitats is a valuable input to the Natura 2000 network. The support from LIFE Nature to the various projects launched during LIFE II (1996-99) represented a total additional contribution of 14 % on top of the expenditure from the national budget for the purchase of land for nature protection at that time.