Våneviks old-growth forest

THE DEVELOPMENT OF VÅNEVIK'S OLD FOREST IS STOPPED! The municipality has not been able to agree and has now put the plans on hold. Read more here https://naturarvet.se/blog/2017/01/10/exploatering-stoppad/

Oskarshamn municipality has plans to make villa plots of a beautiful varied old-growth forestsouth of Vånevik. We received the support of Naturkompaniet's outdoor-loving customers and SEK 200,000 to start a fundraising campaign that might change the municipality's mind. Naturarvet wants to buy the forest and also the forest south of it and protectover 50 hectares of urban, archipelago-like varied natural forest for all time for the survival of endangered species and for the nature experiences of present and future generations.

Naturarvet submitted a letter on the ambition of the Natural Heritage to acquire 50 ha of forest land including the coastal islands belonging to the properties in September 2016. No response has yet been received from the Municipality of Oskarshamn. You can download and read the letter here. Following an inventory of lichens, fungi and mosses in November 2016, Naturarvet submitted a supplement to the letter. Here you can download and read the complement. The results of the inventory are available at this link.

In Vånevik old-growth forestthere are forests that are hundreds of years old. A group of local nature lovers have done a fantastic job of showing the forest's values and possibilities. Read more about it at this link. Over 100 species of wildlife have been found, such as the hazel mouse and the globally threatened pond bat. The area offers great nature experiences for visitors who can easily get there as a day trip, perhaps as a much-needed break from the E22 car journey with a dip in the sea at the bathing site. It also has an exciting cultural history with water-filled quarry ponds that also contribute greatly to biodiversity.

In the southern part of Sweden, about 5% of all forests have ecologically functional nature values and there is such a shortage of old-growth forestthat about 10% of forest land even needs to be restored to natural forest to provide long-term viable stands for most plants and animals. Every remaining small old-growth forestis extremely important to protect as nuclei of functional networks for future nature conservation. As long as we do not reach our targets, many of the 2000 red-listed species in the forest will remain threatened. They need our help to face a secure future.