Refusal of acquisition permit
Update 2017-03-31
Naturarvet is now, with the help of a lawyer, submitting an appeal of the decision to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Naturarvet believes that permission should be granted and that there are two independent grounds for granting permission to acquire Solliden in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act. We have submitted our appeal in time and are now awaiting the Swedish Board of Agriculture's handling of the case.
In the meantime, we ask everyone to support Naturarvet, which now gets an extra cost to be able to continue the work to protect Solliden's sunny old-growth forest hill for all time. It is also fundamentally important to win this case to be able to defend the Natural Heritage's ability to protect old-growth forests in the coming years. For it is now that we need to save the last old-growth forests as a natural heritage for present and future generations.
Press release:
(inserted as an article in Alekuriren v 12)
The fundraising foundation Naturarvet has been refused the acquisition of the old-growth forest. Solliden. An official of the Västra Götaland county administrative board has interpreted the law unfavorably and rejected the application for an acquisition permit for the 12.1 ha sunny hill draped with varied old-growth forest with a unique deciduous forest at the southern end outside Skepplanda in Ale municipality.
"Previously, Naturarvet has acquired three forests at intervals of about 3 years, so this rejection comes as a shock," says Lo Jarl, manager and ecologist. "Obviously this official has interpreted the law very narrowly, which is unfortunate as it could jeopardize the whole operation."
Solliden is an extension of the previously acquired Iglekärr's old-growth forest of 70 ha which, after a few years of fundraising, came into the possession of Naturarvets in July 2016 and was inaugurated in August with the installation of a unique tribute bench that can be visited at the lake Stora Iglekärr. In September, it was decided that Iglekärr's old-growth forest should become a nature reserve, with a small area of deciduous forest forming an important part in the south-west corner. Iglekärr's old-growth forest became an extension of a continuous protected area that along the eastern border of Iglekärr's nature reserve adjoins the 80 ha Ekliden nature reserve.
Solliden is adjacent to Iglekärr old-growth forest in the west and Naturarvet signed a contract for this piece old-growth forest already in December last year and applied for an acquisition permit in January.
"The acquisition of Solliden provides an addition of many unique environments such as 1.2 ha of deciduous forest with oak and red-listed species such as ash and forest elm, The Wholly Oak Tree - a very old late-growing oak with a unique character, The Hermit's Aspen Grove - a grove of old aspen trees next to a rock face where a small cave has been used as a kitchen in a simple dwelling where a hermit once lived."
There are several old trees in the natural forest with several older pines and a lot of dead wood in the form of rows and flames. A fine moss flora and lichens were inventoried in November and more inventories will be made during the year. So far, 6 red-listed species and 8 signal species have been noted. Among other things, there are several different species of woodpeckers that need old dead trees to live.
"Naturarvet must now appeal the rejection by April 3. "It is urgent and we have to get it right in the next instance, so we have sought the help of a lawyer. Now we need the public's help and support to take the extra cost and to spread the message that we must save the last old-growth forests in Sweden before 2030, when it is estimated that all unprotected old-growth forest in Sweden will be gone. Then we will only have the protected forests to enjoy and for the many endangered species to have a living space."