Board of Directors
Axel Smith | President
Marathon runner and semi-retired chess player. Has spent a month on the train between Lund and the temporary home in the Pyrenees, now usually vacations in the cottage in northern Skåne with two eternal oaks on the plot and full of clearings around. He has a snail phobia, is co-founder of Chess for Future, climate manager in the Swedish Chess Federation and a dumpster diver. You don't have to look out into space to feel small, just go out into the forest. There, the time span is different from the human one. If you lease land "in perpetuity" to an electricity plant, the contract will still expire after 50 years. The forest preserved via Naturarvet is protected from human impact for time and eternity.
Pia Björstrand | Vice Chair
Lawyer with a heart that is passionate about life on earth. She is spokesperson for Klimataktion, Chairman of End Ecocide Sweden and involved in the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the Transition Movement and Naturens Rättigheter. She has extensive experience of board work in companies and non-profit organizations. In her spare time, Pia loves singing, dancing, hanging out with family and friends and forest bathing - i.e. experiencing the forest in deep presence with all the senses. "I grew up in the deep forests of Småland and mourn the fact that they have become fewer and fewer. As an environmentalist, I see a great need to protect the few remaining natural forests that exist and am therefore very happy to participate in the important work of the Natural Heritage.
Cajsa Lovehav | Full member
A physical geographer who already as a child had a strong interest in environmental issues, which then developed into a long-term commitment to transition and environmental justice. He published a popular environmental blog for several years and has been involved as a climate information officer with Friends of the Earth. Trees play a unique role, both in nature and in social development, and old forests are valuable ecosystems that are disappearing at a rapid pace. Therefore, it is a very meaningful mission to contribute to Naturarvets work to preserve Sweden's last old forests. Supporting Naturarvet is a very concrete way to make a lasting difference, as Natural Heritage forests are protected from logging forever.
Ludvig Königsson | Full Member
Urban planners who are passionate about preserving and developing the shared values of our society, at a time when short-term economic interests risk conflicting with long-term societal benefits. Through his involvement with the Swedish Forest Conservation Association ( Naturarvet ), he aims to champion the natural and recreational values of Sweden’s forests and help ensure their long-term and permanent protection. When he’s out in the woods himself, he enjoys hiking and camping with his children, picking berries and mushrooms, and going on runs that are just the right length and level of challenge. As a member of the board, I want to contribute a holistic perspective on the forest’s ecological connections. All natural values are interconnected in a complex network where individual components cannot be viewed in isolation from their context.
Anders Gustavsson | Regular Member
A health economist who has spent many years pondering how to assign value to things that are difficult to measure. Lives on Lovö outside Stockholm, in a nature reserve where, strangely enough, productive forestry is still carried out. Enjoys running in the woods, has recently rediscovered orienteering, and is quite good at getting lost. Plays the saxophone and dreams of starting a band and going on tour. The value of the forest cannot be captured in a timber calculation. I hope to contribute to Naturarvet ’s efforts to show what Sweden could look like if we protected more forests and left clear-cutting behind.
Thor Greve | Alternate Member
I have a degree in political science and a keen interest in nature. I usually work in advocacy at WWF, but I’m currently on leave to study at the Stockholm Resilience Center. I spend as much time as possible in the forest, often with binoculars in hand or on skis. The forest is a habitat for a multitude of species and holds great value for us humans. Contributing to Naturarvet is a concrete way to help preserve it for future generations.
Adam Bergström | Alternate Member
20 years old and is studying history of ideas and art history in Stockholm and Paris. He has had a great interest in forests since childhood and has been active in the Field Biologists for several years. In the forest he finds peace in the hectic pace that characterizes our time, adolescence and especially everyday life in a big city. It is a refuge for him, but also a source of wonder and different moods. Another great interest is literature and philosophy, and not least through Harry Martinson's texts he has experienced the richness of seeing nature reflected in poetry and prose. He is also involved in the Harry Martinson Society. Adam is deeply concerned about the carelessness of humanity's approach to the planet. "In Naturarvet I see action and concrete measures to counter short-termism at the expense of nature's timeless values.