Last updated: March 2025
The Swedish Geotechnical Institute, a government agency, and the county administrative boards in Västra Götaland and Scania are running a project which tests methods to prevent erosion of coastal salt meadows. Erosion risks destroying unique ecosystems, and the aim is to develop cost-efficient, nature-based mitigation methods that can be replicated in other sites with similar problems. The project is part of an EU-funded Interreg North Sea project called MAinstreaming NAture BAsed Solutions through COASTal systems (MANABAS COAST), which involves other countries in the region [Ref. 1, 5]. Four different salt meadows are included in the Swedish part of the project. The sites are called pilot areas and are meant to test and showcase NBS to inform policy and develop methods that can be used in larger scales in the future. One of the sites is located at Glose in Kungälv municipality within the Gothenburg FUA [Ref. 2-4]. Here, the biodiversity of a salt meadow used for grazing and the adjacent coastal waters are threatened by erosion. According to a new management plan, NBS such as natural barriers will be implemented to break waves and halt erosion, preserving the ecosystems, improving water quality and ensuring the land continued use as a pasture for grazing cattle [Ref. 4].
The salt meadow at Glose
Ref. 4
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Coastlines
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14)
- Coastal protection / hazard mitigation
- Marine and coastal biodiversity protection
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Effective management
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Coastal hazards (e.g. erosion, flooding)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Coastal landscape management or protection, Coastal ecosystems restoration and maintenance (mangroves, dunes, saltplains, underwater meadows), Improving coastal resilience, Protection of natural ecosystems, Protecton and enhancement of wetlands (other types than peatlands and mangroves, e.g. seagrass), Habitat conservation, Marine and coastal conservation initiatives
Project objectives
The general goal of the coastal erosion project is to gain knowledge about the efficacy of nature-based, cost-effective methods to halt coastal erosion. The knowledge gained should inform policy and be implementable in other locations with similar challenges. NBS should be "mainstreamed" and embedded in institutions and achievable to use for local stakeholders [Ref. 1, 6]. The specific goals of the conservation measures at Glose are to:
- Reduce coastal erosion by establishing barriers
- Ensure that the area can still be used for grazing livestock
- Preserve and develop biodiversity in the wet meadow and in the adjacent coastal waters. [Ref. 4]
Implementation activities
1. The coastal erosion project was started in 2022 by the Swedish Geotechnical Institute together with the county administrative boards of Västra Götaland and Scania. The coastal meadow at Glose was chosen as one of the test sites [Ref. 1, 2].
2. In 2022, consultancy company Sweco was employed to carry out hydrodynamic modelling to gain knowledge about wave movements, currents and sediment transport in the bay [Ref. 3, 4].
3. A management plan was drafted in 2024, determining the concrete measures to be taken at Glose.
4. According to the management plan, erosion will be prevented by creating different kinds of physical barriers of either plant material or stones at different places along the coastline or in shallow waters. They will also try to limit the presence of geese seeking food at the meadows (it is not explained why this is helpful) [Ref. 4].
5. The effects will be evaluated by monitoring any movements of the coastline, sedimentation at the constructed barriers, the presence of vascular plants and birds and the distribution of seaweed [Ref. 4].
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Protect and restore coastal ecosystems, to address loss of land and livelihoods, due to rising sea levels
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Means for conservation governance
- Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Researchers/University
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
- Coastal-dependent communities (e.g. small-scale fishers, coastal farmers, and indigenous peoples)
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project at Glose is led by the Swedish Geotechnical Institute and the county administrative board of Västra Götaland, both national government agencies [Ref. 1, 4]. Consultancy company Sweco was employed to carry out hydrodynamic modelling [Ref. 3, 4]. Lund University is involved in designing and evaluating the nature-based methods. Local land owners and water rights owners are identified as stakeholders and consulted in the project [Ref. 4, 6]. Additionally, the municipality of Kungälv and the NGO Västkuststiftelsen, which manages the nature reserve where the project is conducted, are listed as stakeholders, but their role in the project is not clear [Ref. 6]. The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management is monitoring the project and evaluating its potential as an ecosystem-based marine management to restore marine and coastal environment [Ref. 2].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(MANABAS COAST project [Ref. 1, 5, 6])
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
(National sustainable development goals [Ref. 2])
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
NBS research project (e.g., H2020, Urban Living Labs, national research projects)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- EU funds
- Other funding sources are unclear
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Storm / wave induced erosion and flooding
- Expected storm / wave induced erosion and flooding
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Expected strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Water management and blue areas
- Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Expected enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased presence and recovery of wild species
- Expected increased presence and recovery of wild species
Economic impacts
- Other
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Expected increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Expected increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Expected increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
County Administrative Board Västra Götaland (n.d.). Erosion av strandängar: En del av Interreg North Sea project MANABAS COAST. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];
2.
County Administrative Board Västra Götaland (n.d.). Pilotområden. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];
3.
County Administrative Board Västra Götaland (n.d.). Glose, Kungälvs kommun. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];
4.
County Administrative Board Västra Götaland, & Swedish Geotechnical Institute. (2024). Åtgärdsplan Glose, Kungälvs kommun. [Source link];
5.
County Administrative Board Västra Götaland (n.d.). MANABAS COAST. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Interreg North Sea (n.d.). Baseline Report 8Fjordar. [Source link];
Aerial hoto of the Glose site and planned barriers
Ref. 4
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.