Gunnilse, Göteborg (FUA), Sweden
City population: 939291
Duration: 2021 – 2024
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Roads / Roadsides
Last updated: March 2025

Two stages of a project called "Flowering roadsides" have been created along a bike road stretch measuring 6,5 km between the areas of Gunnilse and Bergum in the eastern part of the City of Gothenburg. The projects came to be through citizens' initiatives and are carried out in cooperation between the City of Gothenburg and two local NGOs: The Bergum-Gunnilse Development Association and the Gothenburg branch of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Gunnilse-Bergum utveckling & Göteborgs naturskyddsförening). The first stage of the project was carried out in 2021 and focused on taking inventory of species and ecosystems along the stretch and suggesting management options to promote biodiversity. The second stage is carried out from 2022 to 2024 and focuses on implementing and evaluating alternative management options to today's conventional management. Mowing and scraping are carried out to disturb weeds and benefit meadow flowers. Sand has been placed to create a habitat for wild bees. Signs were put up along the stretch to inform the public of the initiative, and benches will be renovated to create opportunities for recreation. The project receives funding from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency through their local nature conservation investment, LONA. The project falls under the umbrella project of "the world's longest meadow", organised nationally by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation [Ref. 1, 3, 4]. The goal of that project is to transform 1000 km of Swedish roadsides into flowering meadows with high biodiversity richness [Ref. 2].

A group of people standing in and around a marked off sandy area, where meadow flowers have been planted. An insect hotel is in the background.
A planted meadow in progress and an insect hotel
https://www.bergum-gunnilse.se/2022/07/14/blommande-cykelvagsprojektet-rullar-vidare/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
  • Other

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Environmental Degradation
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Invasive alien species

Key priorities

Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Updated management structure of existing green spaces (e.g. parks), Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity, Habitat mapping, restoration and monitoring-focused management

Project objectives

- Change the management of the roadside along the chosen stretch to promote a variety of flowers and pollinators and thus increase biodiversity richness. - Increase knowledge of biodiversity-promoting roadside management within the City of Gothenburg. - Inform locals about the project and its biodiversity benefits [Ref. 1, 3, 4]. - Contribute to creating a total of 1000 km of meadows along roads in Sweden [Ref. 1, 2].

Implementation activities

1. Inventory along the road, identifying and classifying nature types, plant species and invasive species. 2. Suggestions of management practices to promote native meadow flowers, control invasive species and promote pollination. 3. Publishing of a report showing the results of steps 1 and 2 [Ref. 3]. 4. Renewal of the project to stage two. Implementing measures including mowing at different times, scraping in certain areas and pouring sand to create a habitat for wild bees. 5. Put up signs and renovate benches along the stretch [Ref. 1, 4]

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore native species
  • Clear and control invasive alien species
  • Restore ecological connectivity
  • Public engagement
  • Other

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Non-government organisation/civil society

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The project was initiated as a citizen's initiative and is carried out in cooperation with the city, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation Gothenburg branch and the local association Bergum Gunnilse Utveckling, which works for local sustainable development [Ref. 1, 3, 4]. The SSNC at the national level is a stakeholder as the project is part of their national roadside project [Ref. 2]. Citizens who live in the area and use the bike path are affected by the aesthetic changes to the area and gain access to information about the project and biodiversity.

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (City of Gothenburg environmental program (biodiversity goals))

Type of enablers

Capacity-building projects, NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public national budget

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Expected reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Expected increased number of species present
  • Increased presence and recovery of wild species
  • Expected increased presence and recovery of wild species
  • Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
  • Expected improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
  • Enhanced support of pollination
  • Expected enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • 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

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

1.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). LONA-projektet: Blommande vägkanter 2022–2024. Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Swedish Society of Nature Conservation (n.d.). Var med och skapa världens längsta blomsteräng. Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Pielach, A., Alfsdotter, T., & Jansson, K. (2021). Blommande vägkanter Inventering av flora och lämpliga åtgärder för pollinatörer. Bergum Gunnilse Utveckling,;
4.
Bergum Gunnilse Utveckling (n.d.). Blommande Cykelvägsprojektet rullar vidare. Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];
Purple flowers blossoming at the side of the bike road, with a bike parked in the background
Roadside flowers
https://www.bergum-gunnilse.se/2022/07/14/blommande-cykelvagsprojektet-rullar-vidare/
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.