Last updated: March 2025
The Kikås dump is a landfill in Mölndal, south of Gothenburg, where an area has been permanently covered with a sealing layer and inert material. This project aimed to utilise the area to increase biodiversity by establishing flowering meadows and an insect hotel, creating a habitat for wild bees, butterflies and birds [Ref. 1-3]. The City of Mölndal initated the project and sowed meadow flowers, established sand beds for burrowing insects, an uneven, rocky terrain and a large insect hotel [Ref. 1, 3]. The area is also meant to be a destination for recreation and learning about biodiversity. The Insect Hotel is marketed as the largest in Sweden, and it includes information signs and an outdoor classroom. The project is meant to raise awareness about biodiversity and ecosystem services such as pollination [Ref. 1, 4-6]. The area borders natural areas such as forests and wetlands and is meant to have positive ecological effects in the border zones. The project will contribute to the environmental goals of the city, in particular, "a rich plant and animal life" [Ref. 3]
Butterflies and flowers at the new meadow
Ref. 6
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Other
- Intentionally unmanaged areas
- Abandoned spaces with growth of wilderness or greens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Rewilding
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of large parks and urban and peri-urban forests, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Landfill reclamation, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces
Project objectives
- Increase biodiversity in the area through the transformation of a previously derelict area (waste dump) and transformation into flowering meadows [Ref. 1-3]
- Specifically benefit pollinators such as wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies [Ref. 3]
- Create a centre for information and knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystem services [Ref. 1-3, 5, 6]
- Increase access to natural green space for nearby urban areas [Ref. 3].
Implementation activities
1. The landfill was covered with a sealing layer and inert material between 2008 and 2018 [Ref. 1, 2].
2. An inventory of plants and insects was carried out in 2015 by an environmental consultant, resulting in an action plan [Ref. 2].
3. A mix of meadow flowers was sown on 7,5 ha between 2017 and 2019 [Ref. 1, 3].
4. In 2017, 400 tons of sand were put in different locations to provide habitat for wild bees [Ref. 1, 3].
5. The Insect Hotel and its amenities was built and finished in 2019 [Ref. 3, 5, 6]
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Clear and control invasive alien species
- Restore ecological connectivity
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The waste dump is owned by the City of Mölndal, which is also the initiator, owner and co-founder of the biodiversity project. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is funding part of the project via the local nature conservation investment and put demands on the evaluation of the project [Ref. 1-4]. A consultancy company, Onsala Biokonsult, carried out the inventory at the start of the project and suggested an action plan. An architecture firm and a construction company were hired to design and build the insect hotel [Ref. 3, 5].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The environmental goals regarding biodiversity adopted by the City of Mölndal [Ref. 3]. )
Type of enablers
Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS, Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Public national budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- 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 green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Expected increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Achieved increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
- Increased presence and recovery of wild species
- Achieved increased presence and recovery of wild species
- Enhanced support of pollination
- Achieved enhanced support of pollination
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- 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
Yes
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.
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2024). Nedlagd deponi förvandlas till blomrika ytor som gynnar vilda pollinatörer. Accessed on September 24, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Johansson, M. (2015). Kikåstippen Från avfall till biologisk mångfald. Onsala Biokonsult, [Source link];
3.
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.). Slutrapport: Kikåsdeponin från avfall till biologisk mångfald. [Source link];
4.
City of Mölndal (n.d.). Kikås insektshotell. Accessed on September 24, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Gad, C. (2019). Sveriges största hotell för insekter snart klart. Göteborgs-Posten, Accessed on September 24, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Puoskari, S. (2021). Insekterna har checkat in på hotellet i Kikås – och det blommar för fullt. Mölndals-Posten, Accessed on September 24, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (n.d.). Segregationsbarometern: Mölndal. Accessed on September 24, 2024, [Source link];
The waste dump from above before the project, as the landfill is being covered
https://lona.naturvardsverket.se/Project/View/4234
The insect hotel at the Kikås dump
https://lona.naturvardsverket.se/Project/View/4234
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.