Last updated: March 2025
The Stora Amundö and Billdal archipelago nature reserve is in the southernmost part of the City of Gothenburg. The proximity to the city makes it a popular recreational destination, with about 73000 visitors each year. In 2018, the area was protected as a nature reserve to preserve its recreational, natural and historical values. The status as a nature reserve prohibits any exploitation and other harmful activities in the area. The area of the reserve is 1103 ha, of which 259 ha is land area and the rest is water [Ref. 1-3]. The management of the reserve includes promoting recreational and educational activities by creating new entrances, paths and signs, as well as holding guided tours. The management also includes restoring and improving terrestrial ecosystems such as grasslands through mowing and grazing and deciduous forests through selective clearing. A wetland has been restored to promote biodiversity further [Ref. 2, 4]. The reserve was created and is managed by the City of Gothenburg, the process of creating it involved consultation of stakeholders such as land owners, government agencies and NGO's [Ref. 1]. Some local landowners disagreed with the borders of the nature reserve having an impact on their land, leading to an appeal that was ultimately denied [Ref. 5, 6]
A beach in the nature reserve
https://www.lansstyrelsen.se/vastra-gotaland/besoksmal/naturreservat/stora-amundo-och-billdals-skargard.html?sv.target=12.382c024b1800285d5863a8b2&sv.12.382c024b1800285d5863a8b2.route=/&searchString=&counties=&municipalities=&reserveTypes=&natureTypes=&accessibility=&facilities=&sort=none
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Coastlines
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
- Other
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14)
- Marine and coastal biodiversity protection
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
Coastal landscape management or protection, Improving coastal resilience, Protection of natural ecosystems, Protecton and enhancement of wetlands (other types than peatlands and mangroves, e.g. seagrass), Marine and coastal conservation initiatives, Creating nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, or biodiversity hotspots to conserve unique ecosystems
Project objectives
- Preserve recreational, natural, and historical values. Specifically, preserve and highlight historical and archaeological remnants and structures, such as burial mounds [Ref. 1-3]
- Prohibit exploitation and other harmful activities [Ref. 1-3]
- Preserve shallow coastal areas and create habitat for marine species [Ref. 1]
- Preserve, restore and develop land areas with high biological values, such as coastal heaths [Ref. 1]
- Promote recreational and educational activities, expressly by creating new entrances, paths, and signs and by holding guided tours [Ref. 2, 4]
- Restore and improve terrestrial ecosystems, specifically grasslands through mowing and grazing, and deciduous forests through selective clearing. [Ref. 2, 4]
- Promote biodiversity further by restoring a wetland [Ref. 2, 4]
- Manage the reserve (City of Gothenburg), including consultation processes with stakeholders [Ref. 1]
- Guarantee long-term protection of an area with high recreational, natural and historical values [Ref. 1]
Implementation activities
1. The area was identified as appropriate for a nature reserve already in the 1990s in municipal planning documents. The City of Gothenburg started the process to create a nature reserve in 2006.
2. Consequence analyses focused on children and social aspects were carried out in 2015-2016.
3. In 2014 and 2015, stakeholder meetings were held with relevant land owners, stakeholders and the public.
4. Relevant authorities such as the County Administration Board (Länsstyrelsen), the Swedish Forest Agency and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, were consulted on the proposition.
5. The nature reserve was approved and established in 2018.
6. Activities prescribed by the management plan were carried out. This includes improving entrances and signs to make the area more accessible, active management of grassland through mowing or grazing, and helping older valuable trees by clearing the surrounding area [Ref. 1, 2].
7. Pedagogic activities such as guided tours were carried out to inform the public of the biodiversity and conservation efforts in the area [Ref. 3]
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Protect and restore coastal wetlands, mangroves and salt marshes, aiming at sequestering carbon dioxide and storing it in their soils
- Other
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
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect endangered species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Raise public awareness
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore valued species
Main beneficiaries
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- 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
- Taskforce groups
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The City of Gothenburg led the process of establishing the nature reserve [Ref. 1, 2, 4]. The process included the consultationion of stakeholders, including private land owners, government agencies, the regional government, companies active in the area, and neighbouring municipalities, as well as the general public and associations [Ref. 1].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(The report ”Tätortsnära naturområden i Göteborgsregionen”, by the County Administrative Board, which identified the area as having high natural and cultural values. )
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The project plan refers to the national sustainability goals, in particular the project contributes to "Oceans in balance and a living coast and archipelago" and "A rich plant and animal life" [Ref. 1].)
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The master plan for the City of Gothenburg. )
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Expected improved water quality
- Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Achieved enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Achieved enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increase in protected green space areas
- Achieved increase in protected green space areas
- 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
- Increased protection of threatened species
- Achieved increased protection of threatened species
Economic impacts
- Increased property prices
- Expected increased property prices
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Achieved protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
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
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Social justice and conflicts, Land appropration / grabbing
References
1.
City of Gothenburg (2018). Naturreservatet Stora Amundö och Billdals skärgård i Göteborgs stad: Beslutshandling. [Source link];
2.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). Skötselplan för naturreservatet Stora Amundö och Billdals skärgård. [Source link];
3.
Swanberg, L. (2024). Guidningar visar naturvård på Stora Amundön. Vårt Göteborg, Accessed on September 10, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Olsson, M. (2018). Stora Amundön och Billdals skärgård har blivit naturreservat. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Roos, J. (2020). Strandägare överkörda av regeringen. Mitt i Göteborg, Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Swedish Society for Nature Conservation Gothenburg (2020). Brev till regeringen – Avslå överklaganden av naturreservatet Stora Amundö och Billdals skärgård. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (n.d.). Segregationsbarometern: Göteborg. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link];
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.