PS.Biotop protection decided by the Swedish Forest Agency

It is common for habitats of great importance to plant and animal species to be found only as small scattered islands in a more common landscape. The Swedish legislation provides for the possibility of deposing such areas as so-called biotope protection areas. The Swedish Forest Agency is responsible for this area protection if the biotopes are located on forest land, on other land the county administrative boards are responsible. The areas eligible for this status are, according to the legal text, ‘minor land or water areas which are habitats for endangered animal or plant species or which are otherwise particularly worthy of protection’. Thus, according to the legal text, the purpose of creating biotope protection areas is relatively unambiguously the biological values. It is common that the size of the protected areas is 2-10 hectares but they can be up to about 20 hectares in size. The right to travel and stay may be regulated in the areas, but otherwise no regulations or prohibitions are laid down for each particular area. Instead, there is a general rule from the legal text, which states that in the areas there may not be activities or measures that may damage the natural environment.