The background is a new strict interpretation of current species protection legislation, an interpretation that has been established in a number of judgments in the Land and Environment Court and the European Court of Justice in the past year.

This now entails a greater responsibility for the individual landowner to account for how a felling or other forestry measure will affect protected plant and animal species within a relevant area.

Consideration for each bird

When it comes to birds, for example, today all wild birds are protected according to the Species Protection Ordinance.

Previously, landowners had to account for the impact a felling would have on endangered bird species.

But with the stricter interpretation of the law that has now been established, the landowner needs to take into account all wild birds in the future - and not just for each individual bird species but for each individual bird.

Greater landowner responsibility

Or as the Swedish Forest Agency put it in a press release: "all wild bird species at the individual level must be taken into account because all wild birds are protected in accordance with the Species Protection Ordinance."

This means that landowners to a greater extent than before will need to send supplementary data and investigations to the Swedish Forest Agency regarding the impact on protected species.

Sweden broke the law

It was this week that the Swedish Forest Agency went out and announced that the new strict interpretation of species protection legislation will now be applied.

An application that has received strong criticism, not least from small forest owners and forest companies.

At the same time, it has also been welcomed by nature conservation.

The background is thus a number of guiding judgments, including a ruling by the European Court of Justice in March 2021 where it was ruled that Sweden's application of the Species Protection Regulation did not comply with EU legislation in certain parts and needed to be stricter than before.

More about what the new strict application means, you can hear Helena Eriksson, district manager at the Swedish Forest Agency in northern Jämtland County, tell in the clip above.

And in the video below, Helena Eriksson explains more about the background to today's legal situation.

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Each individual bird must be taken into account - why?

Hear the Swedish Forest Agency's district manager Helena Eriksson tell why in the video.

Photo: Marie Selander / SVT