Fulufjället National Park is divided into four different areas, zones, with different rules.
"Fulufjället was the first to zone not only based on the natural values in the area but also on the basis of outdoor values," says Ulrika Karlsson, who led the county administrative board's work to develop proposals for new regulations for Vålådalen Nature Reserve.
This is how the County Administrative Board proposes that the zones in Vålådalen Nature Reserve should become. The bright and largest area is the "untouched zone", the light blue area is the "low active zone", the red areas "active zone" and purple high active zone. Closest to the village of Vålådalen and Nulltjärnarna is planned for a so-called construction zone. Photo: SVT grafik
Compromise between outdoor life and nature
It is precisely zoning that is proposed to be introduced in Vålådalen, that is, that the nature reserve is divided into different areas, with different provisions, as a compromise to accommodate different interests. The proposal has been out for consultation and a decision is expected shortly.
– If there is a decision to introduce different zones in Vålådalen, it will be the first area in the county with zoning, says Annelie Johansson, the county administrative board's head of nature conservation.
Inside Fulufjället there are four different zones with different rules, something that is needed in an area where only the entrance zone can attract a thousand visitors per day in the summer, says the visitor center's director Sofia Tiger. Photo: Marie Selander, SVT
In Fulufjället, in addition to restrictions linked to each zone, there are also general prohibitions that apply throughout the park, such as a ban on cycling and flying with drones.
Snowmobilers and the world's oldest trees
Within the park, snowmobilers as well as snowmobilers and skiers coexist in the winter. But it is in the summer that most visitors are attracted to Fulufjället and its main attractions: Njupeskär's waterfall, and what is usually called the world's oldest tree, Old Tjikko.
"In the summer, we can have a thousand visitors in a day just here in the entrance zone," says Sofia Tiger, director of naturum visitor centre.
The need to find compromises between outdoor recreation and nature conservation has therefore been great, and the zoning of the park has been an important part of this, she states.
Vålådalen Nature Reserve attracts an enormous number of visitors every year and when new regulations are now to be introduced, the county administrative board has taken inspiration from Fulufjället National Park in Dalarna. Photo: Niclas Larsson, SVT News graphic