Öland - Coastal Meadows and Wetlands in the Agricultural Landscape of Öland, Sweden

The project aimed to launch a restoration programme on a further suite of 18 sites covering a total of 16.250 ha in the southern part of Sweden in the Baltic Sea in the Oland island, focusing on wet meadow, fen and lake habitats. The project achieved clearance work that covered a total of 998 ha and an additional 3,489 ha by agri-environmental agreements. Results generated also included an increase of meadow and grasslands areas restored back to a favourable conservation status. Various methods to reduce predation losses were tested which provided useful management information, with good transferability value. Dissemination activities formed an important aspect of the project and succeeded in raising the project profile at various international events, as well as gaining local community support. Awareness-raising among farmers was prioritised and this contributed to 38 farmers joining agri-environmental schemes, which attracted around 182,000 €/year for conservation farming practices in the project area.