BaltCOP

Plan to action: Building the project’s first wetland

© Gordon Lindau, NVVF

The wetland – an important element in our landscape

Wetlands in the agricultural landscape are becoming increasingly important within a changing climate, with drought and large flows being more frequent. Over the last 150 years, circa 90% of all original wetland area has been drained in the agricultural landscapes of Sweden in order to gain arable land and ensure food security.

The Nyköping’s Rivers Water Conservation Association is one of five organisations from three countries (Sweden, Latvia and Estonia) that are collaborating within the three-year Interreg project BaltCOP to restore wetlands and rivers in the Baltic Sea region. The EU-funded project aims to show how local catchment coordination can increase restoration efforts by, among other things, creating wetlands to increase biodiversity, manage nutrient leakage and improve water quality.

The first wetland completed

In Sweden, two wetlands will be established within the project, and the first one in Vreta-Sättersta, on Onsberga farm just northeast of Nyköping, was completed in the autumn of 2024.

“We are pleased beyond expectations,” says Erika, who owns and runs the organic recycling farm together with her husband Torbjörn. “The wetland blends naturally into the rest of the landscape, it turned out so nice! Having a catchment officer with us during the journey, who explained the process and the various steps before and during the construction has been worth its weight in gold. Even the contracting company that was hired for the excavations was also responsive and professional and did a great job. If you are curious about establishing a wetland, I warmly recommend contacting [Nyköping’s Rivers Water Conservation Association].”

Recently dug wetland in Vreta-Sättersta © Gordon Lindau, NVVF

Gordon Lindau, wetland coordinator at Nyköping’s Rivers Water Conservation Association, has been involved throughout the process, from design to construction:

­­“We at [Nyköping’s Rivers Water Conservation Association] have for several years worked with catchment coordination, where we have achieved many water management measures by working directly with landowners and other stakeholders. Now, together with the other countries, we will gear up the coordination of measures around the Baltic Sea through capacity-building activities, which feels exciting, but I also see being inspired and learning from each other as an important part of the project.”

“The work on the wetland in Vreta-Sättersta has gone according to plan. The weather cooperated during the digging, which could take place in dry and good conditions. The embankment that was created blends in well with the landscape and makes for a natural and easy-to-maintain appearance.”

“Now we are just waiting for a little more precipitation for the wetland to fill up properly and I look forward to making a return visit this spring. It is always exciting to come back to the site after some time to see how the wetland has developed.”

To create a wetland, the process step-by-step:

  • Step 1: First look at the area with the landowner to check for possible locations.
  • Step 2: Digital examination of identified locations and preliminary drawings of the wetland.
  • Step 3: A second, more in-depth, look at the area to check the preliminary drawings and make adjustments.
  • Step 4: Seeking the needed environmental approval from the county administrative board.
  • Step 5: Planning and preparation for excavation. Marking of the exact location of outlets on the ground. Doing preparations such as felling trees, clearing bushes, etc.
  • Step 6: Digging the wetland with the help of an excavator and other machines.

The role of the catchment officer: from plan to action

A central part of the BaltCOP project is to develop, test and scale the catchment officer approach to the various countries and to create an exchange of knowledge between the catchment officers in the project. Catchment officers help identify where measures can and should be taken to improve water quality. They are important for implementing concrete restoration measures and ensuring that plans for reduction of nutrient runoff are translated into effective solutions.

“Restoring damaged ecosystems is the key to achieving many of our environmental goals linked to biodiversity and water quality,” says Anneli Carlén, Operations Manager at Nyköping’s Rivers Water Conservation Association. “One of the main reasons why we are lagging behind is the lack of implementation. Local catchment officers are crucial to turn this around, they are the driving force behind making a real difference!”