Protected nature, 31/12/2024
More than 200 new nature reserves in 2024
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden and Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 2025-05-23 8.00
Sweden's protected nature increased by 148,000 hectares in 2024. More than 200 new nature reserves became valid and several existing areas were expanded. The largest new area was Nåara/Härbergsdalen in the northern and mountainous part of Sweden.
Out of Sweden’s total land and inland water areas, 15 percent were formally protected in 2024. The vast majority was permanently protected according to instruments defined in the Environmental Code. This includes national parks, nature reserves, nature conservation areas, habitat protection areas, the National City Park, and the Natura 2000 areas.
Other forms of protection included in the formal protection of natural environments are nature conservation agreements and intra-government agreements (that is, agreements between government agencies). In total, this makes up 0.5 percent of Sweden’s total land and inland water area.
Net increase 148,000 hectares in 2024
In 2024, the area of nature reserves increased by almost 206,000 hectares. Due to overlap with previously designated Natura 2000 areas, there was a net increase of 148,000 hectares. More than 60 percent of the increase in 2024 consisted of forest land including mountain low forest. Open wetlands made up 20 percent of the new protected areas.
Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Statistics Sweden
Area in Jämtland county largest new nature reserve
The largest new nature reserve was Nåara/Härbergsdalen, located in the northern and mountainous part of Jämtland county. The second largest new nature reserve was Satsfjället, also located in the mountainous part of Sweden, but a bit further north, in Västerbotten county.
Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Statistics Sweden
Definitions and explanations
Statistics Sweden produces yearly statistics on protected nature in collaboration with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. A protected area refers to a geographically defined area that is permanently designated, regulated and administered to achieve specific aims and conservation goals. In Sweden, “protected area” is a collective term for protection under Chapter 7 of the Environmental Code and according to many of the nature conservation agreements under the Land Code.
Sweden’s national and official statistics on protected nature contain information on a selection of protected areas under Chapter 7 of the Environmental Code. Information is also presented on protected rivers, nature conservation agreements under the Land Code, Intra-governmental agreements, and forest land covered by land replacement.
The data refers to areas that applied (that is, for which judgment was final) on 31 December 2024. Most of the data has been retrieved from the Swedish register on areas protected under the Environmental Code and the database on Sweden’s Natura 2000 areas.
Publication
A more detailed report of this survey is published in the publication Protected Nature 31/12/2024 (pdf).
Next publishing will be
2026
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.