Carina Wettemark, ecologist at Vattenrike
The city of Kristianstad is built on a delta and has adapted to climate change by building reinforced dikes and adopting surveillance systems to protect from the flooding that can result from extreme weather conditions. Kristianstad’s Vattenrike is an internationally recognized wetland region, designated by UNESCO as Sweden’s first biosphere reserve in 2005.
“It’s wonderful to work in such a large region with many contrasts, from very dry land to flooded meadows,” says Carina. “We have a rich heritage and vibrant agricultural sector that play a crucial role in making Kristianstad so environmentally and culturally special.”
Carina stays in close touch with farmers who are committed to sustainable agriculture and with golf greenkeepers who manage their courses so that more than 50 different species of wild bee can coexist with local golfers.
“We rely on bees to pollinate many of our fruit trees and flowers. To save the threatened Megachile lagopoda bee we plant Greater Knapweed, a plant with large flowers that attract the bees. Knapweed thrives along sandy roadsides but has declined in recent years because roadside verges are cut too early.”
Vattenrike’s mix of wetland and sandy grassland makes it a unique environment, Carina explains. “We have so many species here that aren’t common anywhere else. When cattle graze they disturb the ground, and the flora and fauna benefit from that.”
■ “Biosphere” means all parts of the earth’s surface and atmosphere in which living organisms exist, or that are capable of supporting life, including all organisms and the ecosystems that sustain them.
■ Vattenrike covers most of Kristianstad municipality and is located along the lower 30 kilometres of the River Helge in the north-eastern corner of Skåne. The River Helge is Skåne’s largest waterway and home to Sweden’s widest expanse of wet meadows.
■ The Vattenrike visitor centre, located just outside Kristianstad town centre, highlights ways to preserve biodiversity and informs people about the environment and ecology.
På Svenska
