A bay in the Lake Kingdom of Skåne – Arkelstorpsviken

There is an enormous commitment to the community, Arkelstorpsviken, and to our project. Not infrequently, twice as many participants showed up as we had budgeted for our activities.

The purpose was to gather knowledge and data for an action plan for Arkelstorpsviken, which over the years had become increasingly shallow due to accumulated and foul-smelling sediment.

During the project, two sampling sessions were conducted each month, which were followed up with an analysis and a report. Engaged volunteers conducted daily flow measurements for a year. Thematic meetings, guided tours, training sessions, and information meetings were arranged for water councils, fishermen, landowners, local entrepreneurs, villagers, and other interested parties. Training sessions for sampling and themed days for children and youth were also organized.

Furthermore, a series of different workshops were conducted on topics such as ecosystem services, wetlands, and outdoor cooking, as well as a BioBlitz (a 24-hour biological inventory of a defined area where both experts and amateurs participated). All of the project's activities engaged a total of 1,135 participants.

There was also time for a study visit to the LIFE SURE project in Kalmar, which tested a new ecological and cost-effective method for extracting and recycling bottom sludge. The project group was also regularly invited to, for example, LRF and various fishing associations to share information about the project idea and sampling results.

The project group could quickly rejoice in and benefit from an enormous commitment and interest from the local population. This project, which started as an environmental project, ended up as a social environmental project. And the engagement continued even after the project's conclusion. For example, a hiking group was formed that organizes recurring hikes with sausage grilling and simultaneously works for a hiking trail around the entire bay.

The project resulted in a popular science and a technical final report, both with a recommended action plan, which has been anchored with both Kristianstad municipality and the county administrative board. Printed materials were also produced, such as a brochure about ecosystem services with a map of Arkelstorpsviken, a report with the results from the conducted BioBlitz, and an evaluation report.

At the end of the project, many landowners around Arkelstorpsviken registered land suitable for creating wetlands, and the Skräbeån watercourse, Kristianstad, and Bromölla municipalities worked to seek support for constructing these wetlands.