Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The current Swedish forest policy has two overall and equally important goals: production and environment. However, a long history of developing the production goal has made it difficult to achieve the environmental goal. The latter includes both biodiversity conservation and social values. Definition and development of social values of forests are increasingly being discussed in society.

This report focuses on the social values of forest landscapes which are connected to tourism and outdoor recreation. Knowing what those values are is a prerequisite for including them in planning processes aimed at long-term sustainable land use.

To do this, I studied the demand and supply of forest landscape values. The study area was Bergslagen, an informal region in Sweden that has the longest history of forestry focusing on production of wood for different purposes. The study includes two parts. To study the supply of products aimed at tourism and outdoor recreation I surveyed and categorized active companies in the study area (i.e., offering recreation, sightseeing, food and accommodation). To understand the demand of landscape values for tourism and outdoor recreation among users of companies’ services in Bergslagen, I interviewed 100 persons at a selection of companies representing each category.

I observed clear differences among the locals from the Bergslagen (26%), other Swedish (53%) and foreign visitors (22%). Locals from Bergslagen itself and other Swedes were the most frequent users of services like cafés and food. Their main reason to visit Bergslagen was to experience the natural and the cultural landscape. In contrast foreign visitors focused on services like accommodation followed by guiding and shopping. A total of 91 % of the foreign visitors stated that the natural landscape was the most important reason to visit Bergslagen, followed by the nature activities and hiking trails.

In planning of forestry, agriculture, urban and rural development it is thus important to maintain natural and cultural landscape values. The landscape itself is the Bergslagen region’s biggest strength and strongest opportunity for future tourism. Conservation and restoration of the attractive forest and cultural landscapes are therefore important for developing tourism in Bergslagen. Bergslagen supplies a beautiful nature and landscape, with good opportunities for outdoor life, fishing and experiencing nature and wildlife. Bergslagen also supplies a range of different accommodations, cafés and restaurants and cultural expressions. While visitors reported that the products offered by companies were appropriate, they were concerned that naturalness values are threatened by intense forest management, and that cultural landscape values were threatened by abandonment of agriculture.