‘Ett klick för skogen’ was started by people who felt passionately that Sweden’s indigenous forest needed better protection as there is a tendency to view them as mere commodities, not differentiating between commercial forestry and conservation grade forestry. As a result many are being included in commercial ‘clear felling’ plans and are as a result lost for ever. Ett klick för skogen raises money to purchase native woodland in order to hold them in trust for their landscape, flora, fauna and recreational value.
The group was in negotiation to buy a threatened forest in Verle (approx. 2 hours from Gothenburg) and were given 1 year in which to raise the necessary EUR€533,000 to save it from logging. The forest has three small lakes and a few smaller springs and a large part of the forest is classified as a “Naturvärdesobjekt” (a forest with ecological values) according to a survey by The Swedish National Board of ForestryIf the purchase were successful, plans were then to study and map the species and flora as well as build a forest trail with information boards to assist in the education and enjoyment of visitors, the ultimate aim bring to encourage more people to learn about the native Swedish Forest and their importance to the biodiversity of the nation.
‘Ett klick för Skogen’ literally means ‘One Click (mouse click) for the forest, and one of the main means of raising funds and publicity for the purchase of the forest was encouraging people to click on the website on a daily basis – each click being sponsored by companies keen to help with the purchase.
The Update
With only 6 days to spare, Ett klick finally secured the last part of the funding needed to buy the forest outright, much to the relief of everyone involved. Once the forest was safe, the next objective was to educate the public about the importance of old growth forests and endangered species, as well as encourage people to spend more time outdoors. Information boards have been installed along new trekking trails and were unveiled at the opening ceremony.
The project has highlighted the need to protect Sweden’s old growth forests. So much so in fact that the next project by ‘One Click for the Forest’ is to buy and conserve another old growth forest.
