What is "protected natural area"?
There are a lot of natural areas in the Höga Kusten that are protected as national park and nature reserves. They have been established to preserve the flora, fauna and geology of those areas. Several of the areas have been selected since they are important habitats for threatened species. This provide us with interesting and stimulating experiences of nature.
Protected areas are internationally recognised as a major tool in conserving species and ecosystems. (Font: UNEP-WCMC - More about at http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/protected_areas.htm)
Here is the definition of a protected area adopted by IUCN - The World Conservation Union: "An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means". Although all protected areas meet the general purposes contained in this definition, in practice the precise purposes for which protected areas are managed differ greatly. (More about IUCN at http://www.iucn.org/en/about/)
Parts of the High Coast's site are therefore managed under the management regimes, stated from IUCN: these categories are defined in detail in the Guidelines for Protected Areas Management Categories published by IUCN in 1994. The full text of these guidelines, which also include a number of examples, are available in three languages at http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/categories/eng/index.html
What is "national park"?
The national park designation is the best a nature area can receive, and national parks are made up of distinct types of landscape which will be preserved in their natural state, as well as unique locations of outstanding natural beauty wich ensure that nature can be experienced to the full.
The basic idea of national parks is to preserve parts of our national cultural heritage for future generations. According to Swedish law, the national parks are to be representative biotopes which are preserved in their natural state, but also beautiful unique environments which have experiences to offer. Another idea is also to give people the opportunity of getting into the forest and countryside.
(font: Naturvårdsverket - More about the Sweden's National Parks at http://www.internat.naturvardsverket.se/)
What is "nature reserve"?
The nature reserve title is the most widely-used form of protection. They can cover private land as well as publicy-owned land. Protective regulations are "tailored" to suit each individual reserve, and vary greatly from one site to another, depending on the purpose of the reserve.
See also the interesting review of the swedish national protected areas program at http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/data/pa_world_text.html
If your are looking for more informations about nature conservation, open-air recreation and protected countryside, visit the website of the Swedish Environment Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) at http://www.naturvardsverket.se, or visit the website of the county administrative boards to find more about the nature reserves in our area.