Sweden

Nature's year is a network coordinated by the Swedish EPA. The overall purpose of Nature's year is to coordinate and operate a national cooperation on the theme biodiversity and the International Year of Biodiversity 2010. The agencies and NGOs in the Nature's year network will arrange a variety of activities to inform, engage, and raise awareness about biodiversity and IYB 2010. Activities include seminars, workshops, exhibitions, guided treks, celebrations of national events such as Biodiversity Day, National Park Day, Day of Flowers, Day of Mushrooms. The Nature's year cooperation is not open for commercial entities, although some arrangements carried out by the network are fee-based for participants, i.e. some ecotourism activities or adult education courses.

PAN Parks welcomes the declaration of the International Year of Biodiversity as we also look to the opportunities triggered by natural succession and ecosystem dynamics to protect global biodiversity. In PAN Parks Wilderness areas, the priority is protecting ecosystem dynamics and supporting the protection of biodiversity - ecosystem dynamics link.

Many examples of this could be provided so a page on our website will be devoted to providing a collection of case studies, interviews, articles on the relation of wilderness and biodiversity and the PAN Parks efforts to protect biodiversity through wilderness protection.

It is high time for us travelers to give back to the destinations we love. We all know that tourism is essential for the economy in many areas around the world. Tourists are needed as well as a healthy environment. Sustainable tourism is the only way forward.

The Re:earth project is a massive music festival with the aim to create awareness around sustainable tourism and to restore coastal ecosystems. Re:earth and its partners are taking an active role in the efforts to restore, rehabilitate, protect and preserve the natural environment.

Next event: 25-26 Feb 2010, Thailand, Koh Samui.

The Swedish Species Information Centre works with knowledge about biodiversity in Sweden. The main tasks are to collect, evaluate and store the most important information about threatened and rare plant and animal species. A basic part in this work is to assess degrees and types of threat and to prepare the national so called Red Lists and Red Data Books. Much the work is focused on information through publications, conferences etc. The unit also suggests management plans and initiate research.