Wilderness management: an integral part of overall conservation strategy and visitor management in Fulufjället NP, Sweden

Zonation as a fundamental tool: The implementation of non-intervention management is supported by clear zonation, a highly effective method of protecting key natural features and processes, and at the same time providing opportunities for informal recreation and appreciation of nature. The park is divided into 4 zones, which provide clear distinctive areas where non-intervention management is applied. The largest such area is Zone I  23,000 ha unfragmented area), currently corresponding to the PAN Parks Wilderness area. The wilderness area is free from roads, snowmobiles, hunting, fishing and reindeer grazing. Zonation  clearly separates areas where traditional activities like lake fishing or snowmobiling is allowed from the non-intervention areas’ wilderness. The removal of the snowmobile track from the PAN Parks Wilderness area was just one of the examples of measures taken to ensure non-intervention management.

As a result of this and other similar efforts,the international PAN Parks audit conducted in 2007 recommended only one small improvement and temporarily excluded an 860-hectare area from Zone 1, where small-scale traditional hunting of elk and small game is still present. Hunting is to be phased out in 10 years as part of the agreement drawn up when the two forested valleys were purchased at the time of establishing the park in 2002.
The path towards the establishment of the national park, and thereby the reduction of human impact, involved compromises. For example, the possibility of hunting birds in Zone 1 was banned, and instead, some hunting teams were offered alternative hunting grounds outside the proposed national park territory.

Non-intervention interpreted for visitors: As part of the comprehensive and concise non-intervention management approach, Fulufjället NP is utilising the remnants of a natural disturbance event in Göljadalen Valley as a unique interpretation site. During the 1997 ‘centennial flood’ an estimated 10,000 cubic metres of trees were felled by flashflooding. The management of the nature reserve (status of the area at that time) decided to leave the large amount of timber untouched after the dramatic erosion that followed the extreme downpour. Today the site, covered in dead wood decaying naturally, is one of the biggest attractions of the national park, equipped with interpretation boards for visitors to learn about natural processes.