Welcome to the LIFE Project in Asköviken

Asköviken is a shallow, nutrient-rich bay of Lake Mälaren which has long been known as a fine locality for birds. Around a hundred species of birds breed in the area, and all told over 250 species have been recorded.

It is above all the great variety of natural environments that makes the area attractive to so many species of birds. Asköviken is surrounded by a reedbed of varying thickness and the wet meadows around the bay are kept up by mowing and/or grazing. However, the wetland environments in the area risk losing their mosaic-like character owing to eutrophication, the strict regulation of Lake Mälaren, and lagging upkeep of the wet meadows.

If the wetland environments of Asköviken and the species that are associated with them are to be preserved in the longer term, measures will have to be taken in the area. With this in mind, the County Administrative Board of Västmanland applied for money from the EU's LIFE-Nature environmental fund to finance the project entitled "Improvement of habitats for wetland birds in Askö-Tidö". The application was granted in August 2004.

The LIFE project in Asköviken is being run by the County Administrative Board of Västmanland and is due to be concluded in June 2008. The overriding purpose of the project is to improve the habitats of wetland birds in the Askö-Tidö area. To achieve this, the area of the reedbeds and wet meadows is to be restored and steps are to be taken to reduce the nutrient load reaching the bay. The project is also intended to improve accessibility for visitors.