Restoration of the Ire wetlands

Here in Ire Nature Reserve, we’ve restored the water in lands that had been drained. It’s called “rewetting” and it benefits plants, animals and humans alike. It also improves the water quality in Mieån, one of Blekinge’s finest watercourses.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the landscape was fundamentally changed. The population was growing and the need for cultivable land was increasing. During this period, many wetlands were drained and converted into farmland. Initially the ditches were dug by hand, but when excavators came along, draining began on a large scale. And with the wetlands, many of the natural functions they provided vanished – such as water purification, carbon storage and biodiversity.

We’ve conducted measures to restore wetlands near little Lake Västragylet and at Linnehagakärret. Carried out under the aegis of the EU’s Grip on Life IP project, these measures are designed to reduce CO2 emissions, restore habitats for moisture-loving plants and animals and improve the water quality in Mieån.

Västragylet

In the 19th century, tiny Lake Västragylet was surrounded by wet meadows, where the local farmers harvested hay. In the early 20th century, ditches were dug north-west of the lake, and the outlet was lowered to create more arable land.

The wetland restoration measures at Västragylet were carried out in 2025. A threshold of stone and gravel was built in the outlet, which raised the groundwater level upstream and made the lands around the lake wet again. Vascular plants, mosses and birds will be regularly inventoried to see how nature responds to the measures.

Linnehagakärret

Linnehagakärret was originally a wet meadow that was drained in the early 20th century to be used as farmland. When cultivation was abandoned, vegetation began encroaching.

In the ditch running the length of the depression, three plugs were built in 2024: a wooden palisade in the west, a construction of birch trunks in the middle and one of boulders and mineral soil in the east. These structures have raised the groundwater level in the area, and the land has begun returning to its fen-like character.

Grip on Life

The measures are part of the EU’s Grip on Life IP project, in which authorities, forest owner associations and environmental organisations work together to unite modern forestry with the preservation of valuable watercourses and wetlands. Read more about the project at www.griponlife.se/en/ Länk till annan webbplats..