Alkaline fens -Valuable wetlands but difficult to manage

This is the final report from the project Alkaline fens – valuable wetlands but difficult to manage. The one-year project comprised two meetings in 2015, attended by nature conservation officers and experts on alkaline fens from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The first meeting was held in Sweden (Mjölby, Östergötland) and the second in Finland (Kemi-Tornio). Both meetings included field visits to alkaline fen sites. Alkaline fens are very important hotspots for biodiversity, providing a home to many endangered species. Drainage, intensive agriculture, lapsed active management, eutrophication, and acidification are some of the factors that have led to a reduction in the distribution and area of alkaline fens in Europe.