"Thriving wetlands" from the perspective of the County administrative boards : A study of Sweden's regional work towards the national environmental objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate why the work towards the Swedish national environmental objective “Thriving wetlands” is not expected to be complete by the year 2030. The study aimed to investigate which factors may simplify or complicate the work from the perspective of the county administrative boards and what resources are needed to reach the goal. The study is based on a survey using a semi-qualitative method. Results indicate that the way county administrative boards cooperate with national authority Naturvårdsverket and associated municipalities influences the workflow. Furthermore, parts of the Swedish environmental legislation are perceived as an obstruction to wetland conservation. Swedish national wetland funding is also viewed as problematic as the funding is split into multiple parts and does not take into consideration any long-term solutions. Additionally, the attitude of the public towards wetland protection is perceived as mostly indifferent and unknowing. However, since seven of the total 21 county boards did not answer the survey, the results may not be completely established by a scientific principle. Further studies are needed to obtain more detailed answers concerning the topics discussed in this study