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dam-l swedish hydropower project destroys unique nature values (fwd)
From: taiga@jokkmokk.se
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 15:56:00 +0200
Subject: T-EU, T-URG: Swedish hydropower project destroys unique nature values
Dear friends,
we received this urgent request from a regional organisation of the
Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Please help them in their
struggle by sending the proposed letters to the responsible company and
the Swedish government and by forwarding this message to whoever you
think should receive it.
Thanks
Ola Larsson, Taiga Rescue Network
URGENT! Please distribute as widely as possible!
DEVASTATING HYDROPOWER PROJECT NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!
The power company Jaemtkraft in the province of Jaemtland in the middle
part of Sweden wants to exploit the stream Roennoeforsen in the Laangan
river in the north-west part of the province for hydropower.
Roennoeforsen has very high nature conservation values: 19 species of
lichens, which are on the list of redlisted in Sweden, have been found in
the forest and on rocks in an area less than one hectare, close to the
stream. One of the species is endangered (threat category 1) and as many
as six are vulnerable ( threat category 2), one of these six is extremely
rare in Sweden. The cause of the exceptionally high concentration of
redlisted and rare lichens around Roennoeforsen is the presence of stream
fog generated by the stream, which creates a very moist microclimate in
the area close to the stream.
If the stream is regulated this moist habitat will disappear and the
lichens will be threatened by desiccation. In order to try to preserve the
moisture Jaemtkraft wants to install a device which will produce fog.
Since such an experiment has never been done before and hence little is
known about how such a device works in nature, this means an unacceptably
large threat to this unique lichen locality. The advise of researchers in
ecological botany is to do this experiment somewhere else in the stream or
in another stream in order not to jeopardise the lichens. These requests
have been completely neglected by Jaemtkraft. Further, nothing had been
said about how much the device is allowed to cost and how much energy it
is allowed to consume, for how long it will work and so on.
Unfortunately, the project is already initiated, but the stream is still
not affected. We hope that the project still can be stopped by boycott of
the company. Except for the nature values, the cultural values of
Roennoeforsen are of national interest and include an old iron mill with
blast furnace, museum, exhibition localities, cafeteria and bakery etc.
All this has to be closed if the stream is exploited and people will lose
their jobs in a rural part of Sweden which already suffers from
unemployment.
Almost all larger waterfalls and rivers in Sweden have been exploited for
hydropower during the last 100 years. Large nature values have disappeared
and now the power companies want our last free flowing streams / rivers.
How can the Swedish government and authorities permit this? Sweden has
signed the convention of Conservation of biological diversity in Rio and
still permission can be given to such projects. How is it possible? We
require that the prime minister Goeran Persson, environment minister Kjell
Larsson and the rest of the Swedish government take their responsibility
for the biological diversity by immediately stopping the exploitation of
Roennoeforsen.
The Nature Conservation Society of Krokom
The Nature Conservation Society of Oestersund
The Nature Conservation Society of Jaemtland- Haerjedalen
Umeaa Faeltbiologer
For more information contact: Annchristine Holmberg
<annchristine.holmberg@jll.se>
Please help us by sending letters of protest to the power company
Jaemtkraft and the Swedish government! Thanks in advance.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Draft letters:
To Henrik grill, executive director, Jaemtkraft
Dear sir,
It has come to my attention that your company has started the
exploitation of the Roennoeforsen rapid in the province of Jaemtland,
Sweden.
I have been informed of the extreme high nature values of the area and
find it unacceptable that Jaemtkraft is exploiting one of the last and
most valuable streams in your country.
I urge you to stop this project immediately!
Sincerely,
Send letter to < henrik.grill@jamtkraft.se>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
To Mr Kjell Larsson, minister of environment
And Mr Goeran Persson, prime minister
Dear sirs,
It has come to my attention that the Swedish powercompany Jaemtkraft has
started the exploitation of the Roennoeforsen rapid in the province of
Jaemtland, Sweden.
Í find it unacceptable that a rich and progressive country like Sweden
is exploiting one of its last and most valuable streams.
I have been told that the exploitation area hosts a unique lichen
locality with 19 redlisted species. – nature values which are most
likely going to be destroyed by the exploitation.
How can the Swedish government and authorities permit this? Sweden has
signed the convention of conservation of biological diversity in Rio and
still permission can be given to such projects. How is it possible? We
require that the Swedish government takes their responsibility for the
biological diversity by immediately stopping the exploitation of
Roennoeforsen.
Sincerely,
Send the letter to: <regeringen@regeringen.se>
--
Taiga Rescue Network
Box 116
S-962 23 Jokkmokk
Sweden
Tel: +46-(0)971-17039
Fax: +46-(0)971-12057
E-mail: taiga@jokkmokk.se
Internet: www.snf.se/TRN