Accommodation of Biodiversity in Swedish Municipalities. A National Survey

Habitat networks for biodiversity are increasingly degraded and fragmented. This study investigates how Swedish municipal landscape managers accommodate biodiversity in urban and peri-urban landscapes, with particular attention to the promotion of 'wilder landscapes'. We explore their view of nature as related to wilder landscapes too. Drawing on a national survey with responses from 70% of all Swedish municipalities, we analyse how biodiversity initiatives are prioritised, organised, and implemented within local governments. The survey reveals a strong interest in biodiversity accommodation, reflected in a wide range of strategies and concrete actions. However, organisational constraints, limited political support, and funding shortages often result in fragmented and ad hoc approaches. Competing agendas, as expressed in different views of nature as well as in bound tasks of the public managers, may shape future directions in municipal landscape management, especially those emphasising multifunctional green spaces. We discuss the implications of municipal organisational structures, managerial perspectives, individual views of nature and institutional frameworks for biodiversity accommodation and offer projections for future municipal biodiversity strategies in Sweden.