Vindelfjällen
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Vindelfjällen
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 View over the landscape of the nature reserve |
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| location | Sweden |
| surface | 560,000 ha |
| WDPA ID | 3159 |
| Geographical location | 65 ° 55 ' N , 15 ° 19' E |
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| Setup date | 1974 |
| administration | Västerbotten County Provincial Administration |
Vindelfjällen is a Swedish nature reserve in the northwest of the province of Västerbotten County in Swedish Lapland. With 560,000 hectares , it covers an area about twice as large as the Saarland . The east-west extension is like the north-south extension about 80 km. After being placed under protection in 1974, it was expanded to its present size in 1988. The height of the area ranges from 500 m. in the valleys up to the 1768 m ö.h. the highest peak in the reserve, the Norra Sytertoppen .
nature
Treeless tundra and moors , birch and spruce forests as well as lakes and some smaller glaciers characterize the landscape, in which brown bears and wolverines can be found in addition to reindeer , elk and red grouse . The symbolic animal of the nature reserve, the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), is still endangered despite intensive conservation efforts and only rarely occurs. The critically endangered Little Goose (Anser erythropus) is sighted regularly at the lakes of the reserve.
use
The area of today's Vindelfjällen was inhabited by people early on. So at the lake Tärnasjö u. a. Arrowheads found dating back to 8000 BC. Were dated. Today there are three Sami communities in the nature reserve. They use the land as grazing land for their reindeer.
tourism
The Kungsleden long-distance hiking trail , along which there are some overnight huts, crosses the area for 78 km and leads from Hemavan to Ammarnäs . Other regional hiking trails provide access to the protected area over a total of 500 km. Free camping is permitted, as is the lighting of fires, provided that the precautionary measures are observed in accordance with Swedish public rights . The starting points for excursions are Hemavan, Tärnaby and Ammarnäs. In Ammarnäs and Hemavan there is also a naturum where visitors can visit an exhibition about the nature reserve.
literature
- Nature Reserves in Västerbotten, Vindelfjällen. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency leaflet.
Web links
- World Database on Protected Areas - Vindelfjällen (English)
- Official website of the nature reserve (Swedish, English)