Municipalities
Geographical size
Human population
Number of livestock farmers
Livestock farming systems
Large carnivore species
Wolf population
Lynx population
Bear population:
SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT
The landscape is characterised by expansive forests, marshes, and lake-rich valleys. The municipality of Torsby is dominated by forest and mountainous terrain, with cultivated land found in the river valleys of the Klarälven and Röjdån rivers, for example. Sunne municipality forms a transition zone with valleys around Lake Fryken, where agriculture, pastures, and forests coexist in a hilly cultural landscape. Further south, the plains around Lake Vänern open up around Karlstad, with more contiguous farmland, extensive water systems, and nature sitting close to urban life.
The study area encompasses several nature reserves and protected environments with high natural values, including wetlands, deciduous forests, and watercourses. It is of great importance for biodiversity, serving as a corridor for wildlife, including predators, between the large forests of northern Värmland and the more open areas in the south.
Karlstad is the county’s largest city and growth centre. Sunne and Torsby, by contrast, are more sparsely populated rural municipalities. The countryside is dominated by family farms and small businesses. Many of these combine farming with other activities, such as contracting, tourism, or forestry. The population trajectory reflects a pattern common to many inland municipalities: depopulation in the rural north, and growth concentrated in urban areas to the south.
FARMING CONTEXT
Agriculture is generally small-scale and often combined with forestry. In the northern parts of Torsby, forestry is the dominant land use, with farmland being concentrated in valleys and along rivers. Sheep and cattle farming are found mainly on farms with natural pastures adjacent to forest edges and meadows.
Sunne has a more mixed farming character, with both crop cultivation and animal husbandry present. Karlstad, while home to a smaller proportion of active agriculture, features larger farming units and more contiguous arable and pasture land in its southern and western parts.
Main Challenges:
An ageing farming population.
Low profitability.
Large carnivore presence.
LOCAL CONFLICT ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE CARNIVORES
Värmland County is home to wolves, lynx, wolverines, and golden eagles, whilst bears are documented more sporadically. The presence and distribution of large carnivore territories within the county have varied over time. Historically, it hosted a large share of Sweden’s wolf territories. However, in recent years, wolves have dispersed more broadly across central Sweden. Lynx are regularly present, whilst wolverines occur to a lesser extent. Bears are repeatedly spotted in the north, though the population within the county remains small.
Number of attacks:
Sheep are the most commonly attacked domestic animals in Sweden, followed by goats and cattle. The number and location of attacks vary between years, influenced by territory locations relative to pastures, individual animal behaviour, season, and the preventive measures in place. The bulk of wildlife damage funding goes towards preventive measures such as predator-proof fencing, with direct compensation accounting for a smaller share.
Because Värmland has had high predator pressure over the past 30 years, farming operations have adapted to some extent. The number of sheep farms has decreased, with some farmers abandoning animal production altogether and others switching to cattle farming, as beef cattle herds are considered less vulnerable to attacks. In some heavily affected herds, producers have chosen to calve in the autumn and keep only adult cows on exposed pastures, while calves are kept close to the farm. Some sheep farmers have moved to keeping only ewes, forgoing lambing entirely, and keeping adult animals primarily for nature conservation.
Social Conflict:
Social conflict was more pronounced 15 years ago, when the impact on livestock owners was higher. As wolf numbers have since declined, tensions have eased somewhat. Nevertheless, emotional and psychological stress remains a reality for many farmers, and motivation to continue grazing-based farming has been undermined in some cases.
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