{"id":71727,"date":"2026-06-10T11:16:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skyddaskogen.se\/forest-election-2026-environmental-organizations-launch-new-campaign-to-protect-swedens-natural-and-continuity-forests\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T14:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T12:02:09","slug":"forest-election-2026-environmental-organizations-launch-new-campaign-to-protect-swedens-natural-and-continuity-forests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skyddaskogen.se\/en\/forest-election-2026-environmental-organizations-launch-new-campaign-to-protect-swedens-natural-and-continuity-forests\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Election 2026: Environmental organizations launch new campaign to protect Sweden’s natural and continuity forests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The environmental organizations Protect the Forest and Greenpeace are today launching the joint campaign “Forest Choice 2026”. Through a national appeal, the organizations want to put pressure on the parliamentary parties to immediately introduce a logging ban in all of Sweden’s remaining unprotected natural and continuity forests. The background is, among other things, that the Swedish Forest Agency has issued a sharp warning<\/a> \u2013 if everything continues as it is today, there will be no natural and continuity forest below the mountainous border outside protected or set aside areas in just 26 years. An area of forest worthy of protection larger than twice Gotland will then have been felled. “It would be an irreversible loss. If they disappear, we cannot get them back within the lifetimes of our children, grandchildren or even great-grandchildren,” says Elin G\u00f6tmark, spokesperson, Protect the Forest. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As a central part of the campaign, an extensive election survey will also be launched in which the parliamentary parties have answered 14 questions about how they stand on the forest issue. The Green Party and the Left Party stand out in a positive way and want, for example, to stop the felling of forests worthy of protection, reduce felling levels for the sake of the climate and allow the Sami to have greater influence in forest management on their traditional reindeer grazing lands. However, the Tid\u00f6 parties, the Social Democrats and the Center Party answered no to the same questions. On skogsvalet.se<\/strong><\/a> it is possible to read all the parties’ answers to even more questions. <\/p>\n\n

Urgent protection of natural and continuity forests is crucial for environmental objectives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Sweden’s last unprotected natural and continuity forests are being felled at a rapid pace, despite the fact that they are absolutely crucial for the country to be able to achieve its environmental and climate goals. Most of the Swedish forest land has already been clear-cut and converted into young forests, industrial forests and tree plantations. Sweden has committed to protecting 30% of nature by 2030. To be in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy<\/a>, EU directives, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity<\/a>, at least 30 percent of the productive forest land should be protected<\/a>. Priority shall be given to areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services. They need to be ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably managed systems of protected areas. Today, only about 6 percent<\/a> of Swedish productive forests have formal protection. “When authorities warn that unique forest environments can be lost forever, the government chooses to pursue a policy that facilitates further felling. It exacerbates an already acute situation for both the climate and biodiversity, which is deeply irresponsible,” says Karolina Carlsson, campaign manager forest, Greenpeace <\/p>\n\n

“If hundreds of thousands of hectares of unprotected natural and continuity forests are allowed to disappear, we are talking about a loss that cannot be repaired in the foreseeable future. Political courage and urgent measures are needed now,” says Benjamin Ladraa, communications officer at Protect the Forest Forests with rich ecosystems also need protection for climate reasons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Sweden is also not achieving its climate goals<\/a>. Research shows that clear-cutting accounts for enormous emissions of greenhouse gases<\/a> and that reduced felling <\/a>would provide large and immediate climate benefits.<\/a> Studies also show that old natural forests store much more carbon than production forests, and that there is therefore a large carbon debt<\/a>. A relatively new study shows<\/a> that the transformation of the forest landscape has caused a carbon loss that could be estimated to be greater than Sweden’s total fossil emissions since 1824. The remaining natural and continuity forests should be protected both to protect biodiversity and the climate. <\/p>\n\n

The government and the forest industry’s hostility to nature are doing Sweden a disservice<\/strong>The international market has already begun to react strongly to the major sustainability problems in Swedish forestry. Three major global companies \u2013 Zalando, Nestl\u00e9 and L’Or\u00e9al \u2013 have recently opted out of crude fibre and forest products from SCA, Europe’s largest private forest owner. The companies refuse to be associated with what has become the standard for the Swedish forest industry: the impoverishment of biodiversity, massive carbon dioxide emissions and violations of indigenous peoples’ rights in Sami reindeer herding. <\/p>\n\n

Protect the Forest and Greenpeace urge all their followers, sister organizations and the public to sign the petition<\/a>, read the election survey to see in black and white where the parties stand and to place great emphasis on the parties’ forest and environmental policies when they cast their vote in the upcoming elections.<\/p>\n\n

Press contacts and spokespersons:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n