Ambassador profile

Organisation profile

Lake Hornborga is situated in the ancient countryside in the tableland of Västergötland. A host of ancient monuments and stone walls bear witness to the activities of generations past. Famed as a bird lake, ravaged by countless attempts to lower the level of the water, Lake Hornborga was revived by an extensive and unique restoration programme. A paradise for resting and breeding wetland birds. Every year, the lively dance steps of the resting cranes attract huge crowds of spectators.
At Lake Hornborga, there are two Naturum information centres, walking tracks, bird towers, hide-outs and grazing native breeds.

Species follow-up

Counting migrating and breeding birds - year after year after year after. The countings are made every week during spring and once a month in autumn.
Special studies of Eurasian Cranes and Greylag Geese. Numbers, behaviour, ringing, feeding and protection. Annual and detailed countings of two of Swedens rarest breeding birds - Black Tern (about 25 percent of the swedish Black terns breed in Hornborgasjön) and Black-necked Grebe (the only swedish breeding site).

Bird Flu

Hornborgasjöns Field Station (a separate organization, mainly based on work of volounteers) are catching birds (mainly ducks) and collecting excrements (swans, cranes) for examining. This work is a part of the european programme, searching for knowledge about Bird Flu. Birds are caught in a specially built cage, and tests are sent away for examination on a daily basis. So far (August 2007) no Bird Flu has been found.

Communication

The website is our main tool, along with media. A lot of the media coverage is, however, concentrated to the arrival of the cranes in spring. School-projects (mainly in spring and early summer), public walks (in spring, summer and autumn), exhibitions (two visitor centres with staff from mid March until late September), European projects (interreg IIIB, for instance), brochures (about the nature reserve, and the cranes) and events (autumn and winter).

Activities and products for the communication of Natura 2000

 

✓Exhibition

✓Guided visits

✓Other: Media, our most important source for spreading knowledge about the site and the lake

 

✓At least once per week (from January to September)

 

✓No

 

✓Yes

 

 

Our site (www.hornborga.com) is of course one of many sites within the County Administration of Västra Götaland. For instance

Managing a wetland. Preserving and developing one of the most important birdlakes in northern Europe.

We are, for instance, counting breeding birds in certain areas according to Natura 2000. We are also taking care of wet meadows, grasslands and other areas according to the directives for birds and habitats.

To evaluate number and species of certain birds connected to certain habitats within the lake (nature reserve).

To follow the development (or status) among birds in certain habitats.

The work is done in close cooperation with a stakeholder called Hornborgasjöns fältstation – which is a NGO for birdwatchers (well, not only, but mainly) around Hornborgasjön.

They were doing a lot of the work, basically. Especially the field-studies.

Counting birds according to directives from Natura 2000

The methods suggested by Natura 2000. No more, no less.

This is one of the ways we are developing the cooperation with NGO´s around the lake. It´s been a good experience.

No major changes seen within the populations, so far. The studies have been going on for three years.

SEK 15,000 (roughly), which is about EUR 1,500

SEK 1,500,000 (about EUR 150,000)

SEK 1,000,000 (about EUR 100,000)

EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development)

and ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)

(INTERREG).