Welcome to Hallands Väderö

Hallands Väderö nature reserve comprises the main island of around 310 ha, together with the surrounding waters, islets and skerries totalling 1742 ha. The island is 3 km long and, at its narrowist, is 600 m wide.

The reserve was established in 1958, but plans to protect the unique nature of the island were laid down at the beginning of the 1900's. The island has belonged to and been administered byTorekov church for several hundred years.

In proportion to its size, Hallands Väderö is one of the country's most species-rich places, with many uncommon and threatened species. Unlike many other woods along Sweden's west coast, the woods on the island were never chopped down completely. Many of the old trees contain myriads of Insects and plants.

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» Traces of ancient woodland husbandry

It is probable that already during the bronze age Väderön began to be used as pasture land. The island was sheltered and predator-free, with the sea forming a natural boundary.

The woodland was not only used for grazing, but also for providing firewood and rough building·timber. Tree foliage was important in supplying the animals' needs for winter fodder. Some trees were pollarded, which is to say they were regularly cut back in order to produce fresh new shoots. Another form of tree husbandry was coppicing, where the trees were cut down to ground level. This method was also used to produce low·grade, multi·purpose timber to those dimensions needed in agriculture, for fishing and within the household. Pollarded trees often become very old and rich in decaying and decomposing wood, creating a good habitat for insects, lichens, mosses and hole·nesting birds. Nowadays, new· pollarding is being carried out on the island's lime trees in order to maintain the old ways.

» One of Sweden's richest insect and lichen localities

Thanks to the rich stand of old trees, the island is one of Sweden's foremost insect localities and the best for beech-dwelling insects. Here are to be found a quarter of Sweden's most threatened beetle species and even some of the most threatened species in Europe.
Hallands Väderö is also one of Sweden's richest lichen localities with approximately 350 species, many of which are scarce or threatened.