Färnebofjärden

Färnebofjärden National Park was established in 1998 on the lower reach of the Dalälven River, in central Sweden, and protects some 101 km². A fjärd is a lake-like widening of a river's course, and the park's landscape is a mosaic of lakes, rapids, wetlands and forests.

Its uniqueness is biogeographical. The so-called Limes Norrlandicus passes through here, the biological frontier of Norrland: the line where the plant and animal species of northern and southern Sweden meet. That convergence produces a diversity far higher than might be expected, with boreal species living alongside others of southern affinity in the same place.

The flow regime of the Dalälven is the other decisive factor: the annual floods inundate wide areas and have created shoreline marshes, riverine meadows and floodplains with riparian woodland, alongside stands of old-growth forest. That mosaic makes Färnebofjärden one of the best birdwatching destinations in Sweden, with more than a hundred breeding species, among them the white-tailed eagle, several woodpeckers and owls. The combination of biological and scenic values of the lower Dalälven was precisely what justified its protection as a national park.