Top photo: Sue Carvel
Our tours aren’t really about seeing wild animals. They’re about discovering new things together with others. We want our guests to feel inspired to preserve wild and beautiful nature, and the animals they come to experience. But most of all, we want you to have fun with us.
— Marcus Eldh, founder of WildSweden
It all Started with Moose Safari
Since Marcus conducted his first moose safari in 2003, WildSweden has grown to offer a wide range of wildlife and nature experiences. From howling wolves in Skinnskatteberg to the northern lights in Jokkmokk.
Why Do We Really Do this?
I’m convinced that encounters with wild animals are a way to bring people closer to nature. We hope our guests become interested in biodiversity and choose to live healthier lives in harmony with ecosystems. We want to inspire people to start engaging in nature conservation. This is our contribution to making the world a little wilder.
In Sweden, as in most other parts of the world, forests are being cleared and replaced with plantations, and wild animals are often seen only as problems and costs for farmers and landowners. What can we do to change this?
It’s Quite Simple…
When wild nature and wildlife create income for local populations and local businesses, the likelihood increases that more people will engage in nature conservation.
WildSweden is often used as a prime example of how wild nature can generate significant income for rural areas, and that wild animals are actually worth more alive than dead.
Most politicians are already aware that tourism generates income. Now we just need to convince them that wild nature is Sweden’s premier attraction and that’s another reason why we must preserve more of it.
We Stand up for Preserving Swedish Forests
We demand that all old-growth forests, primeval forests, and forests with high biodiversity in Sweden receive permanent protection now!
We also demand that the Swedish state and forest industry take much greater responsibility for protecting biodiversity in all of Sweden’s forests. A natural forest isn’t just trees but a healthy ecosystem with rich biodiversity where a wide variety of fungi, plants, insects, and vertebrates thrive.
We’re not at all against forest management and timber extraction. Wood is a fantastic renewable material, and we see many good examples of small-scale forestry operations that are run sustainably.
But over recent decades, most of Sweden’s forests have been transformed into same-age monocultures. Spruce and pine trees are planted as crops to be harvested and processed into timber and pulp.
We feel great sorrow and despair every time we have to tell our guests that Sweden’s forests are being mistreated. Large companies, including the Swedish state and the Swedish church, are still cutting down Sweden’s last remaining primeval forests piece by piece.
Read more about WildSweden and wild nature experiences in Sweden:
Photo below left Siberian Jay Photo: Simon Green Photo below right Cozy by the fire Photo: Simon Green
