Ojnare Forest on the Swedish island of Gotland, supposedly the original homeland of the Goths, is one of the few remaining patches of ancient forest in Sweden.
The forest comprises ancient pines growing above limestone bedrock, an unusual environment that is home to a great variety of animals and plants, many of them endangered and some found nowhere else. Wetlands, also with impressive biodiversity, border it.
Plans were to turn the forest into a national park. However, the mining company Nordkalk has spied a more lucrative opportunity. It wants to open an enormous lime quarry, which would destroy large areas of the forest and pollute the adjacent wetlands.
The Supreme Court has to decide whether or not to accept a case against the mining proposal. If it doesn’t accept, this sets a dangerous precedent, putting the rest of Sweden’s remaining wilderness in danger.
Ask the Swedish government not to allow corporate interests to destroy the country’s irreplaceable natural resources.
We the undersigned ask that you do everything within your power to ensure that the case against the mining company Nordkalk opening a large limestone mine in Ojnare forest near two protected areas is accepted by the Supreme Court.
The proposed site for the mine itself would involve the direct and immediate destruction of animal habitat and rare plants while there will be an inevitable degradation of the surrounding area, including pollution of the nearby wetlands. The project would also set a dangerous precedent, putting Sweden’s other ancient woodlands at risk.
Sweden needs to take a firm stance on protecting its remaining biodiversity and not allow corporate interests to plough ahead with little or no regard for the environmental impact.
We ask that you do everything possible to prevent this ill-advised, unnecessary and destructive project from going ahead. Biodiversity and irreplaceable areas of great natural beauty are worth a lot more in the long term than any political or economic advantages to be gained from allowing such projects to take place.
Thank you for your attention.
