The municipality of Boden has received funding from Region Norrbotten and Längmanska företagarfonden for a feasibility study of a new visitor destination – the Arctic Botanic Garden.
The feasibility study will identify the possibilities of establishing Sweden’s northernmost accredited botanical garden in Storklinten, Boden municipality.
The feasibility study will be carried out with the municipality of Boden as the lead partner in collaboration with the Gothenburg Botanical Garden.
In Sweden there are currently five accredited botanical gardens that work in one way or another to conserve and research wild plants.
None of the accredited botanical gardens are located in Norrland, which is home to a large part of the country’s biodiversity, and at the same time has a climate that facilitates species conservation for the future.
The site chosen for investigation is located in Storklinten in the municipality of Boden and borders Sveaskog’s Storklinten Ecopark, in an attractive area with a growing tourism industry.
The aim of a future Arctic Botanic Garden is to create a unique visitor destination with idea and display gardens, Arctic and Norrbotten nature and culture.
Lichen garden, kitchen garden, water garden, play areas and visitor center are some examples of elements in the vision, the possibilities of which will now be investigated based on Storklinten’s conditions.
“For us in the municipality of Boden, this feasibility study also means that we can investigate how we can further increase the municipality’s attractiveness and attract more people to live and work here by creating a new type of jobs in research, innovation and tourism linked to gardening and nature”, says Mats Berg, Head of Business and Industry at the municipality of Boden.
“The botanic gardens are part of an international network working together on biodiversity conservation, and the Arctic Botanic Garden will be a very important addition”, says Hanna Tornevall, Director of the Gothenburg Botanic Garden.
“The area around Storklinten is interesting in several ways, including the topography and variation in environments that provide good conditions for growing different types of alpine and arctic plants while visitors can experience the beautiful natural forest”, says Mats Havström, head of research at the Gothenburg Botanical Garden.
Region Norrbotten is contributing SEK 790,000 to the feasibility study, which has also received SEK 300,000 in support from Längmanska företagarfonden. The feasibility study runs until the summer of 2025.
