It is the Land and Environment Court that is now tearing up the county board’s decision on the go-ahead for construction.
The disturbance to the golden eagles in the area would be too great – and also lead to negative consequences for the golden eagle population in general, the court believes.
Björnrike South
New application for Björnrike Syd is submitted – the eagles have moved on
The project in Skorvdalen has been planned for 35 years – here is a brief overview
The plans for a ski facility in Skorvdalen in Härjedalen have existed for many years. The plant, which first went by the name Örndalen but is now called Björnrike Syd and has been tested in three previous court cases.
In all cases, the protection of the golden eagles has stopped the plans.
But in June last year, the county administrative board gave the go-ahead to the project when the county administrative board approved the company’s application for consultation according to the environmental code.
The go-ahead was given with requirements for precautionary measures to protect nature.
The decision was appealed by several environmental organizations.
Prohibited to disturb wild birds
On Thursday, the Land and Environmental Court announced its verdict: the county board’s decision is overturned.
– The precautionary measures decided on by the county administrative board are not enough. The court still sees that the establishment involves such a large disturbance that it is not compatible with the species protection ordinance, says judge Anna Uddenberg.
According to the Species Protection Ordinance 4 § 1 st. 4 p. it is prohibited to intentionally disturb wild birds, especially during their nesting and breeding period,
The peak season for the ski resort will be from February through April, during the breeding season of the golden eagle, when the species is particularly sensitive to disturbance.
Nationally valuable eagle territory in Skorvdalen
One of the developers’ most important arguments was that the golden eagles had moved from the planned area. But the court believes that this is not true. The Kungsörns territory remains and therefore the exploitation area will enclose the territory.
The established bird protection area and the protection measures proposed will therefore not be sufficient, according to the judgement.
But it is not only the current golden eagle territory that risks being negatively affected by the establishment, but also the golden eagle population in general.
Today, the golden eagle is not at a “satisfactory level”, i.e. a level that guarantees that it can remain in its natural range in the long term, according to the court. Therefore, every successful nesting is of great importance.
Härjedalen accounts for a nationally significant proportion of successful nestings among golden eagles, therefore the golden eagle territory in Skorvdalen in particular is very valuable, the court states.