Sweden

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Northern EuropeApplies through 2030Source: A Swedish Strategy for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

1. Overview

Sweden's updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan aligns the country's biodiversity work with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) adopted in December 2022 [§2]. The strategy supersedes the earlier NBSAP set out in A Swedish Strategy for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Govt Bill 2013/14:141), with progress under the previous strategy assessed in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – Checkpoint 2016 (DS 2017:32) [§2]. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) developed the proposal under commission M2022/02367 with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, Swedish Forest Agency, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Swedish Energy Agency, Swedish Transport Administration, Sámi Parliament, and the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, presenting it on 2 November 2023 (KN2023/04264) [§3]. The parliamentary All-Party Committee on Environmental Objectives presented its interim report (SOU 2025:21) on 14 February 2025 [§3]. Consultation with Sámi representatives was conducted under the Act (2022:66) on consultation on matters concerning the Sámi people [§3].

Rather than issuing a Sweden-specific set of 23 national targets, the strategy routes KMGBF implementation through Sweden's pre-existing Environmental Objectives System — a generational goal, 16 environmental quality objectives, and binding interim targets (etappmål) — described as "a central instrument for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity in Sweden" [§5]. Annex 2 maps existing Swedish parliamentary targets to the Framework rather than creating new ones [§87]. Because the full update could not be completed in time for COP16 in October 2024, Sweden submitted these existing targets via the CBD Secretariat's online platform on 3 July 2024 [§3].

A terminology note for readers: Sweden's "interim targets" (etappmål) are binding Riksdag- or Government-adopted milestones under the Environmental Objectives System.* They are not "interim commitments" in the KMGBF sense of provisional pledges. Sweden's "government bills" and "government communications" (Govt Bill, Govt Comm.) are formal legislative and policy vehicles through which environmental policy is enacted.** Throughout this page, KMGBF terms (national commitment, instrument, indicator) are used, with Swedish terms noted on first use.

* Sweden's "interim target" (etappmål) is a formally binding national milestone under the Environmental Objectives System, not a provisional pledge. This page treats them as national commitments (Measurable when quantitative; Directional otherwise).

** "Government bill" (proposition) and "Government communication" (skrivelse) are the formal vehicles through which the Swedish Government places policy before the Riksdag.

Sweden routes the Kunming-Montreal Framework through its established Environmental Objectives System rather than a new national target set, places EU law at the centre of delivery (notably the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Habitats and Birds Directives and the Common Agricultural Policy), and adds a small number of new national commitments — most prominently on wild pollinators, urban green spaces, and peatland re-wetting.

Sources:

  • §2 — 1.1 All parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity shall have updated national strategies
  • §3 — 1.2 The development of the Strategy
  • §5 — 2.1 The environmental objectives system and other Swedish parliamentary targets
  • §87 — Annex 2: National targets relevant to the Kunming–Montreal framework

2. Ecological Context

The Government identifies climate change, biodiversity loss, and the spread of pollutants as three interconnected global challenges requiring action at local, regional, national, EU and global levels, and references the 2019 IPBES global assessment, which described more species than ever before in human history as threatened with extinction [§4]. The Government considers twelve of Sweden's sixteen environmental quality objectives to be unachievable with current policy instruments [§4].

Distinctive Swedish features shape what is at stake. Forests with long continuity host species that are slow to recolonise once lost; the strategy notes that many Swedish species have disappeared from individual counties and that several threatened species remain in small, disturbance-sensitive populations dependent on long forest continuity. Mountain-adjacent forests are described as internationally unique. The Baltic Sea presents particular eutrophication and fisheries pressures: scrubber wash-water from shipping, manure-driven nitrogen and phosphorus inputs, and bottom-trawling within marine protected areas are each addressed as live pressures [§24][§25][§26]. The reindeer-herding mountain region adds a cultural-ecological dimension: pastoral practices, including fäbod (summer-pasture grazing) and reindeer husbandry, both shape and depend on biodiversity outcomes [§51][§52]. Wetlands and peatlands carry combined biodiversity, water-regulation and carbon significance, with re-wetting of drained organic soils framed as a co-benefit measure linking biodiversity to the LULUCF sector [§29][§31].

Sources:

  • §4 — 1.3 Climate and environmental policy taking steps forward to achieve the targets
  • §24 — 5.1 Eutrophication must be limited
  • §25 — 5.1 Ecosystem-based approach and sustainable fisheries
  • §26 — 5.1 Regional and international cooperation
  • §29 — 7. Wetlands provide biodiversity and climate benefits
  • §31 — Restoration and re-establishment of wetlands through re-wetting
  • §51 — Other traditional knowledge
  • §52 — Processes where traditional knowledge should be included and considered

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

Because Sweden does not issue a dedicated 23-target national set, "national commitments" here means the Riksdag- or Government-adopted environmental quality objectives, interim targets and milestone targets catalogued in Annex 2 [§87], together with the two new interim targets adopted alongside the strategy [§5]. They are grouped below by KMGBF theme.

3.1 The Environmental Objectives System as the national frame

The generational goal commits to "pass on to the next generation a society in which the major environmental problems have been solved, without increasing environmental and health problems beyond Sweden's borders" [§87]. Sixteen environmental quality objectives anchor the framework, including A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life, Sustainable Forests, A Varied Agricultural Landscape, A Magnificent Mountain Landscape, Thriving Wetlands, Flourishing Lakes and Streams, A Balanced Marine Environment, Flourishing Coastal Areas and Archipelagos, and Zero Eutrophication [§87].

Measurability: Directional aspirations. The generational goal and the sixteen environmental quality objectives state intent and direction without quantitative thresholds. They map principally to GBF Targets 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 14.

3.2 New interim targets adopted with the strategy

Two new interim targets were adopted alongside the strategy [§5]:

  • Wild pollinators: "the diversity of wild pollinators shall be improved and the decline in their populations halted by 2030 at the latest." Maps to GBF Target 11 (and Target 10).
  • Urban green spaces: "a majority of municipalities shall, by 2030 at the latest, maintain and integrate urban green spaces and ecosystem services in urban environments in the planning, construction and management of cities and towns." Maps to GBF Target 12.

Measurability: Directional aspirations. Both carry a deadline (2030) and a direction, but neither sets a quantitative threshold or baseline. No baseline data for pollinator diversity or municipal urban-green coverage is provided in the strategy.

3.3 Quantitative milestone targets recorded in Annex 2

Annex 2 records a series of measurable commitments (quantitative threshold + deadline) [§87]:

  • Domestic transport GHG emissions (excluding domestic aviation) reduced by at least 70 per cent by 2030 compared with 2010.
  • Emissions outside the EU ETS at least 63 per cent below 1990 by 2030; at least 75 per cent by 2040; net-zero by 2045 with negative emissions thereafter, with emissions from activities in Swedish territory at least 85 per cent below 1990 by 2045.
  • Municipal waste prepared for re-use and recycled to at least 55 per cent by 2025, 60 per cent by 2030, and 65 per cent by 2035.
  • Reusable packaging placed on the Swedish market increased by at least 20 per cent (2022 → 2026) and 30 per cent (2022 → 2030).
  • Non-hazardous construction and demolition waste (excluding soil and stone) prepared for re-use, recycling and other material recovery at a minimum of 70 per cent by weight annually by 2025.
  • Total food waste reduced by at least 20 per cent by weight per capita from 2020 to 2025.
  • Public transport, cycling or walking at least 25 per cent of person-kilometres by 2025.
  • Air pollutant emissions (NOₓ, SO₂, VOC, NH₃, PM2.5) at the indicative 2025 levels of Directive (EU) 2016/2284 by 2025.

Operational regulatory measurable commitments from the main strategy include:

  • Open-loop scrubber emissions to water in Swedish territorial waters prohibited from 1 July 2025; other scrubber emissions to water prohibited from 1 January 2029 [§26].
  • Bottom-trawling prohibition in marine protected areas within the trawl limit, in force 1 July 2026 [§25].
  • EU food-waste reductions (10 per cent in processing/manufacturing; 30 per cent per capita in retail/household) entering into force 17 June 2027 [§6].

Map principally to GBF Targets 7, 8, 10 and 16.

3.4 Directional environmental commitments with deferred thresholds

  • Use of biocidal products and plant protection products with particularly hazardous properties "reduced significantly by 2030"; pharmaceutical environmental risks regulated by 2030 at the latest; dioxin emissions from point sources mapped and minimized by 2030 [§87] — Directional aspirations (GBF Target 7).
  • The 2024 interim target on eutrophication addressing resource-efficient manure use and sector-level monitoring of nitrogen and phosphorus inputs [§24] — Directional aspiration (GBF Target 7).
  • The Government commitment that 30 per cent protected / 10 per cent strictly protected by 2030 is met collectively at EU level, "with each member state participating while taking into account national circumstances" — Sweden does not treat 30 × 30 as a national figure (T3 analysis) — Directional aspiration at national level (GBF Target 3).
  • The mining-industry roadmap Mining with Nature (Svemin, 2020) target that by 2030 the Swedish mining and minerals industry "contributes with increased biodiversity in all regions" of activity [§44] — Directional aspiration (industry, not government); maps to GBF Target 15.

3.5 Sectoral commitments carrying biodiversity weight

Annex 2 also records the dual goals of forest policy — a production goal and an environmental goal requiring preservation of forest land's natural productive capacity, biodiversity, genetic variation and viable populations of forest-dependent species [§87] — together with goals for the food supply chain, Sámi policy ("a thriving Sami culture based on ecologically sustainable reindeer husbandry and other Sami economic activities"), outdoor recreation grounded in the right of public access, and cross-cutting energy, transport, community planning, consumer policy, research, Agenda 2030, international aid and public-health goals [§87]. These are Directional aspirations in biodiversity terms.

3.6 Note on "interim commitments"

Sweden flags none of the above as provisional in the KMGBF sense. The 2024 submission to the CBD Secretariat of existing targets pending the strategy update [§3] is a reporting artefact, not an interim commitment.

Sources:

  • §3 — 1.2 The development of the Strategy
  • §5 — 2.1 The environmental objectives system and other Swedish parliamentary targets
  • §6 — 2.2 EU legislation and cooperation in the field are extensive
  • §24 — 5.1 Eutrophication must be limited
  • §25 — 5.1 Ecosystem-based approach and sustainable fisheries
  • §26 — 5.1 Regional and international cooperation
  • §44 — 10. Swedish business leads the way
  • §87 — Annex 2: National targets relevant to the Kunming–Montreal framework

4. Delivery Architecture

EU law as the delivery backbone

As an EU Member State, Sweden delivers most KMGBF targets through EU legislation [§6]. Central instruments are the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) and the Natura 2000 network (Targets 3, 4); the Nature Restoration Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 (Target 2); the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy (Target 10); the Water Framework Directive, Priority Substances Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Targets 2, 7, 8, 11); the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species ((EU) No 1143/2014) (Target 6); the Plant Protection Products Regulation (1107/2009) and Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (2009/128/EC) (Targets 7, 10); the EU Waste Directive food-waste rules entering force 17 June 2027; the EU ABS Regulation ((EU) No 511/2014) (Target 13); and Regulation (EC) 1946/2003, Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation (EC) 1829/2003 on GMOs (Target 17) [§6].

National legislation and instruments

The Environmental Code (in force since 1 January 1999) carries the precautionary principle and mitigation hierarchy and is the principal vehicle for area protection [§7][§9]. The Species Protection Ordinance (2007:845) implements the EU Nature Directives and adds national species protection [§14]. The Forestry Act governs forest management, with formal protection complemented by voluntary set-asides and environmental consideration [§15][§17]. The Planning and Building Act (2010:900) carries biodiversity through municipal physical planning [§7]. The Marine Environment Government Bill A Thriving Ocean — Enhanced Protection, Reduced Eutrophication and Sustainable Fisheries (Govt Bill 2023/24:156) sets the direction for marine policy [§21]. The Act (2022:66) on consultation on matters concerning the Sámi people structures consultation across central, regional and municipal authorities [§52].

Authority architecture

26 national authorities have a special responsibility to work for the environmental targets to be achieved; each assesses which environmental quality objectives are most relevant to its activities [§56]. SEPA, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the Swedish Forest Agency, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the Swedish Transport Administration, the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, county administrative boards and the Sámi Parliament carry the principal implementation roles [§3][§56]. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency annually compiles biodiversity funds across the four lead agencies (KN2025/01235) [§56].

Flagship instruments and programmes

  • Appropriation 1:3 Measures for Valuable Nature is the central domestic biodiversity financing instrument (figures in Section 6) [§36].
  • Action programmes for threatened species target the most endangered species [§14].
  • Sweden's Strategic Plan for the Implementation of Agricultural Policy 2023–2027 under the CAP delivers environmental compensations for meadow and pasture management, summer-pasture grazing (fäbodbete), threatened livestock breeds, organic production, wetlands, soil carbon, and nutrient-loss reduction [§28][§56].
  • Ordinance (2024:202) on State Support for Certain Measures Aimed at Conserving or Restoring Biodiversity funds restoration of natural pastures and meadows, pollarding, coppicing, conservation burning, and mowing of peatland meadows in the north [§53].
  • State Ownership Policy 2025 expects state-owned enterprises with substantial environmental impact to set ambitious targets and concrete transition plans, with the KMGBF as the guiding reference [§46].
  • The new national ordinance on invasive alien species, planned to enter into force during 2026, and Govt Bill 2025/26:41 on increased penalties and expanded Customs authority [§38][§40].

Sources:

  • §3 — 1.2 The development of the Strategy
  • §6 — 2.2 EU legislation and cooperation
  • §7 — 2.3 Fundamental rights and the promotion of participation
  • §9 — 3.1 Rationale for the Government's approach
  • §14 — 3.1 Protection of species
  • §15 — 4. Conserving forest natural values
  • §17 — 4.1 Protection and conservation of forest habitats and species
  • §21 — 5. The Marine Environment Government Bill
  • §28 — 6.1 Rationale for the Government's approach
  • §36 — 8.1 Fit-for-purpose nature management
  • §38, §40 — 9. Invasive alien species
  • §46 — 10. Swedish public enterprises contribute to biodiversity targets
  • §52 — 11. Processes where traditional knowledge should be included
  • §53 — Existing and new measures and forms of support
  • §56 — 12.1 A national mobilisation of resources

4a. Sámi governance and traditional knowledge

Sweden is the only EU country with a statutory indigenous-consultation regime tied directly to NBSAP implementation. The Act (2022:66) on consultation on matters concerning the Sámi people requires Sámi representatives to be consulted by the Government, state authorities, regions and municipalities before decisions are taken in matters that may be of particular significance for the Sámi, including matters concerning biodiversity on reindeer pasture [§52]. The Act's evaluation, planned for a few years after entry into force, is to examine application, socio-economic consequences, value relative to ordinary consultation, and what free, prior and informed consent means for Swedish State relations with the Sámi (T22 analysis).

The Sámi Parliament is national focal point coordinating Sweden's implementation of CBD Articles 8(j) and 10(c), supported by the Swedish Biodiversity Centre (CBM) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences with funding from SEPA; a programme board network includes about forty authorities, universities and interest organizations [§52]. Operational tools include reindeer husbandry plans describing Sámi communities' land use; Laponiatjuottjudus (Laponia Administration), a local management organization including concerned Sámi communities that manages the Laponia world heritage; and the management tool for large carnivores based on a tolerance level for reindeer herding, which is to be evaluated [§52].

Sectoral legislation relevant to Sámi land use spans the Environmental Code, the Minerals Act, the Planning and Building Act and the Forestry Act, with the strategy noting that consultation should, to the extent possible, be carried out in a coordinated manner that facilitates assessments of cumulative effects (T1 analysis). The Government commits to ensuring meaningful Sámi participation in physical planning and other decisions affecting traditional sustainable use of land. The Sámi are recognized both as an indigenous people and as a national minority, and Sámi traditional knowledge — including reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, handicrafts and food production — is to be taken into account in decisions on forestry, wind power, mining and other land uses (T22 analysis). The tradition of Swedish and Norwegian fäbod culture (summer-pasture farming) is recorded on UNESCO's list of Humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage [§51].

Sources:

  • §51 — Other traditional knowledge, including Scandinavian summer farming culture
  • §52 — Processes where traditional knowledge should be included and considered

5. Monitoring and Accountability

Implementation oversight rests with SEPA, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the Swedish Forest Agency and the Swedish Board of Agriculture, supported by 26 national authorities with a special responsibility for environmental objectives and by county administrative boards [§56]. SEPA annually compiles biodiversity funds across the four lead agencies (KN2025/01235), with 2024 totalling more than 8.5 billion SEK [§56].

Reporting cadence is anchored in EU and CBD obligations rather than a Sweden-specific indicator framework. SEPA reports protected-area data annually to the European Environment Agency (EEA) and is developing OECM reporting [§56]. The national plan for nature restoration under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation is to be reported to the Government Offices on 27 February 2026 and submitted to the European Commission by September 2026, with the assessment of estimated financing needs forming part of that work [§28][§56]. A joint assignment to the Swedish Forest Agency and SEPA on digital geographical knowledge of nature and cultural heritage values in forests (N2022/01391) is to be reported jointly by 30 June 2027 [§17]. SEPA's assignment on cooperation, experience exchange and knowledge dissemination on business's dependence and impact on biodiversity is to be reported in 2028 [§45].

For management of protected areas, the Government, with support from the Swedish National Audit Office's review RiR 2024:11, intends to develop work on management; SEPA is preparing a national action plan for the management of protected nature [§37]. The Government states that "monitoring of the management of protected areas should be developed so that it is easy to follow up the status of the conservation values that have been protected and how they are developing" [§37]. For invasive alien species, monitoring and follow-up are identified as critical to deciding whether further efforts are needed or resources should be reallocated [§41]. SEPA also develops material for Sweden's reporting of environmentally harmful subsidies to the European Commission [§56].

The strategy does not present a national indicator framework specific to the 23 GBF Targets; reporting leans on SEPA annual compilations and EEA reporting. Baseline data for the two new interim targets (pollinator diversity; municipal urban-green coverage) are not provided in the strategy.

Sources:

  • §17 — 4.1 Protection and conservation of forest habitats and species
  • §28 — 6.1 Rationale for the Government's approach
  • §37 — 8.1 Effective management and follow-up
  • §41 — 9.1 Monitoring and follow-up
  • §45 — 10. Increased emphasis on impact, risks, opportunities and dependencies
  • §56 — 12.1 A national mobilisation of resources

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

In 2024, more than 8.5 billion SEK was used for biodiversity across SEPA, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the Swedish Forestry Agency and the Swedish Board of Agriculture (KN2025/01235), drawn principally from expenditure area 20 (Climate, Environment and Nature) and expenditure area 23 (Land-Based Industries, Rural Areas and Food) [§56].

Domestic financing

The central instrument is appropriation 1:3 Measures for Valuable Nature, allocated 1,352 million SEK for 2025, with the Government proposing 1,803 million SEK for 2026 and 1,896 million SEK for 2027 [§36]. For 2026, more than 1.7 billion SEK is allocated principally for formal protection of forests with high conservation values [§17]. Compensation for landowners on nature-reserve establishment runs at 500 million SEK per year over 2024–2026; from 2027 onwards, 100 million SEK per year is estimated for compensation related to species-protection restrictions [§10].

For the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the Government proposes 65 million SEK on appropriation 1:3 in 2026 (estimated 80 million SEK in 2027 and 95 million SEK in 2028), 3 million SEK per year through 2030 to SEPA's administrative appropriation, and 100 million SEK per year for aquatic restoration over 2027–2030, with environmental-monitoring investments of 6.5 million SEK (terrestrial) and 7.5 million SEK (aquatic) in 2026 rising to 12.5 million SEK each in 2027 [§28]. Restoration of pastures and hay meadows is reinforced by 30 / 40 / 50 million SEK across 2025–2027 [§28].

Wetland re-wetting carries the largest ramped commitment: a permanent investment of 200 million SEK per year decided in the 2023 budget, supplemented by 155 million SEK (2024), 235 million SEK (2025) and 375 million SEK per year for 2026–2030, plus 50 million SEK per year 2026–2030 to accelerate county administrative boards' review of wetland measures [§31]. A new tranche for re-wetting of abandoned agricultural land — 50 / 100 / 150 million SEK for 2026 / 2027 / 2028 — targets the LULUCF sector and the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF), with a Commission delegated act on certified peatland re-wetting expected in 2026 [§31]. The Forestry Board appropriation for information and advice on carbon uptake and biodiversity is estimated to increase by 20 million SEK in 2026 and 40 million SEK in 2027 [§31].

For invasive alien species, the 2026 budget allocates 55 million SEK for terrestrial environments and 30 million SEK for aquatic environments, with an estimated 30 million SEK per year for each in 2027–2028 [§41].

International public finance

Sweden contributes 8 billion SEK to the Green Climate Fund second replenishment 2024–2027 and just over 4 billion SEK to GEF-8, of which up to one-third in direct allocation goes to biodiversity [§57]. Sida development financing for biodiversity reached 2.27 billion SEK in 2024, with more than half directed to bilateral projects and approximately 40 per cent channelled through multilateral organizations [§58]. Sida guarantees entered into between 2020 and 2023 are expected to mobilize approximately 3.8 billion SEK for biodiversity protection and restoration; in 2024 a major environmental guarantee in the Amazon region through the Inter-American Development Bank shall mobilize up to 469 million USD for forest conservation, sustainable forest management and bioeconomy [§58]. Swedfund has committed to adapt its methods to the KMGBF and participates as a forum member in the TNFD [§57].

Private and innovative finance

The Swedish National Debt Office issued a 20 billion SEK green bond on 1 September 2020 [§56]. Municipalities issue green bonds via Kommuninvest to finance nature conservation, carbon storage and environmental measures [§56]. State pension funds AP2 and AP7 use the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework in their climate and nature reporting [§45]. The Mistra BIOPATH programme works to integrate biodiversity into the financial system, with the state-owned Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) as a participant [§56]. Sweden supports the European Commission's voluntary, certified nature credits framework (COM/2025/374 final), with the Swedish Biocredit Alliance as a domestic initiative [§48]. EU LIFE Fund co-financing for nature and biodiversity is identified as underutilized and capable of greater use [§36].

Subsidy reform

SEPA develops material for Sweden's reporting of environmentally harmful subsidies to the European Commission on the basis of Commission guidance [§56]. No domestic identification list, reduction target, or phase-out schedule is provided.

Sources:

  • §10 — 3.1 Government commitments to protect valuable nature
  • §17 — 4.1 Protection and conservation of forest habitats and species
  • §28 — 6.1 Rationale for the Government's approach
  • §31 — Restoration and re-establishment of wetlands through re-wetting
  • §36 — 8.1 Fit-for-purpose nature management
  • §41 — 9.1 Monitoring and follow-up
  • §45 — 10. Increased emphasis on impact, risks, opportunities and dependencies
  • §48 — 10. Development of nature credits
  • §56 — 12.1 A national mobilisation of resources
  • §57 — Sweden is a leading donor
  • §58 — Sida supports biodiversity in several ways

7. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning

Mentioned. Spatial planning is delivered through the Planning and Building Act (2010:900) and the Environmental Code, with national marine plans developed for different marine areas under an ecosystem-based approach. Sámi and local-community participation in physical planning is anchored in the Act (2022:66) on consultation, with cumulative-effects assessment flagged as an area to strengthen.

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration

Addressed. Implementation runs primarily through the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1991), with a national plan to be reported to Government on 27 February 2026 and submitted to the Commission by September 2026. Ramped financing covers terrestrial and aquatic restoration, restoration of pastures and hay meadows, and the headline peatland re-wetting commitment (see Finance for figures). In 2024 approximately 3,540 hectares of wetlands were established and restored, including about 1,500 hectares on peatland.

GBF Target 3 — Protected areas (30×30)

Addressed. As of 31 December 2024, 15.3 per cent of Sweden's total area was formally protected (SCB MI 41 Report 2025:01); SOU 2025:21 assesses approximately 9 per cent strictly protected and 6.5 per cent other forms of protection. The 30 per cent / 10 per cent strictly-protected ambition is framed as a collective EU target rather than a Swedish national figure. Nämdö Archipelago National Park (Govt Bill 2024/25:142) was established as Sweden's first marine national park in the Baltic Sea. On 11 December 2025 the Government designated twelve new Birds Directive areas covering 175,000 hectares. SEPA is working towards approximately 140,000 hectares of high-conservation-value mountain-adjacent forest receiving formal protection, and OECM reporting is being developed to include unexploited mountains, forest impediments, voluntary set-asides, agreements and meadows and pastures. In 2024 approximately 15 per cent of the ocean and 27 per cent of inland waters were protected, with no strictly-protected marine areas yet formally designated.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery

Addressed. Delivered through the Species Protection Ordinance (2007:845) implementing the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, complemented by action programmes for threatened species. The Government has referred proposals to amend national species-protection rules (KN2025/01529); SEPA's review of which species should be nationally protected (KN2025/01532) draws on Red List threat categories. Mountain-adjacent forest protection is framed as benefiting forest-dependent species. Population-level recovery targets are not quantified.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest

Mentioned. No dedicated chapter; coverage is implicit through the traditional-knowledge chapter (reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, customary use) and through fit-for-purpose management of protected areas.

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species

Addressed. The national ordinance on invasive alien species (2018:1939) entered into force on 1 January 2019, implementing the EU IAS Regulation. A new national ordinance to strengthen implementation and address nationally prioritized species is planned to enter into force during 2026. Govt Bill 2025/26:41 proposes increased Environmental Code penalties for introduction of prohibited species from other EU countries and expanded authority for the Swedish Customs at Sweden's borders. Citizen-science IT reporting systems and Nordic and Ballast Water Convention cooperation support marine-pathway management.

GBF Target 7 — Pollution reduction

Addressed. The 2024 interim target on eutrophication addresses resource-efficient manure use and sector monitoring of N and P inputs. Open-loop scrubber emissions to water are prohibited from 1 July 2025 and other scrubbers to water from 1 January 2029. EU food-waste reduction rules (10 per cent processing/manufacturing; 30 per cent per capita retail/household) enter force 17 June 2027 (assignment KN2025/02264). The Plant Protection Products Regulation, Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (with a national action plan updated every five years), and Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability are core EU instruments. Sweden participates in UN negotiations for a global agreement against plastic pollution.

GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity

Addressed. Treated cross-cuttingly: ecosystem protection is identified as a Swedish climate measure for carbon storage and resilience; restoration under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation is linked to climate adaptation; wetland re-wetting buffers flood, drought and fire risk; eutrophication reduction is tied to ocean-acidification impacts. The Government communication National Strategy and Action Plan for Climate Adaptation (2023/24:97) and Sweden's Green Climate Fund contribution carry the climate-adaptation dimension internationally.

GBF Target 9 — Wild species use

Mentioned. Folded into the Sámi and traditional-knowledge chapter, which references reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, handicrafts and small-scale fisheries as customary sustainable use contributing to several Targets including Target 9.

GBF Target 10 — Agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, forestry

Addressed. Forest sustainability combines formal protection, voluntary set-asides (1,411,000 hectares of productive forest land in 2024, +70,000 ha on 2023) and environmental consideration under the Forestry Act. Proposals are being prepared to abolish the reforestation obligation on forest land close to agricultural land. On fisheries, the bottom-trawling prohibition in marine protected areas within the trawl limit enters force 1 July 2026; on 20 May 2025 the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management reported a basis for international consultations to move the trawl border for pelagic trawlers over 24 metres to 12 nautical miles throughout the Baltic Sea. Sweden's Strategic Plan for the Implementation of Agricultural Policy 2023–2027 funds management of pastures, fäbodbete, threatened livestock breeds, organic production, wetlands, soil carbon and reduced nutrient loss; Ordinance (2024:202) supports restoration of natural pastures and meadows, pollarding, coppicing, conservation burning and mowing of peatland meadows.

GBF Target 11 — Ecosystem services

Addressed. A new interim target commits that "the diversity of wild pollinators shall be improved and the decline in their populations halted by 2030 at the latest." Coverage is otherwise distributed across restoration (EU Nature Restoration Regulation), forest conservation, marine protection (Marine Environment Government Bill, EU Water Resilience Strategy), and wetland re-wetting (flood, drought and fire buffering). Ecological compensation under the Environmental Code is being further developed via proposals from the All-Party Committee on Environmental Objectives.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity

Addressed. A new interim target commits that "a majority of municipalities shall, by 2030 at the latest, maintain and integrate urban green spaces and ecosystem services in urban environments in the planning, construction and management of cities and towns." No additional urban-biodiversity policy detail beyond the interim target text is provided.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources / ABS

Mentioned. Implemented through the EU ABS Regulation ((EU) No 511/2014) and Regulation (2011:474) on simplified access to plant genetic resources. Digital sequence information (DSI) is not specifically addressed.

GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming

Addressed. Operationalized through the Environmental Objectives System and the 26 national authorities with special responsibility for environmental objectives, each assessing relevance and working towards achievement (the Swedish Transport Administration is cited for road-verge management and species-rich road and railway environments). The State Ownership Policy 2025 expects state-owned enterprises with substantial environmental impact to set ambitious targets and KMGBF-guided transition plans. SEPA is assigned through its 2026 appropriations letter to lead cooperation, experience exchange and knowledge dissemination on business dependence and impact on biodiversity, reporting in 2028.

GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure

Addressed. Disclosure runs through the EU Green Taxonomy (Regulation (EU) 2020/852), the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/2088), and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (Directive (EU) 2022/2464) with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). State pension funds AP2 and AP7 use the TNFD framework. The Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) participates in developing ISO 17298 on biodiversity in business governance. Industry roadmaps include Svemin's Mining with Nature (2020) — targeting that the Swedish mining and minerals industry contributes to increased biodiversity in all regions of activity by 2030 — and the Swedish Aggregates Producers Association's Aggregate Industry's Roadmap for Biodiversity (2025). Ecolabelling instruments include KRAV, Demeter, Nordic Swan and EU Ecolabel.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption

Mentioned. Covered through Circular Economy – Sweden's Transition Strategy (M2020/01133), the Industrial Strategy 2025 and the EU Waste Directive food-waste rules entering force 17 June 2027. No national overconsumption or per-capita consumption-footprint target is provided.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety

Mentioned. Addressed through Regulation (EC) No 1946/2003 (transboundary movement of GMOs), Directive 2001/18/EC (deliberate release of GMOs) and Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (GM food and feed), incorporating the Cartagena Protocol into EU law. No national-level biosafety measures beyond the EU framework are described.

GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies

Mentioned. SEPA develops material for Sweden's reporting of environmentally harmful subsidies to the European Commission on the basis of Commission guidance. No domestic identification list, reduction target or phase-out schedule is provided.

GBF Target 19 — Finance mobilisation

Addressed. In 2024 more than 8.5 billion SEK in domestic biodiversity funding was reported across the four lead agencies. International contributions include 8 billion SEK to the GCF second replenishment 2024–2027, just over 4 billion SEK to GEF-8 (up to one-third of direct allocation to biodiversity), Sida's 2.27 billion SEK biodiversity portfolio in 2024, Sida guarantees expected to mobilize approximately 3.8 billion SEK for biodiversity (2020–2023) plus a 2024 IDB Amazon environmental guarantee mobilizing up to 469 million USD. Domestic innovative finance includes the 20 billion SEK National Debt Office green bond (1 September 2020), municipal Kommuninvest green bonds, the Mistra BIOPATH programme, and the emerging voluntary nature-credits framework with the Swedish Biocredit Alliance. Full figures appear in the Finance section.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology

Mentioned. Coverage is distributed: research is funded through Formas and Mistra (including Mistra BIOPATH); digitalisation tools (AI, satellite data, laser scanning, sensors and eDNA) are flagged as supporting biodiversity monitoring; capacity-building in partner countries is delivered primarily through Sida, including support for partner-country biodiversity strategies and climate plans. No quantified domestic capacity-building targets are provided.

GBF Target 21 — Data and information

Addressed. SEPA reports protected-area data annually to the EEA, with OECM reporting being developed. The Swedish Forest Agency and SEPA are jointly developing digital geographical knowledge on nature and cultural heritage values in forests under assignment N2022/01391, to be reported by 30 June 2027. Citizen-science IT reporting systems support invasive-species monitoring. The Sámi Parliament acts as national focal point for CBD Articles 8(j) and 10(c), supported by the Swedish Biodiversity Centre at SLU; the principle of free, prior and informed consent is referenced in both the Consultation Act preparatory materials and Target 21.

GBF Target 22 — Inclusive participation

Addressed. The Act (2022:66) on consultation on matters concerning the Sámi people requires Sámi consultation by Government, state authorities, regions and municipalities on decisions of particular significance, including biodiversity on reindeer pasture; an FPIC evaluation is built into the Act's planned review. Operational tools include reindeer husbandry plans, Laponiatjuottjudus co-management of the Laponia world heritage, and the large-carnivore tolerance-level tool. Sida applies a rights-based approach and supports environmental human rights defenders. Public participation rights are anchored in the Instrument of Government, the Environmental Code and the Aarhus Convention.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality

Mentioned. Addressed through Sweden's general gender-equality and anti-discrimination legislation rather than a Sweden-specific biodiversity gender plan. Sida applies a rights-based approach; in 2024 more than 70 per cent of Sida's biodiversity-related support had integrated targets contributing to gender equality.