Baza danych projektów PROW

The project enabled the restoration of the natural habitat of the Vrøgum Marsh area, which today has more than 150 plant species and attracts many tourists.

In 2005, the Danish Nature Fund bought approximately 13.5 hectares of the protected Vrøgum Marsh, located in the southern part of the File lake. The area was deteriorated and is under severe fouling; therefore an intervention plan was made, in cooperation with the former Ribe County Council, to protect the rare plant species in the area. The project was part of the programme aiming to protect the habitat of the File lake.

The overall objective was to restore the natural environment of the area, preserving the soil, the riverine fens and the rare marshland plants. The project also aimed to improve the accessibility to the area.

Willow and pine trees were manually removed and Scottish highland cattle were introduced to graze the area. Additional interventions, such as the construction of foot bridges and the installation of stepping stones, were carried out to ensure public access to the fens. A trail system has been established over the most humid areas and the path is much appreciated by visitors. Some information boards were also installed to inform visitors about the natural species of the area.

The removal of unwanted trees and grazing in the area resulted in the restoration of many indigenous plants. More than 150 plant species were identified by 2013 in the Vrøgum Marsh. The marsh also has a large variety of species of mosses that grow only in a few places in Denmark. A significant number of people have visited the area during the project implementation and after its completion.

The project shows that valuable natural habitats can be restored with cooperation between local actors and how this can be an elementto attract tourists to rural areas.

Vrøgum Marsh is located about 6 km northwest of Oksbøl, Varde municipality, in the Jutland region.

Syddanmark

Denmark

8 713

3 594

2 941

2 178

https://www.danmarksnaturfond.dk/Default.aspx?ID=20661

Lars Johansen

danmarksnaturfond@danmarksnaturfond.dk

+45 62571415; +4521799228

English, Danish