Sweden’s moose population is under increasing pressure as big forestry companies step up hunting, under threat and pressure, according to hunters and forest owners.
In an in-depth investigation, TV4’s Kalla Fakta has revealed how forestry companies Sveaskog and Holmen use their power to influence moose hunting, and that hunters risk losing their land if they do not comply with the companies’ demands.
Jan-Erik Lindholm, a hunter from Hornmyr in Västerbotten, is one of many who have testified to the pressure from the forestry companies to shoot more and more moose.
The forestry companies have taken legal action that has now led to the dissolution of the area where he has hunted since childhood.
– It’s rubbish, they thought we were a nuisance and just wanted to show who was in charge, he says.
He goes on to explain that the hunting team has been trying to preserve the moose population for decades, but that the demands of the companies are threatening the moose’s future.
– I’ve been hunting for 55 years and we’ve always tried to be careful with the moose population. But now we’re being controlled by two forestry companies that absolutely must shoot everything down, says Jan-Erik Lindholm.
Bra att detta granskas! Skogsbolagen har bråkat länge med jägarna och vi har snart inga älgar kvar! #jakt https://t.co/NAknKTmGBT
— Frank (@storahagen) October 16, 2024
Threats and pressure
The survey by investigative journalism programme Kalla Fakta shows that the pressure on hunters is not limited to Hornmyr. Of the 398 hunt leaders surveyed, 58 – more than one in seven – said they had been threatened with losing their hunting rights if they did not meet the companies’ shooting targets.
– I think it’s absolutely reprehensible. You lose your land if you don’t shoot more moose, says Rune Eriksson, a hunting guide outside Lycksele.
Another hunter, Calle Franklin, says that at a meeting in March, where he represented the hunters’ association, he witnessed two hunt leaders being pressured to resign after trying to save moose cows.
– We all understood what “other measures” meant. They would have dissolved the wildlife management area and everyone is so afraid of their hunting that we won’t fight that battle, he says.
Karl Hedin: “Forestry companies exaggerate”
länk: Prominent forest owner Karl Hedin, who recently filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state in a high-profile case of alleged abuse of rights against him, has also lashed out at forestry companies, which he says are exaggerating the damage caused by moose to justify more intensive hunting.
Hedin, who owns 40,000 hectares of forest and several sawmills, has taken his own measurements on his land and believes the official reports do not reflect reality.
– I see no losses at all. The method is wrong. It’s a projection of future damage, which does not correspond to reality, says Karl Hedin.
Swedish Forest Agency rejects criticism
However, the Swedish Forest Agency (Skogsstyrelsen), which is responsible for the official moose grazing inventory, Älgbetesinventeringen – Äbin, disagrees, pointing out that the method is well established and statistically correct.
– We have professional contractors who carry out the inventory and we have to trust the work they do. We have also tested the method together with SLU to ensure that it is statistically correct, says Ebba Henning Planck, wildlife specialist at the Swedish Forest Agency.
Although the moose population has fallen by a quarter in less than ten years, Äbin says the reported grazing damage has remained at the same level – something Hedin questions.
– Äbin is wrong to project quality damage into the future. It is not needed, stop it, says Karl Hedin.
Facts: Karl Hedin
- Born: 1949
- Profession: Forest owner, entrepreneur, and owner of Karl Hedin AB, one of Sweden's largest privately owned sawmill companies.
- Land holdings: Owns around 40,000 hectares of forest in Sweden and several sawmills.
- Criticism of moose hunting: Has been a prominent voice against excessive shooting of the moose population and questioned the official moose grazing inventory (Äbin).
- Legal proceedings: In 2018, Karl Hedin was arrested on suspicion of planning illegal wolf hunting. He was detained for 31 days without being charged. In March 2021, Hedin was acquitted of all charges, after the court found that the evidence, based on intercepted conversations and circumstantial evidence, was insufficient.
- Miscarriage of justice and witch hunt: Hedin has criticised the judiciary for what he says was unfair treatment and a ‘witch hunt’ against him, with police and prosecutors pursuing the case despite a lack of evidence. Mr Hedin has now filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state.
