1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Göteborg (FUA)
Region
Europe
Short description of the intervention
A small biodiversity park was established in Härlanda Park, an old prison complex which today houses a culture centre, a pre-school and office space. The area was previously used as a small lily garden, but this project implements more biodiversity-promoting features such as a bee hive, varied flowers and trees, different types of soil and insect hotels. The municipal real estate company Higab owns the park and partnered with Stadskupan, which works with urban beekeeping, biodiversity, and rewilding, to design and create the park. They also involved Vägen ut! (translates to "the way out"), a social enterprise that employs people who are far from the labour market due to substance abuse issues to help maintain the park in a socially inclusive way. The park has pedagogic features and events for local businesses and organisations as well as the public. The beehive was established in 2022, while the entire biodiversity park was established in 2023. The project will go on for three years and be evaluated yearly. [Ref. 1, 2, 3].
Website of the intervention
https://www.higab.se/nyhetsarkiv/pressmeddelande-ny-gard-for-biologisk-mangfald…
Principal problems
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Disconnection from nature
Social fragmentation and isolation
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter)
Ecosystem
Urban or built environment
Address

Kålltorpsgatan 2
416 52 Göteborg
Sweden

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary (map-based)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Google maps (https://maps.app.goo.gl/qF4uPn19HLFksdxC9)
Area description
Urban (main city)
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Public Greenspace Area
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2021
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2022
End date of the intervention
2024
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
1. Creating habitats for bees, butterflies and other pollinators [Ref. 1-4].
2. Convert an unused space into a biological diversity farm that will benefit pollinators and the plantation of a diversity of plants, flowers and trees [Ref. 2].
3. Make the park socially inclusive by employing marginalised people and inviting local businesses/organisations [Ref. 1-4].
4. Teach visitors about biodiversity [Ref. 1, 2, 5].
5. Creation of a calm and green place where both people and pollinators should thrive [Ref. 1].
6. Create a sound garden for park users to have immersive experiences [Ref. 5].
Key Priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Rewilding
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Improving mental health
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Employment/job creation
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Restore native species
Restore valued species
Public engagement
Mental health and well-being objectives
The garden was created to provide a calm and relaxed environment for visitors [Ref. 1].
Mental health and well-being activities
Sound walks [Ref. 5].
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
1. Higab partnered with Stadskupan in 2021 and established a beehive with 50,000 bees set up on the site in the yard of Härlanda Park [Ref. 3-4]. Stadskupan manages the project and takes care of the park together with Vägen ut, a social enterprise where people who are far from the labor market work [Ref. 1].
2. Also, soil, sand beds and ridges were introduced to allow for the planting of plants, flowers and trees [Ref. 1].
3. In 2023 the project focused on developing an entire farm with a focus on ecological sustainability and social inclusion [Ref. 1].
4. In June of 2024, Stadskupan, in collaboration with Higab, hosted sound walk events with the use of advanced microphone technology. The microphones capture various frequencies and sound waves found in nature (e.g. bird songs and plant movements). Participants on the walk can enjoy the sounds in headphones (Ref. 5).
Type of NBS project
Maintenance and management of urban nature
Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks)
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Amenities offered by the NBS
Educational or biodiversity trails
Design elements for well-being
Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation)
Auditory elements (e.g., birdsong, water features, quiet areas, rustling leaves)
Olfactory elements (e.g., floral scents, earthy smells)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Regulating services
Pollination
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
Unknown. The immediate surroundings, Härlanda Park, is not residential [Ref. 1, 2].
Socio-economic profile of the area
Unknown
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Unknown
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Social enterprise
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Marginalized groups
Specify primary beneficiaries
1. Local government/Municipality: The city of Gothenburg owns Higab, which is responsible for the project, but it also runs some of the operations (culture centre, pre-school) at Härlanda Park, which can interact with and benefit from the biodiversity park [Ref. 1, 2, 7]
1. Private sector/Corporate/Company: The two private companies involved in the project, Stadskupan and Vägen ut! benefit from the business opportunity [Ref. 1-3, 6].
2. Citizens or community groups: Citizens can visit the park spontaneously or at one of the events to relax and/or learn about biodiversity [Ref. 1, 2, 5].
3. Young people and children: The tenants of Härlanda Park, who have access to the park and are invited to educational events, include an open pre-school and cultural activities for young people [Ref. 1, 2, 7].
4. Marginalized groups: Marginalized groups can gain employment via Vägen ut! and work with maintaining the park [Ref. 1, 2, 6].
Marginalized groups
Children, young people or youth groups
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups
1. Children, young people or youth groups: Specific measures are not described. The claim is that the organisations of Härlanda Park, some of which are only for children and young people, will be involved in the biodiversity park.
2. Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed): People who, for varying reasons such as substance abuse, are unemployed and have particular difficulties in finding employment can get opportunities through Vägen ut! to work with maintaining the park, leading to economic and social benefits [Ref. 1, 2, 6].
Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities
Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities
Provision of resources tailored to the unique challenges faced by vulnerable or marginalized groups
Collaboration with local community organizations or advocacy groups representing these communities
Other beneficiaries
Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)
Native plant vegetation
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Higab, the municipal real estate company, owns the park and is part of initiating the project, which they frame as part of their sustainability work. Stadskupan, a private company, provides the beehive and designed the park. Vägen ut! is a social enterprise involved in the practical aspects of establishing and maintaining the park. Other stakeholders are the organisations or businesses present at Härlanda Park, partially run by the City of Gothenburg, who are invited to interact with the project
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Public sector institution
Citizens or community group
Social enterprise
Stages of citizen and community engagement
Unknown
Level of citizen and community engagement
Unknown
Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives
Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings
Support of local entrepreneurs or small business development related to the project
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Unknown
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
Not specified, but the project is said to contribute to Higab's sustainability efforts. Higab is a municipal company and affected by the City of Gothenburg's environmental goals and strategies.
Relevant strategy or plan
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
Partnership between Higab (government) and Stadskupan (private company) [Ref. 3, 4]
Governace and decison-making instruments
Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans)
Public - private business agreement (e.g. public private collaborations, public-private-partnerships (PPP))
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Unknown
Barriers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
No information about costs or sources of funding found. However, one can observe that Stadskupan is a private company that does these kinds of projects as their business model, and therefore must earn money from such projects. Vägen ut! provides maintenance as a service to provide income for their workers, and would also have to earn money from the project. The remaining actor that could provide funding would be Higab, as they seek to promote biodiversity and provide green space for their tenants.
Source(s) of funding
Unknown
Type of fund(s) used
Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of expertise
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Yes
What entrepreneurship opportunities have arisen from the NBS project?
Other
Please specify other type of entrepreneurship opportunity
Beekeeping [Ref. 3, 4]
What types of actors are leading the entrepreneurship activities linked to the NBS project?
Social enterprises or cooperatives
What types of support are provided to entrepreneurs engaged in NBS-related activities?
Unknown
Business models
Business models
Green densification model
Local stewardship model
Vacant space model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Increased presence and recovery of wild species
Expected increased presence and recovery of wild species
Enhanced support of pollination
Achieved enhanced support of pollination
Description of environmental benefits
1. Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): Different plants, flowers and trees have been planted, increasing the number of species [Ref. 2]
2. Achieved enhanced support of pollination: A variety of habitats such as sand beds, insect hotels and a beehive have been establised along with flowering plants that attract pollinators [Ref. 1-4]. "a pilot project started with Stadskupan where a beehive with 50,000 bees was set up on the site." [Ref. 1].
Economic impacts
Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Description of economic benefits
Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): The work carried out by employees of Vägen ut! can be considered work for rehabilitation, aiming to empowering marginalised people [Ref. 6].
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Health and wellbeing
Improved mental health
Expected improved mental health
Education
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples: Marginalised groups gain increased opportunity in the form of work rehabilitation [Ref. 1, 6].
2. Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature: The park hosts educational events and invites locals to learn more about biodiversity [Ref. 1, 2, 5]
3. Improved mental health: The project is expected to create a space that targets relaxation, and the sound wave events also aim to create a peaceful environment for visitors [Ref. 5]
Mental health benefits
Restoration and relaxation
Increased feelings of nature connection
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts
Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Link to the output of assessments
https://vagenut.coop/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/snurran_skiss_131119-kopia.pdf
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Unknown
Transparency
Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)
Justice
Community satisfaction
Unknown
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Unknown
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
No initiatives or policies were implemented
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
No
Goal setting and impacts delivery
No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas.
Reaching original project goals
Most of the project goals were achieved
Long-term perspective
Yes
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project
Transformative capacity
Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)
Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)
Magnitude of change
Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
Sandin, K. (2023). Ny gård på Härlanda fängelse blir paradis för bin och fjärilar. Vårt Göteborg, Accessed on August 29, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Higab (2023). Pressmeddelande: Ny gård för biologisk mångfald på Härlanda Park. Accessed on August 29, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Higab (2021). Nu surrar det på kåken. Accessed on August 29, 2023, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Stadskupen (n.d.). Higab. Accessed on August 29, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
5.
Swanberg, L. (2024). Lyssna på naturens röster i Härlanda. Vårt Göteborg, Accessed on August 29, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
6.
Vägen ut! (2013). Företagspresentation. [Source link] [Archive];
7.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). Om Härlanda Park. Accessed on August 29, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Public Images
The sound walk at Mångfaldsgården
The sound walk at Mångfaldsgården
Ref. 5
Härlanda
Härlanda
Ref. 1, Photo: Higab
Indicator
Achieved increased number of species present
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium
Indicator
Achieved enhanced support of pollination
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium
Indicator
Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium