The Enetjärn Nature Foundation (ENF) is granting SEK 250,000 to Rewilding Sweden’s pilot study Closer to Nature Rödåbygden (Närmare Naturen Rödåbygden – NNR) in Västerbotten, northern Sweden. The initiative is testing a scalable model for how ecological restoration, local participation, and nature-based economies can reinforce one another – while demonstrating how rewilding can become an asset for rural communities rather than a burden.
Since 2025, pilot activities have been underway in the Rödån river basin area in Västerbotten, where Rewilding Sweden is exploring how the restoration of waterways and landscapes can go hand in hand with local engagement and new livelihood opportunities. In practice, this means that people actively participate in restoration work on site, work together outdoors, and build new relationships with the landscape, and with one another.
The pilot study, now carried out with support from ENF, will establish structures for rewilding camps, guide training programs, and partnerships with landowners and municipalities. The goal is to develop a model that can be replicated in new landscapes through participation, learning, and local collaboration.
ENF is a newly established Swedish foundation with the mission of making the valuation and promotion of biodiversity a natural part of decision-making in politics and business. NNR is the foundation’s second approved partnership, and the first with a focus on local and regional anchoring in northern Sweden.
– It is very encouraging that ENF and Rewilding Sweden are joining forces around the societal value of nature restoration. The Swedish government’s recently launched plan for nature restoration, developed in response to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, has been set at an absolute minimum level of ambition. Rewilding nature should not be viewed as an obstacle to society or rural development. On the contrary, it can help strengthen and develop local communities while reducing future planetary risks and creating tangible value for people living in the landscape.
Anders Enetjärn, Chair, Enetjärn Nature Foundation
– For us, rewilding is not only about restoring nature, but about reconnecting people and landscapes. When people participate in the work, values emerge that cannot be created in any other way – ecologically, socially, and economically. We are both proud and delighted to begin this first partnership within our “Nature for People” initiative together with Enetjärn Nature Foundation. The support enables us to develop and test the model through hands-on work in the Rödåbygden area, together with local people and stakeholders in the landscape.
Henrik Persson, Director, Rewilding Sweden
Part of a European context
Rewilding Sweden is part of the Rewilding Europe network, and the model being tested in Rödåbygden is designed to be transferable to other landscapes and countries. The EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which entered into force in 2024, requires member states to restore degraded ecosystems by 2030 and 2050. NNR is a concrete example of how these requirements can be addressed in ways that generate local value rather than causing it to be lost. This is achieved by combining ecological restoration with active participation and local economic development.
Facts about the funding
Initiative: Closer to Nature Rödåbygden (NNR) – Pilot study
Partner: Rewilding Europe Sweden Foundation (Rewilding Sweden)
Funding awarded by ENF: SEK 250,000
Funding period: 1 June 2026 – 30 November 2027
Geographical focus: The Rödån river basin area, Västerbotten, Sweden
Additional funding: Biodiversa+ funded research (approx. SEK 350,000), Rewilding Sweden (approx. SEK 150,000 + staff costs)
ABOUT ENETJÄRN NATURE FOUNDATION
ENF is a Swedish foundation founded by Anders Enetjärn, founder of Ecogain, with the mission of making the valuation and promotion of biodiversity an integral part of decision-making in politics and business. The foundation supports initiatives with the potential to shift norms and influence decision-making frameworks.
om rewilding sweden
Rewilding Sweden is a Swedish fundraising foundation established in 2020, focusing on ecological restoration and people-centered rewilding in Swedish landscapes. Its work combines practical restoration, public participation, and nature-based experiences to strengthen the relationship between people and landscapes.
The organization is part of the Rewilding Europe network, working to restore wild nature in northern Sweden in collaboration with researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Umeå University.
CONTACT
Anders Enetjärn, Chairman of the board, ENF
anders@enf.earth
070-321 30 09
https://enf.earth
Henrik Persson, Director Rewilding Sweden
henrik.persson@rewilding-sweden.com
070–44 35672
https://rewilding-sweden.com