Impan, Naturreservat

In the small-scale agricultural landscape just west of Gröstorp, a 15 meter high fault line towers up. This precipice in the middle of the plain has given its name to the entire reserve - Impan. There are barren but species-rich pastures here and in some places the hard sandstone is exposed.

Traces of mining

Since the 16th century, minerals have been mined at Impan, both directly in the cliff and in horizontal shafts. Below the precipice are piles of waste rock from the various periods of mining. As late as the 1940s, fluorspar, a mineral containing fluorine and used in aluminum production, was mined.

The minerals were deposited in the fracture zone at Impan by hot, circulating groundwater around 300 million years ago, when there were active volcanoes in Skåne. The bedrock in the area is otherwise poor in minerals and consists of a hard sandstone that is over 500 million years old.

Today, the old mine galleries are excellent wintering sites for various bat species. Nordic bats, water bats and the very rare barbastelle are among the species that come here.

Breadfruit and maidenhair fern

The pastures are rich in species with ground thistle, maidenhair fern, briar and other typical pasture plants. In the very thin layer of soil around the exposed sandstone outcrops, wart thistle, yellow buttercup and other drought-resistant plants grow.

Grazed for a long time

Most of the reserve is the remains of the outfields of Gröstorp village. The outlying areas were used as pastures and in these parts of Skåne they may have been grazed since the Bronze Age. The area's long history as grazing land is one explanation for the species-rich flora. The open pastures are also home to birds such as shrikes and stonechats.

Racial risk

Please respect the barriers around the steepest parts of the cliff. In addition to the risk of landslides, the ground is partly undermined by mine galleries.