Naturreservatet Lillesjö, Naturreservat

Lillesjö nature reserve, just outside Yngsjö village, stretches between Helgeå and Hanöbukten. There are beach meadows, alder forests and pine-covered sand dunes. Several rare plant and animal species thrive in the reserve, which is close to urban areas.

Between river and sea

Lillesjö nature reserve is located just south of Yngsjö. The reserve is bordered to the east by the beach and the sea and to the west by the River Helge å. To the south, the reserve borders on Gropahålets naturreservat Link to another website. The western part of the reserve, closest to the river, consists of open pasture and floodplain forest, while the eastern part consists of wooded sand dunes with mainly pine.

Dune landscape of Hanöbukten

Along Hanöbukten, from Juleboda in the south to Åhus in the north, is Sweden's largest coastal dune landscape. In Lillesjö Nature Reserve, the dunes extend more than 500 meters inland and are up to 12 m high. Today, the dunes are covered with pine forest and thus completely unaffected by the wind. Many of the pines have been planted to prevent sand drift. Today, the tree layer is thinned out to favor flowering plants and insects.

Land that is flooded

The pasture next to the River Helge is regularly flooded and has a flora typical of seashore meadows, including yellow sedge, saltmarsh and chaff grass. Many shorebirds and geese frequent this part of the reserve. The alder forest, which is also regularly flooded, has been under free development for a long time and thus has plenty of dead wood, which benefits biodiversity.

Unusual species

Lillesjö has great potential to develop as a site for a number of threatened species, but several unusual species already occur in the reserve. The rare goldenrod grows in reed beds along Helgeå, and rosefinches also nest here. The lesser spotted woodpecker nests in the floodplain forest. In open areas among the dunes, there is a calcareous flora with threatened species such as tufted rush, heath flowers, common sand violet and sand carnation.

Outdoor life

Lillesjö is located southeast of Yngsjö and consists of two sub-areas. In the eastern part of the reserve, closest to the sea, there is parking and a walkable dune landscape with sand and pine forest. The Skåneleden trail (SL6 Vattenriket) between Kristianstad and Åhus passes through the area.

In English

Welcome to Lillesjö Nature Reserve

Lillesjö Nature Reserve is located outside Yngsjö on the east coast of Skåne. The landscape is characterized by sand dunes and sandy medows with a diverse flora.

Regulations for Lillesjö visitors

Within Lillesjö Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

1. remove, dig, bore, paint or in any other way damage the ground, stones or natural objects,
2. park caravans, campers or similar during the period 00:00-05:00,
3. light fires except with camping stoves,
4. ride bikes other than on roads or designated biking trails or areas,
5. ride horses other than on roads or designated riding trails or areas,
6. bring an unleashed dog or other pets during the period 1 March-20 August,
7. drive motor vehicles outside roads or parking areas,
8. park outside designated parking spaces.

Furthermore, without written permission from the County Administrative Board it is forbidden to:

9. catch insects, spiders, snails, slugs or other invertebrates other than by netting, hand picking or other selective methods that does not destroy the animal's habitat, with the subsequent reintroduction within the nature reserve. The requirement for reintroduction does not apply to individual voucher specimens of each species on condition that the record is logged in the reporting system Artportalen and that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations.