Klingavälsåns dalgång, Naturreservat

Klingavälsåns dalgång är ett av Skånes största naturreservat. Det breder i stort sett ut sig på båda sidor om ån från Sövde till Kävlingeån. De fuktiga ängsmarkerna har stor betydelse för våtmarksfåglar som tofsvipa och storspov. Vintertid rastar och övervintrar många gäss och rovfåglar här. Klingavälsån är ett populärt besöksmål med flera fågeltorn. Markerade leder saknas i stort, men det går att ströva fritt i betesmarkerna. Den 7,5 km långa Storkrundan passerar genom området på sin väg från grannreservatet Veberöds ljung till Hemmestorps möllas storkhägn.

In English

Welcome to Klingavälsåns dalgång Nature Reserve

Klingavälsån is a river that flows gently through the Vomb Depression, meandering timelessly through the surrounding landscape dominated by vast expanses of open ground, alder carrs and wetlands. In spring, the meadows are filled with migratory birds and storks can be seen strutting about on the hunt for frogs or voles. Along the banks of the stream lie the remains of Skåne’s most elaborate flood irrigation system.

The Klingavälsån Valley, along with the Vomb Meadows, is considered to be one of the world’s most valuable wetlands, according to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The meadows were first protected as a natural monument at the beginning of the 20th century, when the diversity of bird life here was noted. The reserve now stretches from just north of the lake Sövdesjön to the Vomb Meadows, east of the lake Vombsjön. This area is also a part of Natura 2000.

In the past, the nutrients present in the river were used to increase the production of hay. A system of irrigation channels was used to flood the meadows in spring and thus fertilise them naturally. This resulted in more hay for the farmer, but also in a fantastic bird life. Wading birds such as the Redshank, Eurasian Curlew and Common Snipe bred on the meadows.

However, the reputation of the Vomb Meadows as a fantastic site for birds faded over the course of the second half of the 20th century as the flood irrigation of the meadows was abandoned. The meadows dried up and the number of birds decreased. Klingavälsån was also straightened over the course of the 19th century as part of the intensive pursuit of new arable land. Work is currently underway to give Klingavälsån back its meandering shape and allow the meadows along the river to become wetter. The course of the river has already regained its undulating appearance by the Vomb Meadows and additional stretches are planned. The bird life is also returning as the wetlands along the river are restored.

The White Stork is the special ambassador of the wetlands. If we can make the stork feel at home, we also made home for a range of different species. The last native population of storks in Sweden nested at Klingavälsån in 1954. Thanks to the Swedish White Stork Reintroduction Programme, storks have returned to the landscape around the rivers Kävlingeån and Klingavälsån. At Karups Nygård and Hemmestorps Mölla there is an aviary for the storks, and there are ongoing efforts to regain a population of wild-breeding storks.

Klingavälsån, a tributary of Kävlingeån, is relatively unaffected by human activity. The relatively unaffected river is home to a diverse range of species, including Stone Loach, European Brook Lamprey and Brown Trout.

Regulations

Please observe the Countryside Code and other area specific regulations.To safeguard the natural values of the area, the County Administrative Board of Skåne has laid down a set of specific regulations.

Within Klingavälsåns dalgång nature reserve it is forbidden to:

• camp
• dig up or pick plants;
• harm animals, birds' nests, and birds' eggs, and create any other obvious disturbanceto animal life;
• set foot on the Meadows of Vomb at any time during the year;
• set foot on the open ground within the reserve that is located between its southernboundary and the Ilstorp-Kumlatofta road to the north, that is to say, Karups ängar('the Meadows of Karup'), between 15 April and 1 July;
• hunt wild geese within a 300-metre zone on either side of the river.

Map, Klingavälsåns dalgång

Information board in English