Hedgehog and eel added to Sweden’s protected species list

Sweden’s government and the Sweden Democrats have proposed a shorter protected species list that includes new protections for the hedgehog, eel, raggstagg mushroom, and Apollo butterfly, SVT reports.

Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) announced the changes at a press briefing on Tuesday, stating the revised list will cover roughly 230 species, down from about 300. The government aims to strengthen protections for genuinely threatened species while removing safeguards for those no longer at risk.

Species losing protected status include the pasqueflower, marsh marigold, and ivy. The wild orchid knärot will be reclassified to a new category allowing exemptions for activities not intended to harm it, such as forestry.

“This means forestry operations won’t have to stop because of knärot,” Pourmokhtari said.

The new regulations take effect on 1 November.