Background Lake Vänern is the largest freshwater lake in the European Union, covering an area of 5 650 km2. The project area includes the EU’s largest freshwater archipelago with 22 000 islands, islets and skerries (small rocky reefs). The lake is home to a large population of seabirds and waterfowl, and is an important staging site for migrating birds in the spring and autumn. The white-tailed eagle, or sea-eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and osprey (Pandion haliaetus) breed on the islands of the archipelago. The rich birdlife is dependent on open nesting environments for colony nesting species such as terns and gulls. Changes in land use and water management during the 20th Century, however, have caused a severe decline in habitat quality. The skerries and shores, which were once bare, are today under threat from intense overgrowth of bushes and trees. This is also threatening the region’s flora and fauna, particularly on islands where management is more difficult than on the mainland. Small-scale restoration work has been carried out in parts of the archipelago. But a coordinated effort is needed in order to make a noticeable improvement in both the area and quality of breeding sites and habitats. Objectives The project’s main objectives are: to restore important breeding and staging sites for birds listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive; to restore to a 'favourable' conservation status several habitats listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive; and to facilitate continuing management after the project ends. Specific aims include: Improving the conservation status for 11 species listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive; Reducing the disturbance on breeding sites through information and sensitive channelling of visitors, as well as through the building of nest platforms for two target bird species (Haliaeetus albicilla and Pandion haliaetus) on strategic sites; Improving the conservation status and/or create suitable habitats for a total of seven habitat types listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive; and Benefitting nationally-listed (i.e. Swedish Red-listed) species, in particular the ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), a wading bird. Expected results: Scrub and tree clearance on 209 important breeding sites on skerries and shores, covering a total area of 97 ha and resulting in improved habitat conditions for at least 1 700 breeding pairs of targeted birds; An improved conservation status on 79.7 ha of the habitat type, “Siliceous rock with pioneer vegetation”; The restoration of 103.5 ha of grassland and open areas habitats; Controlled burning of 26.6 ha of Western taiga habitat, improving its conservation status; The creation of 21 nest platforms, 16 for ospreys and five for sea eagles; The creation of a 0.3 ha breeding area on Inre Kilsviken; and The organisation of at least 20 information meetings for local stakeholders. Other information material will include a leaflet on the Lake Vänern Natura 2000 sites as well as strategic visitor information points. Small-scale visitor infrastructure, such as toilets and docking points, will be constructed on less-sensitive sites to encourage visitors away from more sensitive areas.