Building a catchment-based environmental programme: a stakeholder analysis of wetland creation in Scania, Sweden

The Kävlinge River Programme is a catchment-based initiative in Scania, Sweden, for converting agricultural land into wetlands in order to reduce nutrient emissions to the sea. The design and implementation of this programme are analysed, following a stakeholder analysis methodology. The most important components of the establishment and implementation of the Kävlinge River programme were found to be the following: (1) the existence of an overarching policy objective, (2) devotion and endurance found among a few local officials and local politicians, (3) a willingness among municipalities included in the catchment area to find compromises and funds, (4) the combination of traditional Swedish agri-environmental policy instruments and a trustful and constructive atmosphere in which the target group (farmers) is treated as an equal in negotiations, and (5) the existence of a mediating agent between authorities and the target group.