Förvaltning av ödekyrkogården - ett skötselförslag till ödekyrkogårdarna i Hyringa, Längnum och Malma socknar

Abstract

Abandoned churchyards are an important part of our cultural heritage and show the older structures in the landscape. Their age and long continuity gives them a unique position, as reflected in the strong sense of identity that they create. Abandoned churchyards are usually not left entirely to their fate. Sometimes nearby churches have some activity there, and often there is some sort of maintenance performed on the site, usually by a local history society or a nearby church. Inadequate or incorrectly performed maintenance would have a negative impact on both the cultural environment and biodiversity. This unique environment could function perfectly well as an oasis for biodiversity in an increasingly streamlined and uniform agricultural and forestry landscape. The categorization of abandoned churchyards lies in a grey area between Chapter 2 and Chapter 4, Heritage Conservation Act. The problem consists of which criteria a cemetery must have to fall under the Heritage Conservation Act, Chapter 2, and when it does. The National Heritage Board is the agency that has overall responsibility for Sweden's cultural heritage. The County Administration is the agency responsible for protection and care of ancient monuments, by awarding grants for maintenance, but they are restrictive in the selection of which items receive funding. The involvement from local churches and non-profit local history societies is strong. Churches may be able to give a small contribution to the history society for the maintenance of a local abandoned churchyard. To rely on voluntary labor is not sustainable in the long run. A final scenario is that you simply have to accept that the care of abandoned churchyards has to cede precedence to other objects and activities. The management proposal includes two activities that are performed annually. The first part consists of raking, where leaves and twigs are removed from the site, during April. At the same time a visual inspection of the wall is performed for evidence of collapse. A second action consists in mowing the grass with cutting tools, as per the frequency specified for each churchyard. The grass is then turned, dried and removed from the site.