Emåförbundet is aiming to create environmentally and economically sustainable development in the Emån catchment.

In the beginning of the 1990’s the municipalities in the Emån catchment, together with the Regional Administrative Boards and NGO’s decided to create a platform for discussion and joint action to find solutions to several problems in the area and to work for economic and environmental sustainability in the river basin.

Emåförbundet has been initiated to promote long-term, sustainable utilization of the Emån, its tributaries, lakes and surroundings. It is a question of informing everyone of the river’s inestimable value as a common resource both now and in the future.

The project is being funded by a number of authorities and organisation. Among these are the eight municipalities which the river runs through, four each in the counties of Jönköping and Kalmar. These are Sävsjö, Nässjö, Vetlanda, Eksjö, Hultsfred, Högsby, Mönsterås and Oskarshamn. The country administrative boards in the two respective counties are also involved as are the Regional Council in Kalmar County, the Emån Water Association, the National Board of Fisheries, the National Road Administration, the European Union and Objective 5b, Southeast Sweden.

To drive the project forward, eight working groups focusing on different aspects have been set up. These work with pollutants, nature and culture, fish and fisheries, stormwater, water management, business and tourism, agriculture and forestry, as well as the EU Water Framework Directive. Each work group has its chairman. The chairman is responsible for hand picking the work group members. These are often civil servants from the municipalities, the Regional Administrative Boards or National Authorities, or representatives of the NGO’s. Each group has 6-15 members.

The approach of Emåförbundet to water management has been informal. It is extremely important that all stakeholders are given the opportunity to take part in the planning of projects. Most decisions about how to proceed, within the frames of different projects, are made by the project board of directors, with members of all the oranizations mentioned above. The municipalities are in the majority with 4 seats out of twelve. The Regional Administrative Boards have one seat each, the Emån Water Board has one seat, as have all the other stakeholder organizations.

While planning a new project, all stakeholders are invited to give their view on the project. Emåförbundet does not proceed if it is impossible to reach common agreement with large majority of the stakeholders.

Goals

•	More employment in tourism.
•	Increased number of visitors to the area.
•	Better possibilities for developing new business enterprises in farming and forestry.
•	Easier access to lakes, rivers, nature and to places of historic or cultural interest.
•	Increased awareness of the values in the Emån region.
•	Better co-ordination between different enterprises and stakeholders within the watershed.
•	Increased interaction between different stakeholders to find a strategy for how the natural recourses can be exploited from a holistic and sustainable perspective.
•	Better water quality within the Emån catchment area. Pollution should not restrict the use of the water resources for drinking water production, fishing, bathing, industrial purposes etc.
•	Better environment for Trout and Salmon.
•	The high values that exist within the watershed shall be preserved and developed. Natural species shall remain in sustainable populations.

The organisation of Emåförbundet.

website www.eman.se