The land in a Swedish National Park must be owned by the State. It is the Government and the Parliament that decide about National Parks. The criterion are, large untouched areas, representing various types of Swedish landscapes. They must also be accessible to the public.
Edward Wibeck and the establishment of the National Park
The Professor and Forest Officer Edward Wibeck was a nature conservationist, born in 1877. He fought for the establishment of a National Park at Store Mosse during most of his life. In his twenties he observed the unique bird life of Lake Kävsjön including Broad-billed Sandpiper and Jack Snipe, which normally only breed in the most northerly parts of Sweden. In 1905 he proposed that the bird life at Lake Kävsjön and the quagmire next to it should be protected. More than 20 years later the proposal was put into place, but the fight for increased protection continued. In 1950 he proposed that Store Mosse should be made into a National Park. 10 years after his death in 1972 his dream came true. In 1982 Store Mosse became a National Park.