Manifesto

Vättern

Lake Vättern

Lake Vättern is Europe’s sixth largest lake. Their water is cold and nutrient-poor, creating great underwater visibility. Twenty-eight fish species call Vättern their home. Some of them thrive, and some of them are facing hard times due to rising water temperatures linked to climate change. The lake is also home to seven very rare species of small crustaceans that have been in the lake since the Ice Age. They were trapped there when the land rose after the ice sheet melted. Because of the nutrient-poor state of the ecosystem, toxic subjects accumulate in the bodies living in the water. For this reason, the dietary recommendations for human children and women of childbearing age are to eat fish from the lake a maximum of two to three times a year – and crayfish from Vättern contain excessive levels of PFAS, exceeding the new EU limits. Many human beings have a loving and caring relation to Vättern, and swimming and sailing are popular ways to interact with the water. People living close by are also aware of Vättern’s moody temperament and behaviours – hard winds and high waves can come from seemingly nowhere.

Whose Body of Water?

The research project Whose Body of Water? Rights of Nature as Environmental Guardianship for Sweden (2023–2027, led by Martin Hultman) is centred around Lake Vättern and their watershed. Currently, circa 300,000 human beings are dependent on fresh water from the lake. In this interdisciplinary project, we explore how a Rights of Nature perspective can change the perception and practice of water resource management. We are interested in understanding how water management transforms when natural elements are recognised as living beings and gain rights by themselves. Today, toxins such as PFAS are spread in the lake from extensive aerial exercises, the military is releasing bombs in the lake, and threats in the form of mining exploration are always present. This is possible despite regulations that protect the lake as a source of drinking water and a Natura 2000 area.

We acknowledge and build on experiences from previous related engagements with the lake, such as the 2019 Rights of Nature tribunale organized by the Center for Earth Jurisprudence and the contemporary art venue Österängens konsthall’s Rights of Nature project “Rätten till Vättern”. We are also in dialogue with local environmental guardians and NGOs such as “ARV – Aktion Rädda Vättern” and “Urbergsgruppen Norra Kärr”.