In 2020, the public collected nearly 16,000 observations of the stag beetle, Europe's largest beetle, according to officials. The male stag beetle is easy to recognize with its characteristic jaws and body length of up to nine centimeters. Most findings were made in southeastern parts of the country.
The stag beetle is rare in Sweden except in parts of Blekinge, Kalmar, and Östergötland. The biggest threat to the beetle is the overgrowth of pastures and overly dense, dark spruce-dominated forests. It has declined sharply in northern Europe in recent decades and is protected throughout the EU, with member states required to report its status every six years.
se. The campaign is a collaboration between 13 county administrative boards, the Swedish Species Information Centre, and is coordinated by the County Administrative Board of Östergötland. In Stockholm County, the stag beetle is known mainly in the archipelago municipality of Nynäshamn, in areas with old oaks.
Nicklas Jansson, a biologist at the County Administrative Board of Östergötland, said the large number of reports in 2020 may reflect that climate change has a positive impact on the stag beetle. Martin Elmestål, an environmental officer at the County Administrative Board of Stockholm, noted that the beetle could be found in new municipalities in Stockholm County.