6000 Wind power stations threats nature tourism?

Let me start by stating I´m pro-windpower. However, I´m afraid the intensity of wind power development in Sweden will affect the nature tourism industry seriously. I´d really appreciate your comments on this.

Last year The Swedish Energy Agency decided upon a new goal for Swedish wind power, by 2020 it should be 30 TWH/year. This means within 10 years the production of wind power energy will be 20 times bigger than today. They estimate up to 6000 wind power stations has to be built until 2020, which is about setting up a new one every second working day until 2016.

To my surprise, Swedish travel & tourism authorities doesn´t seem to have been involved in the planning process. Neither Nutek (The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth), VisitSweden or The Swedish Ecotourism Society have been consultive body in the preceding studies and investigations, thus leaving the effects on nature tourism unnoticed.

Naturvårdsverket (The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency) managed to protect the nature reserves and some other sensible areas, but left the tourism aspects to the County Administrative boards – who delegated it to the local municipalities´ decision.

I´m afraid that if the wind power development continues so rapidly without considering the effects on nature tourism many of our yet non-developed wilderness regions will be more or less disqualified for future tour production. Protecting the nature reserves are not enough.

From my point of view, tourism is not a local decision. It´s a question of what our guests wants to see and experience. Caring for the local voters´ best or the municipality-owned wind power companys´ success isn´t always the same as creating good preconditions for sustainable development of internationally salable travel- & tourism products. A local tourism entrepreneur, providing only a part of a tour, is not in a position to negotiate with landowners, the local polititians or wind power companies where a power station park should or not should be located.

Therefore, I´d like to see VisitSweden or The Ecotourism Society to step in and apply a tour operators´ perspective wherever a windfarm is planned.

Now, would you still consider fishing, trekking, hunting, canoeing etc. in a wilderness with a windfarm nearby, or would you choose another destination? It would be interesting to get your opinions on this , so please feel free to write a comment.