Agricultural landscape of southern Öland

The agricultural landscape of southern Öland is an area of more than 56,000 hectares located on the island of Öland, Sweden. It includes Stora alvaret, a limestone plateau of around half that surface. Stora alvaret is a dagger-shaped area almost 40 km long and about 10 km at its widest north end. This limestone plain, around a quarter of the surface of the island, is the most extended of its kind in Europe. As a result of the thin layer of soil and high pH levels, it presents a wide range of plants, including many rare species.

The agricultural landscape of southern Öland was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, for the extraordinary biodiversity in this place, and its prehistory as well as the way how man has adapted to the natural conditions.