Naturum visitor centres in Sweden – national guidelinesA ‘naturum’ is a centre to receive people who visit a natural area. It is the Swedish equivalent of the ‘visitor centres’ of other countries. The purpose of a naturum is to describe, explain and build an understanding of the values of an area as well as to inspire people to spend time and experience nature there. A naturum consists of one or several buildings and provides information, both indoors and outdoors, about the natural, cultural and experiential values of the area and about the impact that human beings have had on the landscape. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) owns the rights to the word ‘naturum’, which is a registered trademark. The Swedish EPA’s guidelines lay down rules for naturum operations in Sweden and for facilities which have been given permission by the Swedish EPA to call themselves naturums and use the special logotype. A naturum is preferably to be located in or near an attractive natural area of great value for nature conservation and outdoor recreation. This often means national parks or well-frequented natural reserves, but it could also be other natural areas which have great value for outdoor recreation and/or are close to population centres. Naturums are to offer exhibitions, programme activities and outdoor nature interpretation in their premises or nearby. They are to be manned with welltrained staff and must have generous opening hours. Entrance to naturums owned by the central government is to be free of charge. The target group is members of the general public without special knowledge.The presentation of information in naturums must be objective and impartial as well as pleasant and inspiring. The buildings and the information must be aesthetically appealing and of high quality. The construction methods and materials used and the operation of the facilities must be environmentally friendly.The Swedish EPA is the owner of the central-government naturums and contributes financially to their construction and operation. These naturums are usually managed by county administrative boards. The authority responsible for other naturums may be a municipality, a foundation or a non-governmental organisation.The authority responsible for a naturum has a duty to monitor and evaluate operations. The findings made are to be reported on a regular basis to the Swedish EPA, which has overall responsibility for promoting, developing and inspiring naturum operations in Sweden.