A large Central Jutland Natura 2000 landscape of inland dunes, heath, lakes and beech forest shaped by the last ice age.
Sepstrup Sande, Vrads Sande, Velling Skov and Palsgård Skov
Natura 2000 area no. 53 Sepstrup Sande, Vrads Sande, Velling Skov and Palsgård Skov is a large protected landscape in the central part of Jutland, Denmark, designated as both an EU Habitat Area (H49) and a Bird Protection Area (F34). The site lies along the ice margin line from the last glaciation, and its terrain reflects this glacial history: flat outwash plains dominate the north and west, while the east rises into strongly undulating moraine hills and tunnel valleys.
The area is a mosaic of unusually rare inland dunes, dry and wet heathlands, raised bogs, spring-fed fens, clear-water Lobelia lakes, meandering stream valleys and extensive forests, including substantial stands of beech on acid mor soils with holly, large areas of natural beech forest, and conifer plantations. Roughly two thirds of the area is covered by forest or plantation, while the remaining open land holds some of the most ecologically distinctive habitats in the region, supporting rare species such as otter, large great crested newt, pond bat and yellow saxifrage.
Spanning parts of Silkeborg, Ikast-Brande and Horsens municipalities, the area links classic Central Jutland heathland scenery with glacial lake districts and ancient woodland, making it one of the most habitat-diverse Natura 2000 sites in inland Denmark.
