In 1987, Denmark launched restoration of 2,200 hectares around the Skjern River. 19 years later, SPA status arrived in 2006 as wildlife returned to the restored wetlands

In western Jutland, the Skjern River once flowed through a vast wetland landscape filled with meadows, reed-swamps, shallow lakes and winding waterways. Much of that habitat was lost after extensive land reclamation and river canalisation in the 1960s. The farmland created in the process initially produced income, but its productivity later declined as soil collapsed and heavy fertiliser use contributed to pollution in Ringkøbing Fjord.

According to the European Commission's LIFE Programme, the Skjern River restoration project helped restore wetland habitats and improve conditions for wildlife in western Jutland.