Metsähallitus says Sakatti mine’s compensation plan falls short

Metsähallitus says Aa Sakatti Mining’s plan to compensate for damage from its Sakatti mine project does not adequately address harm to the protected Viiankiaapa mire, Yle reports.

In its statement, Metsähallitus said the proposed restoration and compensation measures would not make up for all damage to habitats currently in excellent condition. It also said some measures were uncertain because land-use rights had not been secured and some ditches had not been checked in the field. Metsähallitus counts only measures confirmed as feasible as compensation.

The Permit and Supervision Agency also considers the proposed measures insufficient to compensate for all the damage. It said the plans are heading in the right direction but need to be supplemented.

Aa Sakatti Mining chief executive Pertti Lamberg said the company’s plan provides sufficient grounds to seek an exemption from Natura protection. He said the company would review the agencies’ statements and use their feedback to develop the plan.

Compensation areas proposed by the company are immediately adjacent to Viiankiaapa and would form a connected ecological whole, Metsähallitus said. It also welcomed the extensive field survey conducted in those areas.

The proposed mine in Sodankylä would operate beneath Viiankiaapa, which is protected both under the EU’s Natura network and Finland’s national mire protection programme. The natural mire is valued for its wildlife and is known as an important bird area. The project, whose mine would mainly produce copper and nickel as well as cobalt, has been included on a list of Europe’s most important raw material projects. Exemptions from Natura protection require a government decision.