Government limits Finland’s restoration rules to Natura areas

Finland’s government has decided that nature may continue to deteriorate outside protected Natura 2000 areas, with no binding restoration requirements elsewhere. Yle reported that the government will send the European Commission a plan for implementing the EU’s nature restoration regulation, but has not yet decided how much forest should be restored.

The decision means the regulation’s so-called non-deterioration obligation will apply only to Natura 2000 areas. The requirement is intended to prevent significant declines in the condition of habitats and species already in good condition. Measures outside protected areas will be voluntary.

“Limiting the non-deterioration obligation to Natura 2000 areas is clearly contrary to the restoration regulation,” said Tapani Veistola, executive director of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. He said forests outside protected areas should also be protected and improved.

The government has not decided how much boreal natural forest to include in restoration efforts. Its plan proposes identifying about 70,000 additional hectares of such forest in Finland. Around 14,000 square kilometres have already been identified, while Aija Kukkala, a senior researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute, said a favourable area would be about 37,000 square kilometres.

The government proposes looking for more forest within existing protected areas and in Metsähallitus’s area-ecological network forests. Under the plan, restoration measures would not be required in newly identified privately owned forests.

The question of which forests to protect and which may be logged has been a central dispute. The government will continue discussions through a new working group. Boreal natural forests were handled behind closed doors and were not included in the draft plan sent out for public comment.

WWF’s senior forest expert Mai Suominen said the draft plan and any additions should be made public so its impact can be assessed transparently. The government approved the plan at a plenary session on Thursday.

The regulation covers forests, peatlands, waterways and meadows. The government’s plan lists 57 measures, including more grazing, removing barriers in rivers and restoring peatlands. It provides no additional funding for restoration, instead counting on measures already under way, including voluntary forest and peatland protection programmes.

Tags: Finland, nature restoration, forests