Post on 17-Aug-2020
transcript
Forest Biodiversity Program for
southern Finland METSO 2008 – 2025
One decade of voluntary forest
conservation in Finland
Kimmo Syrjänen
Finnish Environment Institute
Biodiversity Centre
Natura 2000 - Biogeographical Process
Boreal Region region
Estonia - Tallinn,
14-16 October 2019
The Conservation Area Network of Finland
• Conservation area network is mainly based on Nature
Conservation Act (and Degree)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1996/en19961096.pdfIn
• Nature reserves and natural monuments
• 1) national parks; 2) strict nature reserves; and
3) other nature reserves
• Nature conservation programme – historically
important tool
• Temporary protection order
• Protected habitat types
• Species under strict protection
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The Conservation Area Network of Finland
Nature Conservation Programmes (6):
• for Mires -79, -81 (605 700 ha)
• for Waterfowl habitats -82 (74 750 ha)
• for Eskers -84 (97 000 ha)
• for Herb-rich forests -89 (5 300 ha)
• for Shores -90 (133 900 ha)
• for Old-Growth forests -93 -95 -96 (together 320 000 ha,
South-Finland 23 000 + 3 900 ha, Kuusamo 14 000 ha,
North-Finland privately owned 8 500 ha)
• Based on national inventories, planning by experts, government
decision, full compensation – but compulsory for land owners
• Conservation of private land, especially forests has been
challenging for traditional conservation programmes
The Conservation Area Network of Finland
• National parks 1 002 200 ha (40), since 1938 –
• Strict nature reserves 154 200 ha (19), since 1923
• Wilderness areas 1 489 100 ha (14), 1991, 1997
• Private conservation areas (n. 220 000 ha / where about 120 000 ha
other than inside cons. progs. )
• Natura 2000 network -98,-02,-09 (new 138 200 ha / 28 200 ha private)
http://www.metsa.fi/web/en/numberandsizeofprotectedareas
The Conservation Area Network of Finland
• Forest Act Chapter 3 – Safeguarding the biodiversity of forests
(1085/2013) Section 10 – Preserving biodiversity and habitats of
special importance
• 10 §:n habitats altogether 212 500 ha, in South-Finland at privately
owned land 53 000 ha.
https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1996/en19961093
To conclude:
• Altogether 2,9 million ha protected areas
• 13,0 % of the total area of forest land and poorly productive forest
land are protected
• 6 % of forest land area
• About 80 % of protected forest areas are in northern Finland
https://stat.luke.fi/en/forest-protection
The Conservation Area Network of Finland
In southern Finland
most forests are
privately owned and
commercially used. In
north mainly state
owned.
The Conservation area
network has remained
scattered and
disconnected in middle
and southern part of the
country.
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Nature conservation areas by forest vegetation
zones.Source: State of Finland's Forests 2007.6
The main goals of
METSO –programme
2008-2025
• To improve protected area network,
especially at southern part of country
• To increase biodiversity in commercial
forests
• To increase collaboration between
forestry and environment sectors,
landowners and other stakeholders
• To enhance biodiversity knowledge,
communication and education
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The principles of
METSO
• The focus is on private
forests
• Land owners can voluntarily
offer their forests to
permanent or fixed-term
conservation agreements
• Full monetary compensation
• The site selection criteria
define which habitats are
accepted for conservation
• Municipal and state-owned
lands are also involved
Widely accepted by
landowners and public!
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The objectives of METSO
– 14 different actions
2 most concrete actions :
• To have 96 000 hectares
established as protected
areas – mainly permanent
protection
• To safeguard biodiversity
on 82 000 hectares of
forest habitats in
commercially managed
forests with environmental
forestry subsidy
agreements and nature
management projects.
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Nature management in
commercially managed
forests
• Involves measures to maintain,
increase or restore valuable
natural features in the forest
habitats (creating sequences of
decaying wood, controlled
burning of forests, restoration
work e.g. of springs and
brooks, mires etc.)
• Usually projects with several
forest owners and holdings
• Financed from the state budget
(Act on the Financing of
Sustainable Forestry)
• Forest owners benefit by
having ecologically valuable
features on their land
managed by experts and
without cost
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State owned forests and
METSO
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METSO contributes also to the
conservation, restoration and
management of publicly owned
lands, such as the state owned
forests managed by Metsähallitus
• Metsähallitus luontopalvelut
has contributed to the METSO
programme by restoring about
22 000 hectares of state-owned
and private habitats inside
conservation areas
• Metsähallitus company has
protected ca. 23 000 ha of
state-owned commercial
forests in METSO
• Nature management in
commercially managed forests
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METSO programme 2008 – 2025
concentrates into Southern part
of Finland
Coordinated by Ministry of Environment
and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Regional Environment Centre 2008-2018:
68 837 ha protected areas
- 72 % of the target (96 000 ha) obtained
Average size: private conservation areas
10 ha, sold to state 16 ha
Forest Centre 2008-2018:
- 40 552 ha temporarily protected areas
- 4739 ha nature management
-55 % of the target (82 000 ha) obtained
Average size: environmental subsides for
10 year period, 5 ha
Annual area of protected areas and environmental
forestry subsidy agreements and implementation of
nature management projects in METSO
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0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Temporary nature reserve (20 years) (ha)
Permanent nature reserves (ha)
Nature management project (ha)
Environmental forestry subsidy agreement (10 years) (ha)13
METSO financies in 2008–2018, YM ja MMM (milj. €).
Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Total
METSO conservationareas costs(Env. Min.)
8,7 9,7 21,3 24,4 33,9 34,2 36,8 28,7 21,5 18 23,2 260,5
Environmental subsidesand naturemanagement (ForestryMin.)
6,9 7,5 10,1 10,9 6,8 5,7 6,6 3 4,1 3,6 5,1 70,4
Science meets practise
METSO includes also…
Scientific research
Improve the knowledge base on forest
biodiversity and its conservation
Nature management and restoration
development projects
Development of new practical methods for
management and restoration in commercial
forests to improve the status of forest
biodiversity
Regional partnerships
Develop economically and socially
sustainable operation models to integrate
forest biodiversity conservation with other
forest uses
Encourage active collaboration between all
stakeholders – land owners, forest,
environmental and game authorities, NGOs,
nature-based tourism business
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The shoping list: ten forest habitat types with high
biodiversity value
• Herb-rich forests
• Heath forests with high biodiversity
(old-growth, abundant dead wood)
• Wooded mires and open mires
with forest margins
• Forests by watercourses
• Flooded forests and forest
swamps
• Esker forests
• Wooded meadows and forest
pastures
• Wooded cliffs, bluffs and boulder
fields
• Calcareous and ultramafic rocky
habitats
• Forests at uplifting coastlineTallin 14-16.10.2019
Includes forests and other wooded Annex I
habitat types of the Habitats Directive, also lower
quality successional/restorable habitats, and
contains other Annex I habitats
16
.
Shopping list – site selection criteria of METSO:
• All habitat type contains I-III quality classes – mainly based on
structural characteristics (age, amount of dead wood, tree
species composition, ecosystem functions and structure)
• Known occurrences of threatened species
• Possibilities for restoration (hydrology) and nature
management
• Size and connectivity to present conservation areas
• Large sites with several high quality habitats are most wanted
• Social criteria (ecoturism, importance for recreation etc) can
be used at some extent
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.
Herb-rich forests – results 2008-2018
Includes 9050 Fennoscandian herb-rich forests with Picea abies, 9180 * Tilio-Acerion forests
of slopes, screes and ravines, 9190 Old acidophilous oak woods with Quercus robur on
sandy plains, 9020 * Fennoscandian hemiboreal natural old broad-leaved deciduous forests
with Quercus, Tilia, Acer, Fraxinus and Ulmus – and developing successional stands of hern
rich forests
Results permanent protection 2 409 ha
temporary protection (For§) 1 960 ha
temporary protection (METSO) 689 ha
nature management (com.for.) 299 ha
(planned 1525 ha)
In addition management and retoration by Metsähallitus inside
conservation areas, often as a part of Life projects
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Heath forests with high biodiversity
values – results 2008-2018
Includes - 9010 * Western Taïga, but more widely forests with some amount of
natural characteristics
Results permanent protection 33 325 ha
temporary protection (For§) 1 076 ha (at least)
temporary protection (METSO) 4 922 ha
nature management (com.for.) 1 800* ha
*several habitats, incl. controlled burnings
In addition management and restoration by Metsähallitus inside
conservation areas, often as a part of Life projects
Forests and mires together 16 194 ha
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Wooded mires and open mires with forest margins –
results 2008-2018
Includes - 91D0 * Bog woodland, (parts of 7110 * Active raised bogs7120 Degraded raised
bogs still capable of natural regeneration7140 Transition mires and quaking bogs, 7230
Alkaline fens) – METSO is not voluntary mire conservation programme
Results permanent protection 14 116 ha
temporary protection (For§) 12 174* ha
temporary protection (For§) 2 029**ha
temporary protection (METSO) 3 079 ha
nature management (com.for.) 1 273 ha
(planned 3 445 ha)
*low productive habitats including open mires
**minerotrophic wooded mires and fens
In addition management and restoration by Metsähallitus inside
conservation areas, often as a part of Life projects
Forests and mires together 16 194 ha
21
Wooded meadows and forest pastures – results 2008-
2018Includes 6530 * Fennoscandian wooded meadows, 9070 Fennoscandian wooded
pastures
Results permanent protection 300 ha
temporary protection (METSO) 51 ha
In addition management and restoration by Metsähallitus inside
conservation areas, sometimes as a part of Life projects
together 2436 ha
22
.
.
Esker forests
– results 2008-2018
Includes 9060 Coniferous forests on, or connected to, glaciofluvial eskers
Results permanent protection 457 ha
temporary protection (METSO) 34 ha
nature management (com.for.) 47 ha
(planned 977 ha)
In addition management and restoration by Metsähallitus inside conservation
areas, often as a part of Life projects including controlled burnings
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METSO is not directly connected to Natura 2000
network but supports it in many ways:
• More Annex I habitat types into conservation area
network
• Nature management and restoration both inside
Natura 2000 areas and commercial forests –
development of new sites with habitat and species
values
• Increases connectivity of conservation areas
• Provides tools for many EU Life – projects
• Co-work and social relations – acceptability of
conservation !
SUCCESS AND CHALLENGES
Major success stories of METSO
• Strong support to the voluntary
program from land owners, NGOs,
forest companies, authorities,
politicians and general public
• Protected METSO sites have
generally high biodiversity value
• Increased collaboration between
forestry and environmental
authorities and other parties
• Increased knowledge on
biodiversity among forest and
environmental professionals and
forest owners (because of scientific
and development projects including
PUTTE- research programme)
• Tools for marketing and to help
decition making in site selection
(Zonation analyses)
Major challenges for METSO in the
future
• Maintaining the financing and
human resources of the program
over reign of several governments
• Mainstreaming results of the
research and development projects
• Re-evaluating the goals to
implement current international
biodiversity targets
• Small size of the protected areas
and poor connectivity of the
protected area network
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Conclusion: Voluntary conservation provides possibilities to improve
Natura 2000 network and to protect species of Bird and
Habitat Directive in member states
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http://www.metsonpolku.fi/en-US
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