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

Tallin 14-16.10.20192

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.

Tallin 14-16.10.2019

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

Tallin 14-16.10.20197

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!

Tallin 14-16.10.20198

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.

Tallin 14-16.10.20199

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

Tallin 14-16.10.2019

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

Tallin 14-16.10.2019

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

19

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

20

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

Tallin 14-16.10.201924

Tallin 14-16.10.2019

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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Tallin 14-16.10.2019

http://www.metsonpolku.fi/en-US

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