Finland - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

According to the fourth Red List of Finnish species, completed in 2010, approximately 45,000 species are known to occur regularly in Finland, yet less than 50% of them are known sufficiently at the moment. A total of 2,247 species has been classified as threatened, amounting to 10.5% of the species whose statuses could be evaluated... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

Threats to biodiversity in Finland include the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, invasive alien species and climate change. Main threats to biodiversity in agricultural areas in particular relate to the cessation of traditional farming practices and intensifying land use. The clearance of fields is becoming less important as a threat, but eutrophication and construction are becoming more important as threats, alongside overgrowth and afforestation... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

In December 2012, the Finnish Government adopted the National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (2012-2020) entitled ‛Saving Nature for People’. Replacing the National Strategy (2006-2016), the vision of the new Strategy is to halt biodiversity loss in Finland by 2020 and ensure the favourable status of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 2050 (Finland will also assume active responsibility for issues related to biodiversity in international contexts)... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

Finland’s network of protected areas is quite extensive, with some 12% of the country’s total surface under protection, and up to 15% when other areas reserved for nature conservation programs are added, including the Natura 2000 sites which encompass significant areas for marine and coastal biotopes and species. Notably, Finland has adopted Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 as a national target thereby committing to increase, by 2020, protected area coverage of terrestrial environments and inland waters to 17%, and coastal and marine areas to 10%... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

In Finland, the principle of sectoral responsibility has been adopted in the conservation of biodiversity, meaning that each sector takes responsibility for reducing its harmful impacts on the natural environment. This principle has been duly adopted by the various branches of the government, and each of the relevant government ministries - particularly agriculture and forestry, transport, communication, defense and education - has developed their plans for biodiversity and provided training for their personnel working on biodiversity issues... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

Concerning monitoring tools and programmes, a large-scale inventory programme (VELMU Programme) of the most important marine underwater biotopes and distribution and range of different species and fish breeding grounds was initiated in 2004 and will be completed in 2015. With a view to developing a unified GIS application for managing protected areas, the Ministry of the Environment established a programme (SALTI) for creating IT systems for protected areas in the 2008-2011 period, assigning responsibility for the work to the Natural Heritage Services (NHS) Unit... More »