Prioritized actions for promoting biodiversity targets in Finland

Introduction

The resources to combat biodiversity loss and implementing the EU BD Strategy for 2030 are scarce. It is evident that we need to use available resources more efficiently to make sufficient improvement in the state of biodiversity in Finland. Priodiversity LIFE will tackle this problem with three key solutions.

Key Solutions

1. Regional biodiversity action plans
2. Total management approach
3. Capacity building for biodiversity know-how and funding

Regional Biodiversity Action Plans

Regional biodiversity action plans (ReBAPs) will be prepared in eight pioneer counties. In the ReBAP, regional biodiversity hotspots and the connectivity between them will be identified in a co-creation process with the key stakeholders.

The data needed for the process will be gathered, supplemented, processed, and analysed with state-of-the-art spatial methods, and made openly available. ReBAP will guide the management and restoration of the region for decades.

Total Management Approach

Priodiversity LIFE will introduce the concept of total management approach. Instead of concentrating only on specific species or habitats, the focus will be on restoration and management, on the biodiversity hotspots and on connectivity securing the movement of the species between hotspots.

The broad view of the total management approach will consider biodiversity hotspots as diverse ecosystems including different species, habitats, and cultural heritage to optimise the best results for safeguarding biodiversity and related services (e.g. pollination, recreational use) while taking the challenges of climate and social change into account.

Replication and Capacity Building

ReBAPs and the total management approach will be replicated and transferred to all Finnish counties. A novel Educational Network will secure that up-to-date information and know-how in the biodiversity and restoration field will be transferred to the key stakeholders.

This transition is strongly supported by improving the availability of biodiversity funding and sharing knowledge about the efficient use of various national and EU funding possibilities.