nature

Biodiversity

luonnon monimuotoisuus

Biodiversity means the variety of species, genomes and ecosystems on planet Earth. It is the foundation of life. It is a complex and for many parts an unknown network of dependencies. It’s impossible to say which parts of the system are the most essential. Nevertheless, it has been compared to an aeroplane: if a couple of bolts fall off the plane can still keep on flying, but there is a certain point where losing a couple of pieces more will make the plane fall apart and crash. The decline of pollinating insects is one known example of a weak link in our ecosystems’ resilience.

Forests are the most significant habitats in Finland by quantity of species. The current endangerment trend is alarming, and Finland has failed its pledge to stop biodiversity loss. Out of the endangered species around 30% (in total 833) live primarily in forests. Among the forest habitat types 76% were assessed as threatened and 21% as near threatened.

The Red List of threatened species in Finland from 2019 states as the most important reasons for biodiversity loss ”the changes in forest habitats caused directly or indirectly by forestry, especially forest regeneration and management activities, and the decrease in old-growth forests, tall large trees and decaying wood.” Even if the decline would stop, the current fragmentation of rare forest types is a risk. Many species need to move to find food and keep a healthy gene pool.

Given that only 8% of forest land is protected, the biodiversity loss can be tackled only by including forests used for forestry – the majority of all forests. Nature is different in different locations, which is why actions are needed at a local level. 26% of forests are owned by the state, which hold a lot of valuable habitats. The most urgent job is to preserve our most rare and old forest types.

Other actions include developing better forest certificates, preserving more of dead and old trees during logging, and increasing retention trees and controlled burning to aid forest regeneration. Synergies with fighting the climate crisis at the same time as biodiversity loss can also be found, but out of these two the latter should be a priority as it’s more complex and locally crucial.