Management Strategy for Natura 2000 sites in Finland November 23, 2011 Heikki Korpelainen , Ministry of the Environment Mervi Heinonen, Natural Heritage Services

Natura 2000 Network in Finland 1857 Natura 2000 Sites in Finland Total area 50,400 sq. km. 80 % on State-owned land ¾ of network surface on land Habitats Directive 12, 3 % of Finland’s surface Birds Directive 8 % (SCI /SPA partly overlapping) Primarily (97 % of the land area) based on the existing network of national protected areas or conservation programmes 1/2 National Parks, Strict Nature Reserves , other Protected Areas 1/3 large Wilderness Reserves in Lapland

Metsähallitus, Natural Heritage Services (NHS) manages State owned protected areas 37 national parks 19 strict nature reserves 12 wilderness reserves 540 other established protected areas Over 1700 conservation programme sites No inhabitants, no logging Over 7 mill. ha, 18 % of Finland’s surface area Public water areas comprise 3,4 mill. ha Commercial forests: 3.6 mil. ha Poorly and non-productive: 1.5 mill. ha (not used commercially) Protected, wilderness and other special areas: 4.0 mill. ha Water areas 3.4 mill. ha

Planning System: Ecosystem-based Natural Resource Planning Natural Resource Planning of Metsahallitus lands Commercial forests and other State areas Protected Areas managed by NHS Major elements Comprehensive land use planning Integrating commercial and conservation objectives Participatory stakeholder involvement Extending conservation beyond PA boundaries Landscape Ecological Planning Core areas (protected areas) Biodiversity enhancement areas Connectivity areas

Planning System: Protected Area Management Plan and Operational Plans NRP = Natural Resource Plan, tool for management of Metsähallitus lands MP = PA Management Plan NRP MP MP Operational Plan = Detailed plan for management measures Operational Plans Traditional biotopes Nature toursim Restoration Facilities Management plans for 30 Natura sites/year circa 50 operational plans Habitat management

Planning System: Natura 2000 Regional General Plans 13 General Plans drafted in 2007 One for each Regional Environment Centre (nowadays Centre for Economic Development, Transport and Environment) responsible for coordination of regional management of Natura 2000 sites Criteria for evaluation of need and urgency of Management Plan Importance of the site for conservation, threats & pressures affecting the sites, need for visitor and land use management, need for conservation measures > 2/3 of sites either have already or do not need a formal MP at all Some 500 sites evaluated needing management plans (2008) Most were small Natura sites in Southern Finland Grouping multiple sites into comprehensive Management plans By end of 2010, over 100 Natura sites have got a new MP

Management plan as a tool for adaptive management Define area, values, threats Develop goals, plan strategy, actions and monitoring Implement actions and monitoring Analyse data and adapt management Document and learn

Management plan contents and structure Six parts – 30 standardised forms I. State and land use history of planning area II. Key conservation values and threat analysis III. Goals and objectives IV. Strategies and actions V. Environmental impact analysis VI. Monitoring >> Now being transformed into a GIS-based planning and monitoring IT-system. In use by end of 2012.

Natura 2000 information management key to comprehensive site management Natura 2000 Site Condition Assessment (NATA) Also for Natura sites without management plans, documentation of conservation objectives and evaluation of needs for active measures Monitoring and assessment of the conservation values of the site, threats and impacts of activities Natura 2000 Standard Data Form updating (SDF) As part of NATA data collection and assessment process New SDF data format incorporated into IT system Monitoring of MP implementation and effectiveness

Natura 2000 Site Condition Assessment (NATA) Base line data on site and surroundings Standard Data Form (SDF) Key values and objectives Critical pressures and threats Condition of the site nature and other values Needs fo conservation and other measures Site Management Plan Restoration and other operative plans Planning if needed No planning needed

Thank you for your attention! Photo: Tage Lampén