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

2. 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 % (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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. Thank you for your attention!
Photo: Tage Lampén