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Metso means small-scaled and cost-effective protection |
The Government of Finland approved of a forest protection action plan of new kind in March, 2008, the Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland, or Metso Programme. The programme, reaching to 2016, represents new way of thinking in the Finnish forest biodiversity protection. It is based on a pilot phase, which started in 2002, where the tools of the programme were tested. Also an extensive research programme concentrating on the effects of forest protection was included in the pilot phase.
Earlier the most important way to protect forest biodiversity was to purchase large forest areas to the state of Finland to be strictly protected, with one-sided decisions made by the Government. But the tools of the Metso Programme are more or less the opposite: they are voluntary for the forest owner. The main target is to search cost-effective ways to safeguard the nature values of forests in private, family-owned forests serving as a normal part of commercial forestry and forest maintenance.
Small-scaled protection is a new way
The effectiveness of small-scaled measures in nature protection has been researched only since mid-1990s. The results are clear: with these measures it is possible to reach significant results with remarkably lower expenses. In regard to Finland, cost-effectiveness is extremely important in southern Finland, because there are the most productive forests in Finland, and the largest lacks concerning biodiversity are in private, family-owned forests, which means that purchasing them to the state for biodiversity safeguarding purposes would be very expensive. Withdrawing large forest areas from commercial use would also weaken the ability of wood processing industries to employ and create welfare.
Initially the tools of the Metso Programme were tested during 2002–07 with a special pilot phase on private, family-owned forests. At the same time the possibilities to increase the effectiveness of nature protection were tested in state-owned forests, both in commercial and nature protection forests. Also a larger research project than ever concerning ecological, social and economic effects of different protection tools was carried out in connection with the pilot phase.
Preparation group was exceptionally large
The pilot phase was prepared in a working group which was participated by exceptionally large sphere of interest groups from the Finnish society. The action plan for the pilot phase was approved of in the working group almost unanimously, with only one dissenting opinion from the Nature League. And the Government approved of the plan almost as such.
The pilot phase and its projects were finalised in 2006 and 2007. After that a new working group was established to prepare the actual Metso Programme. And the decision made by the Government in March 2008 was based on the plan prepared by this working group.
According to the decision of the Government, the target of the Metso Programme is to halt the decline of forest habitats and species and to stabilize the favourable development of the forest biodiversity until 2016. The tools include improving the network of protected areas, nature maintenance of commercial forests, improving the knowledge concerning forest biodiversity safeguard and the cooperation of forestry and environment authorities as well as guidance of family forest owners, training of forestry professionals and communication.
The first measure of the programme was to prepare criteria for the selection of the ecologically valuable sites.
As a target there were
protected and commercial forests
One of the measures in the Metso programme concern those areas, which already are protected. Its target is to restore these areas towards natural state, and manage such nature values, which would otherwise vanish. Generally, the restoration means one-off efforts. Concerning the Metso Programme, they usually are targeted at forests and marshes while continuous management is needed in, for example, herb-rich forests, which would, without management, develop into spruce-dominated forests. Also forests with rare broadleaves, habitats of some endangered species – such as white-backed woodpecker – sunny eskers and especially traditional agricultural habitats dominated by trees demand continuous management.
According to estimates, restoration efforts should be carried out on 12,000 hectares of state-owned lands during the programme. Nature management should be done on 3,500 hectares. In private, family-owned forests there is need for restoration efforts on 4,800 and for nature management on roughly 3,000 hectares.
The programme develops the network of protected forests by acquiring provisional or standing protection targets from private, family forest owners by means of trade in natural values. The protection efforts always start with the landowner’s initiative.
Two ways to protect for the forest owner
There are two ways in this. Firstly, the landowners can offer their forests as their own initiative. Secondly, forestry end environment authorities annually prepare a regional plan on structural features and rare habitats of forests in need of safeguarding, and ask the forest owners to submit tenders to safeguard them.
The sites offered through both these channels are then chosen in a competitive tendering based on the criteria for the selection of the ecologically valuable sites and the prize asked by the landowner. The mechanism is called trade in natural values.
An important target is to cooperate with the local associations of private, family forest owners, because they have the best connections with individual forest owners.
Whether the actual protection is provisional or standing will be solved based on the needs of the protected nature value. If protection is provisional, the landowner is not obliged to go on with the biodiversity safeguarding efforts after the provisional period.
In addition to this, the present protected state-owned forests will be enlarged by 10,000 hectares before 2010, where it is appropriate.
Green forestry plans
Biodiversity will be supported also in private, family-owned commercial forests. The tools to do this are nature management plan, financial support for safeguarding nature values and changes in Forest Act.
Nature management plan means emphasizing normal forestry plan towards the biodiversity targets of the Metso Programme. To achieve this, a special model for nature management plan will be created.
It is possible to support the safeguarding of nature values through Act on the Financing of Sustainable Forestry, but also through special nature management projects. After the agreement on the use of the finances ends, it may not limit the landowner’s right to use the area. It also is possible to carry out the projects as cooperation of more than one forest owner or holding.
The cooperation networks of private, family forest owners aim at creating new, forest-based business by adapting forest biodiversity protection, forest management and other uses of forest to each other. Network may be a part of activities in rural villages; it may support forest-based livelihoods, or recreational activities. The projects of the networks may not limit the use of those forests, the owners of which do not belong to the network. Participation is allowed for all forest owners, not only private, family forest owners.
There is also a special programme belonging to the Metso Programme safeguarding the biodiversity in municipal and state-owned recreational forests. Follow-up and evaluation of the results belongs to the Metso Programme as well. An annual summary will be made of its implementation, intermediate evaluations of its ecological, economic and social impacts will be made in 2010 and 2013 and a final evaluation in 2016.
 The proposition of the Metso working group in forest.fi
Finnish Forest Association's slides on Metso Programme:
 Metso handouts, 2 slides per page 1825,04 Kb
METSO notes 1818,72 Kb
METSO slides 1806,5 Kb
 Homepage of Metso Programme |
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