LIFE programme - Country Factsheet
FINLAND Overview Since the launch of the LIFE programme by the European Commission in 1992, a total of 129 projects have been financed in Finland. Of these, 72 focus on environmental innovation, 55 on nature conservation and biodiversity, and two on Information and Communication. These projects represent a total investment of €216 million, of which €95.5 million has been contributed by the European Union.
This document provides an overview of LIFE in Finland. It showcases success stories and ongoing initiatives,
Every year a call for project proposals is launched covering its three components: Nature and Biodiversity, Environment Policy and Governance, and Information and Communication. You will find more details on these and all recent LIFE projects in Finland in the annexed lists.
indicates how to find further information on the projects and provides a list of current projects in Annex.
Last update: 11/04/13
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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Environment Policy and Governance To date, the LIFE Environment component (now called Environment Policy and Governance) has co-financed 72 projects in Finland. These projects represent a total investment of €115 million, of which €45 million has been contributed by the European Union. Completed projects focused on six main themes: risk assessment/pollution control, water management at the scale of the river basin, sustainable construction, sensitive area management in coastal areas, eco-friendly and green financial products, urban design/quality of life/transport planning and integrated environmental management. The main types of beneficiaries were national, regional and local authorities, universities, international enterprises, research institutions and SMEs. The projects had an average duration of between 36 and 42 months. There are 17 ongoing projects in Finland under the LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance component. These projects are tackling the following issues: reducing emissions of greenhouse gases; urban design, quality of life and transport; land-use development and planning; risk assessment and pollution control; air quality management and noise abatement; agricultural and industrial waste management; and water management at the scale of the river basin. The projects are mainly carried out by local municipalities, national authorities, research institutes and international enterprises. They will be implemented over an average period of 48 months. The project presented in the box below is an example of a successful LIFE Environment project in Finland.
Mitigation of and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area - From Strategy to Implementation (Julia 2030) LIFE07/ENV/FIN/000145 The ‘Julia 2030’ project developed and demonstrated different ways of reducing CO2 emissions. It carried out extensive campaigns to promote awareness of CO2 emissions and ways of reducing them by making informed choices. The project initially promoted environmental responsibility in a wide range of workplaces through the creation of ‘ecosupporters’. Eco-support activities begin by appointing and training one or more eco-supporters. The environmental situation at the workplace is then reviewed, to determine any improvements that could be made. Finally, the eco supporters guide and inspire their colleagues in implementing new ecological practices. Based on experiences gained in Helsinki, a common framework programme was created for training new eco-supporters (a further 200 was the target), with a strong emphasis on climate issues and with the aim of spreading this approach to other municipalities in the Helsinki Region. This target was greatly exceeded, with a total of 640 new eco-supporters trained in Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kirkkonummi and Kerava during the project. The ‘Julia 2030’ project developed and tested CO2 calculators for several sectors, including public buildings. It tested a calculator for monitoring the greenhouse gas emissions of 32 selected pilot premises in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava and Kirkkonummi. These sites comprised schools, day care centres, libraries, public swimming pools, community centres, offices, depots and a health centre. The aim was to cut emissions by 10% between 2009 and 2011. Most of the GHG of the emissions of the pilot premises came from heating and the consumption of electricity. Emissions from work-related travel, paper consumption and waste were also calculated. The combined GHG emissions of the pilot sites fell by 8% between 2009 and 2011. In the area of green public procurement, general guidelines were drawn up for municipalities on how to take account of GHG emissions and other environmental aspects. The project also specified lifecycle-based GHG emission factors for 15 types of waste identified in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area waste management system. In the transport sector, the project provided CO2 calculators to help residents choose the best modes of personal mobility from the point of view of climate change mitigation. These Journey Planner CO2 calculators are user-friendly, with CO2 emissions displayed automatically when searching for the optimal transport route. Within the ‘Julia 2030’ project, a regional climate change adaptation strategy was also developed. This strategy aims to prepare the region for the consequences of, and reduce its vulnerability to, climate change. Translating efforts to reduce CO2 emissions into clear policy initiatives will take time. Nevertheless, cost savings can be achieved in the running of public buildings, in the procurement of goods, in the selection of transport modes, and in the handling of waste. For further information
http://www.ytv.fi/fin/julia2030/
Last update: 11/04/13
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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Nature and Biodiversity To date, the LIFE Nature component (now called Nature and Biodiversity) has co-financed 55 projects in Finland. These projects represent a total investment of €96 million, of which €49 million was contributed by the European Union. The majority of completed projects focused on the protection and restoration of habitats (aapa mires, boreal forests, rivers, wetlands) and species (the wild forest reindeer, the white-tailed eagle, the white-backed woodpecker). More than 80% of the projects were carried out by regional authorities. The rest were split between national/local authorities, universities, NGOs and parks. Their average duration was between 40 and 60 months. There are six ongoing projects in Finland under the LIFE+ Nature programme. These projects are focusing on the protection of habitats, such as boreal peatlands, wetland chains, species-rich habitats, rural wetlands and N2000 sites in marine areas. The projects have a duration of between 54 and 72 months. There is also one ongoing Biodiversity project, which is being carried out by the University of Helsinki. This project aims to create a national (Finnish) gene bank for threatened native plants, including vascular plants and bryophytes. The project presented in the box below is an example of a successful LIFE Nature project in Finland.
Promotion of public awareness and protection of aapa mires in Lapland (Pelkosenniemi-Life) LIFE06/NAT/FIN/000128 The Pelkosenniemi-Life project succeeded in restoring areas of aapa mire and in establishing management plans for the maintenance of favourable conservation status of a large area of target aapa mire and bird protection habitats in central Lapland, which is also part of the Natura 2000 network. The project secured 1 924 ha of aapa mire, bird protection areas, and forest, covering 71 different estates. It worked hard to engage landowners, both in compiling an inventory of the target forest/mire area, and in raising awareness of nature conservation. Although much progress was made in convincing landowners to sell certain parcels for nature conservation, the beneficiary was forced to start expropriation procedures for remaining lands and remains confident that the target of purchasing 2 300 ha will be achieved with national funds in the near future. The project team successfully developed a management plan for the Natura 2000 area, FI 1300907 Kemihaaransuot, covering 2 400 ha. This plan, which was approved during the project, describes the habitat types, age structure of the forest, endangered species, and the needs, goals, means and monitoring of habitat preservation. It has been designed to ensure the area maintains its favourable conservation status, to secure suitable living conditions for species, and to preserve traditional land use practices. To develop the plan, the project engaged landowners and stakeholders in participatory processes which included: conducting an inventory of habitats and species in the project area; establishing land-use needs; and enabling debate about key aspects of the plan. It also developed a restoration plan for aapa mire sites at Pyhä-Luosto National Park and at Luiron suot, based on aerial photos and fieldwork assessments of local conditions. The plan covered 150 ha, of which 100 ha is an actual mire restoration area. Specific restoration actions were conducted to fill in 44 103 m of ditches and build 19 dams in the Pyhä-Luosto National Park and at Luiron suot. These actions helped to restore the appropriate hydrological conditions for 251.6 ha of aapa mire. To promote public awareness, the project used mainstream media channels, as well as producing brochures, information leaflets and a video. It also organised an exhibition and new information boards at Kilpiaapa. Public meetings and other direct contact with landowners and stakeholders was undertaken to increase buy-in to the project’s objectives. This work led to progress, but also revealed further challenges in terms of convincing landowners of the need to prioritise ecological concerns. For further information: http://www.ymparisto.fi/default.asp?node=21262&lan=fi
Last update: 11/04/13
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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Information and Communication The projects funded under this LIFE+ component aim to disseminate information and raise the profile of environmental issues. They also provide training and awareness-raising on the prevention of forest fires. One LIFE Information and Communication project was completed at the end of 2011 in Finland. The overall aim of this project was – over a 36 month period - to set up a Climate Change Community Response Portal (CCCRP). The project was implemented by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and had a total budget of €1.9 million, of which the European Union contributed €0.9 million. The project’s results are described in the box below. There is also one ongoing project, which started in October 2010 and runs for a 33 month period. The aim of this project is to maintain the genetic diversity of the valuable salmon populations in Lake Saimaa, and to improve their vitality. Projects actions include an information exchange and negotiation process to promote sustainable fishing practices.
Climate Change Community Response Portal (CCCRP) LIFE07/INF/FIN/000152 The Finnish Climate Change Community Response Portal project successfully created an extensive website/portal that brings together relevant and reliable climate change information in one place. The site is structured to help local decision makers, especially at the municipal and regional level, to integrate climate change information into their planning and decision making processes. The project collected, screened and classified a wealth of climate change information into three groups. These formed the basis for the three components of the web-portal: 1. A ‘Climate change explained’ section, which provides research-based information on physical climate science, focusing in particular on climatic changes in Finland, as well as impacts, mitigation and adaptation measures. This section consists mainly of web articles produced in a standard format, providing references and links to further information; 2. A ‘Maps, graphs and data’ section, which provides users with observed and anticipated data on climate change and its impacts in the form of maps and graphs. With the help of an easy-to-use interface, citizens and decision makers can learn from the past and look at future scenarios. 3. A ‘Community Response Wizard’, which offers support, as well as options, for adaptation and mitigation for local-scale planning and decision-making in municipalities. It helps the user to quickly grasp the main impacts of climate change in any sphere of activity, understand the possibilities for adaptation and mitigation, find the most suitable set of actions, and find case studies and best practices. The website was designed to be easy to use for people who do not have scientific training, but need to use climate changerelated information in their daily work. Planners and decision-makers, for example. It enables quick and easy access to reliable and up-to-date information on all aspects of climate change, as well as providing a starting point for the user to explore the issue in depth. The website has demonstrated a means of structuring climate change information that is easy to understand and manageable, but also rigorous and comprehensive. It should assist municipalities and regions in meeting their national and EU responsibilities for sustainable development, including the achievement of targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The beneficiary hopes the portal will become an official reference for other authorities regarding climate change issues. For further information: http://www.fmi.fi/cccrp
Last update: 11/04/13
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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How to find out more about LIFE and LIFE projects By surfing on the LIFE website The LIFE website provides a wealth of information on the LIFE programme: http://ec.europa.eu/life/
By searching on the LIFE projects For further information on LIFE projects in Finland or LIFE projects in general, please consult the online LIFE projects database. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm The easy-to-use database is the authoritative source of information on all ongoing and closed LIFE projects. The database also provides information on the beneficiaries, their contact details, and the projects’ websites.
By contacting: The National Contact Point for Finland Ministry of the Environment Name: Address:
Pekka HARJU-AUTTI Kasarmikatu 25 FIN – 00023 Valtioneuvosto +358 50 365 2359 +358 91 603 9319 pekka.harju-autti@ymparisto.fi
Tel: Fax: E-mail: Website: http://www.syke.fi/enUS/Services__Data/Research_and_development_projects/EU_projects
The Monitoring Team for Finland SOGES-ELLE sia Skolas Iela 10-8 LV-1010 Riga Latvia Tel: +371 6 7242411 Fax: +371 6 7242466 E-mail: elle@astrale.org
Last update: 11/04/13
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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Recent Environment Policy & Governance projects in Finland Project Title
Project Number
Website
Monitoring and assessment of carbon balance related phenomena in Finland and northern Eurasia (SNOWCARBO)
LIFE07 ENV/FIN/000133
http://snowcarbo.fmi.fi
Climate Change Response through Managing Urban Europe-27 Platform (CHAMP)
LIFE07 ENV/FIN/000138
http://www.localmanagement.eu/
Vulnerability assessment of ecosystem services for climate change impacts and adaptation (VACCIA)
LIFE07 ENV/FIN/000141
http://www.environment.fi/syke/vac cia
Mitigation of and Adaptation to the Climate Change in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area From Strategy to Implementation (JULIA 2030)
LIFE07 ENV/FIN/000145
http://www.julia2030.fi
Reducing environmental risks in use of plant protection products in Northern Europe (PesticideLife)
LIFE08 ENV/FIN/000604
http://www.mtt.fi/pesticidelife
Climate Change Adaptation Tools for Environmental Risk Mitigation of Acid Sulphate Soils (CATERMASS)
LIFE08 ENV/FIN/000609
http://www.ymparisto.fi/syke/cater mass
Abatement of VOC load from waste water treatment in mechanical pulping (VOCless waste water)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000568
http://www.voclesspulping.com
Participatory monitoring, forecasting, control and socioeconomic impacts of eutrophication and algal blooms in river basins districts (GISBLOOM)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000569
http://www.ymparisto.fi/syke/gisblo om
Application of LCA for sustainable green cover management using waste derived materials (LCA IN LANDSCAPING)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000570
Climate change induced drought effects on forest growth and vulnerability (Climforisk)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000571
http://www.metla.fi/life/climforisk
Mitigation of Arctic warming by controlling European black carbon emissions (MACEB)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000572
http://www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/mac eb
Improving energy efficiency of housing stock : impacts on indoor environmental quality and public health in Europe (INSULATE)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000573
http://www.insulateproject.eu
Sustainable methods and processes to convert abandoned low-quality soils into construction materials (ABSOILS)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000575
Last update: 11/04/13
Click on the icon to read the project summary
Project duration
01/2009–> 12/2012
01/2009–> 12/2011
01/2009–> 12/2011
01/2009–> 12/2012
01/2010–> 12/2013
01/2010–> 12/2013
10/2010–> 09/2013
10/2010–> 09/2013
http://www.lcainlandscaping.fi 09/2010–> 08/2014
01/2011–> 12/2014
01/2011–> 12/2013
09/2010–> 08/2015
http://projektit.ramboll.fi/life/absoils 09/2010–> 12/2014
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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Best winter maintenance practices ot reduce respirable street dust in urban areas demonstration of best practices, strategy development and implementation (REDUST)
LIFE09 ENV/FIN/000579
http://www.redust.fi/
Odour and hazardous emission abatement of foundries (Odourless casting)
LIFE10 ENV/FIN/000059
http://odorlesscasting.com/
Guidelines for Sustainable Exploitation of Aggregate Resources in Areas with Elevated Arsenic Concentrations (ASROCKS)
LIFE10 ENV/FIN/000062
http://projects.gtk.fi/ASROCKS/
Knowledge based data services -improving the life cycle and accessibility of environmental data provided for public interest (LifeData)
LIFE10 ENV/FIN/000063
Improving environmental assessment by adopting good practices and tools of multicriteria decision analysis (IMPERIA)
LIFE11 ENV/FI/000905
01/2011–> 12/2014
10/2011–> 09/2014
09/2011–> 08/2014
http://www.metla.fi/life/lifedata/ 09/2011–> 12/2015
http://imperia.jyu.fi 09/2011–> 12/2015
Benchmarking water protection in cities (CITYWATER)
LIFE11 ENV/FIN/000909
N/A
Urban Oases: Shaping a Sustainable Future through Environmentally Functional Landscape Features (Urban Oases – Keidas)
LIFE11 ENV/FIN/000911
http://www.helsinki.fi/taajamakeita at/
10/2012–> 09/2015
06/2012–> 06/2017
Recent Nature & Biodiversity projects in Finland Project Title
Project Number
Website
Inventories and planning for the marine Natura 2000 network in Finland (FINMARINET)
LIFE07 NAT/FIN/000151
http://www.ymparisto.fi/finmarinet
Restoring the Natura 2000 network of Boreal Peatland Ecosystems "Boreal Peatland Life" (Boreal Peatland Life)
LIFE08 NAT/FIN/000596
http://www.metsa.fi/sivustot/metsa/ fi/Hankkeet/LifeLuontohankkeet/Su overkosto/Sivut/SuoverkostoLife.as px
Return of Rural Wetlands: Local participation and innovative methods for costeffective large-scale wetland restoration (Return of Rural Wetlands)
LIFE09 NAT/FIN/000563
http://www.kosteikko.fi
Increasing the ecological connections and coherence of the Natura 2000 network in South-west Lapland (NATNET)
LIFE10 NAT/FIN/000047
http://www.natnet.fi
Improving the Conservation Status of Species-rich Habitats (Species-rich LIFE)
LIFE10 NAT/FIN/000048
http://www.metsa.fi/SIVUSTOT/MET SA/FI/HANKKEET/LIFELUONTOHANK KEET/LUONNONHOITOLIFE/Sivut/de fault.aspx
Last update: 11/04/13
Click on the icon to read the project summary
Project duration
01/2009 –> 12/2012
01/2010 –> 12/2014
09/2010 –> 12/2015
01/2012 –> 12/2017
09/2011 –> 08/2016
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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Ex-Situ Conservation of Finnish Native Plant Species (ESCAPE)
LIFE11 NAT/BIO/000917
09/2012 –> 08/2017
Recent Information and Communication projects in Finland Project Title
Project Number
Website
Climate Change Community Response Portal (CCCRP)
LIFE07 INF/FIN/000152
http://www.fmi.fi/cccrp
Promoting sustainable salmon fishing practices on Lake Saimaa (Saimaan lohikalojen)
LIFE10 INF/FIN/000052
http://www.jarvilohi.fi
Last update: 11/04/13
Click on the icon to read the project summary
Project duration
01/2009 –> 12/2011
10/2011 –> 06/2014
European Commission, DG Environment – LIFE E.3 & E.4 Units (http://ec.europa.eu/life/)
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