Base de Datos de Proyectos de PDR

A keen interest in forest protection and management instigated a project that seeks to raise public awareness regarding the protection and management of biodiversity in forests and rural areas. Renewable energy is also on the agenda.

In 2007, forest owners founded Koppelo ry, the Association for Natural Values in Western Finland, the only ideological association of this kind in the country, based on a will to sign voluntary forest protection and management agreements. Forest owners wanted to commit to securing the diversity of agricultural and forest areas.

The aim of the project is to inspire local private landowners to join in in voluntary conservation work and management. The project also aims at raising public awareness of alternative ways of protecting and managing biodiversity in forests and rural environments. The project foresees the development of new ways of utilising renewable energy sources available in rural areas.

The project includes farm visits and advisory services for landowners, urging them not to forget the natural, scenic and recreational values in forest management. Landowners are encouraged to make use of existing equipment in scenery management, which makes rural livelihoods more profitable. Building strong cooperation networks between people protecting and managing their land and forest property and other operators in this field is also an on-going activity.

As a result of the project, landowners will be able to pay attention and better exploit natural, scenic and recreational values. They will know to pay attention to natural and scenic values and to increase them while focusing on business activities, and have at their disposal certain methods that have been tested in practice. The project was nominated for the best environmental investment of the year in the Best Practices 2010 competition.

The combination of stakeholders, i.e. members of Koppelo ry, private landowners, the Forestry Centre, and local entrepreneurs, has created a new, citizen-based operational model for nature conservation and management.

Satakunta located in the province of Western Finland

Satakunta

Mainland

136 000

https://koppelo.webs.com/maaemohanke.htm

Jarmo Uimonen

jarmo.uimonen@metsakeskus.fi

+358 20 772 6441

English, Finnish