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Monday, October 28th, 2019

Finnish nature flourishes with support from Rewilding Europe Capital

Author:    
Source:     Rewilding Europe
Publication Date:     October 2, 2019
 Link: Finnish nature flourishes with support from Rewilding Europe Capital
Stephan:   I continue to be fascinated by the growing schism trend that is taking most of Europe and the United States in antipodal directions. In the U.S. the Trump administration is opening up the pristine forests of Alaska to logging and oil exploration and encouraging fracking. In Europe, in contrast, they are trying to exit the carbon era as fast as they can and "rewilding" their land. Here is the latest on the European side of the trend, this time covering what is happening in Finland.

Spawning areas have been restored in Finnish rivers with support from Rewilding Europe Capital.
Credit: ARCTIC

Compelling comeback

What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago fishermen from the village of Selkie in the Finnish region of Karelia woke to find thousands of dead fish floating in the Jukajoki River, poisoned by pollution from Linnunsuo, a nearby peat production area. Today, with support provided by Rewilding Europe Capital (Rewilding Europe’s enterprise loan facility), not only are Linnunsuo and the river system to which it is connected well on their way to being restored, but an ambitious and expanding rewilding programme now encompasses rivers, wetlands and forests right across Finland.

Tero Mustonen is director of Snowchange, a Finnish NGO and European Rewilding Network member which has played an instrumental role in the rewilding process. He expects the scope and positive impact of the process to continue their upward trajectory.

“Rewilding in Finland has already resulted in the return of thousands of migratory birds and the recovery of climate critical peatlands, while trout will […]

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