Urban Biodiversity Survey, a joint project of the Finnish Nature Panel and the Arctic Centre, aims to examine the development and present state of the urban biodiversity in Finnish cities and assess the future of the urban nature.

The purpose of the survey is to find out how the
quality of the urban biodiversity can be maintained and actively nurtured. The
research focuses on the effects of urbanization on biodiversity, populations and
conservation and the importance of urban nature for the wellbeing of both
individuals and society at large.
– Connection to nature is also
important for urban dwellers. For them the urban nature is the most accessible type
of nature and has known benefits, comments Jukka Jokimäki, the university researcher
leading the project. Jokimäki is a member of the Finnish Nature Panel.

The majority of Finnish people are already living in cities and all over
the world, the number of urban dwellers is increasing rapidly. However, the
knowledge on the state of Finnish urban biodiversity is inadequate. At the same
time, urban habitats face continuous pressure from different types of land use, such
as construction.

– Urban nature has often been considered ruined
and degraded by human interference. Quite surprisingly, rich biodiversity can be
found even in some urban areas due to small but diverse habitats and newcomer
species, which mainly result from human activity, comments Jarmo Saarikivi, the
post-doctoral researcher working on the project.

The survey aims
to provide tools and knowledge to support better and more sustainable urban
policymaking and to demonstrate means to improve the urban planning, green space
management and the overall state of urban nature.

The results
will be gathered in a report, which will be published by the Finnish Nature Panel at
the end of 2023. The project is funded by the Ministry of the Environment and the
University of Lapland.

More information:

Jukka Jokimäki
University researcher
Arctic Centre,
University of Lapland
jukka.jokimaki@ulapland.fi; 0400138803

Jarmo Saarikivi
Post-doctoral researcher
Arctic
Centre, University of Lapland
jarmo.saarikivi@ulapland.fi;
0401930837

The Finnish Nature Panel