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