Including Ecological Paths in Regional Planning, Northern Lapland, 2040

By project NBS4LOCAL

Published on 16 April 2024

Finland

Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi

About this good practice

Regional Council of Lapland does regional land use planning for Lapland, indicating e.g. ecological corridors and the ecological network formed by them. Marking ecological corridors indicates the important movement connections of animals and species that need to be coordinated with other land use. The regional land use plan guides e.g. municipalities to take these connections into account in their more detailed planning.

Ecological paths are vital in enabling species to migrate to different areas and in diversifying the gene pools of animal populations. The paths are in a key role in climate change adaptation and not just for Lapland: the possibility for animal species to roam through Lapland also effects the gene pools in Sweden, Norway and Russia. Furthermore, the region of Northern Lapland is one of the most vulnerable to climate change as arctic areas are warming three to four times as fast as the globe on average.

Ecological corridors are also indicated in the regional and municipal planning in other Finnish provinces. However, Lapland is the only province that shares a land border with Sweden, Norway and Russia. For this reason, in Lapland, the continuity of cross-border ecological connections is vital, with special attention paid on the nature reserves in Norway and Russia.

In addition to benefits to biodiversity, ecological paths serve the recreational use of these natural areas. Furthermore, these areas serve in climate change mitigation.

Expert opinion

Climate change, industrial agriculture and habitat loss are among the main drivers of biodiversity loss in Europe. The European Union has many policies focused on protection of biodiversity, among them the Habitats Directive, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 or most recently the Nature Restoration Law, which aims to restore at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all degraded ecosystems by 2050. The law sets binding targets and obligations for EU member states to rehabilitate their natural habitats - 80 per cent of which are currently in poor condition. Eco-corridors are a powerful tool in the conservation of biodiversity, the restoration of ecosystems, and the promotion of sustainable land use. They provide a wide range of ecological, environmental, economic, and social benefits, from supporting wildlife movement to improving human well-being through recreation and nature access. This excellent good practice is in line with the European nature restoration goals. It is potentially transferable to all regional planning in Europe. Taking the eco-corridors into account in regional planning proces would highly benefit regional ecosystems.

Magda Michaliková

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

Included in the work of the Regional Council of Lapland.

Evidence of success

The Regional Plan was put in effect in September 2024 and is currently guiding the lower level planning in the region, meaning that the ecological paths of the Regional Plan need to be respected in land-use planning and in different land use projects.

Potential for learning or transfer

In our opinion this practice serves a great potential to all regional planning in Europe – taking the ecological paths into account would help diversify populations in different regions, protect biodiversity and support the migration of species to new areas and countries. However, it should be kept in mind that this enables also alien species to migrate to new areas which is an increasing threat due to climate change.

Central Europe is densely populated and very fragmented and therefore including ecological paths in planning is of utmost importance to enable better adaptation of species, more viable populations and finding of new habitats. At the same time some of these areas could serve recreational purposes and in climate change mitigation e.g. through reforestation and also aesthetic values.