In Finland the law allows hunting of 17 threatened species. That is unbearable.
A group of Finnish individuals has put up a Citizens’ intiative to change this law. If at least fifty thousand Finnish citizens entitled to vote will sign this initiative, it will move forward to the Parliament.
In Finland it is allowed to peel off the vegetation and the surface layer of peat from peatlands without an environmental permit. It is not even required to inform the authorities of this activity.
Peat industry claims that this is an “environmentally friendly” way to produce growing media for gardening and greenhouses. But in practice harvesting has been done on unditched open peatlands, which possess considerable ecological values.
Peatlands are unique communities that can be destroyed in a matter of days but require thousands of years to form naturally. Even removing the surface layer obliterates the peatland’s natural flora and fauna, and its recovery will take dozens of years.
This Kivisalmenneva mire was peeled by Biolan, a Finnish company that produces growing media from peat, compost and sphagnum moss.
“Rivers, lakes, and wetlands support extraordinary diversity. Such bodies of water host more species per square kilometre than forests or oceans. Yet they are losing this biodiversity two to three times faster than forests and oceans. Populations of freshwater animals, including river dolphins, sturgeon, beavers, crocodiles, and giant turtles, have already plummeted by 88%. More than a quarter of freshwater species are headed for extinction unless we act now.”
Bring living waters back to our planet – Oxford University Press Blog
Älvräddarna is a Swedish nationwide organization that works for environmental adaptation of the necessary hydropower and decommissioning of the unnecessary.
“With hydropower, overfishing, climate change and pollution on the rise, populations of migratory freshwater fish species have plummeted globally by 76% on average since 1970, including a 93% collapse in Europe.”
93% collapse in migratory freshwater fish populations in Europe – new report
