NATURE DATA FOR MUNICIPAL DECISION-MAKING

Strengthening biodiversity requires an understanding of what biodiversity means, why it matters, and how it can be enhanced. Biodiversity is challenged, for example, by the homogenisation of forest structure and the loss and fragmentation of habitats caused by construction and other forms of land use. The risks brought about by climate change are also increasing, and preparing for these risks and adapting to a changing climate require clear objectives and action.

To put these objectives into practice, we need information on the current state of nature and on where areas of particular importance for biodiversity are located. Urban environments also offer many opportunities to strengthen biodiversity when the value of nature and its spatial variation are understood. Information on individual valuable sites alone is not enough; a broader understanding of the state of nature and its spatial variation is needed.

Together with Luontoa Oy, we are developing ways to make this information as practical and comparable as possible. One key tool is the Natural Value Hectare, which enables biodiversity to be assessed as a measurable, spatially explicit whole based on geospatial data.

Our aim is to transform multi-source nature data into a format that can be readily used in decision-making.

Mapping Natural Value Hectares helps identify where natural values are concentrated within a municipality and how they vary between different areas. When natural values are assessed at the landscape level, they can be better taken into account in practical planning, and negative impacts on nature can be avoided already at the early stages of planning. Where impacts cannot be fully avoided, the information can be used to reduce them, restore the resulting impacts where possible, and ultimately compensate for any remaining impacts.

Information on forest health and risks also contributes to building a comprehensive understanding of an area. KOKO Forest’s remote sensing and deep learning-based analyses can be used, for example, to map dead trees, monitor changes in forest health, and identify features of particular importance for biodiversity. This makes it possible to combine information on both biodiversity and forest condition across the same area.

Our aim is to transform multi-source nature data into a format that can be readily used in decision-making.