Nature-Wise Espoo roadmap to mitigate biodiversity loss

This article series presents cases of innovations built here in Espoo that strive for a better tomorrow for all.

Espoo is committed to achieving no net loss of biodiversity by 2035, recognizing the global challenge posed by biodiversity loss due to human activity and climate change. This long-term strategic vision aims to address the destruction of habitats, fragmentation of ecological networks, and environmental contamination.

To mitigate biodiversity loss, Espoo's strategy, known as the Espoo Story, emphasizes maintaining, restoring, and increasing biodiversity through sustainable city development. The newly launched Nature-wise Espoo roadmap outlines specific methods and actions to achieve these goals, with a key focus on achieving a state of "No Net Loss" where human activities do not diminish biodiversity or nature's benefits to humans. Implementing the roadmap will help preserve natural habitats, enhance the quality of life, and promote sustainable development.

Espoo plans to achieve “No Net Loss” by 2035 through a mitigation hierarchy that prioritizes avoiding and minimizing the loss of natural values. This involves directing construction away from valuable natural sites and implementing measures to preserve and restore biodiversity. Espoo also engages in research projects and learns from other cities' biodiversity restoration practices to stay at the forefront of global efforts.