Cities must take responsibility in combating biodiversity loss: Nature-wise Espoo seminar sought ways to preserve the diversity of nature

How can we preserve and increase biodiversity in a rapidly growing city? Espoo has taken up the challenge: in February, the City Board approved the Nature-wise Espoo road map. It sets the direction for the work we will carry out in the Urban Environment Sector over the next ten years. The sector is important, because it is responsible for things such as urban planning, nature management, and maintaining parks in Espoo.

On a May Thursday, a group of representatives from Espoo, other cities, the research field and business life gathered in Otaniemi to discuss how the growing city manages and implements nature wisdom. The event was opened by Olli Isotalo, Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment. Tarja Söderman, Director of Environmental Affairs, presented the Nature-wise Espoo road map, and Harri Tanska, Director of Public Works Department, explained the implementation of the road map, especially from the perspective of urban design.

The keynote speaker of the seminar was Professor Janne Kotiaho from the University of Jyväskylä. He is also the chair of the Finnish Nature Panel and a scientific advisor to the Finnish Government.

In his presentation, Kotiaho draw the audience’s attention to the startling figures concerning biodiversity loss: Nature in Finland and everywhere the world is in a critical state, as, for example, the area and quality of forests are constantly deteriorating. That is why he called for agency and responsibility: both the state and the municipalities must take on a role in improving the state of nature.

The Nature-wise Espoo roadmap is based on the idea of no net loss of biodiversity. It is a state where human activity does not decrease biodiversity or the ecosystem services it provides. According to Kotiaho, this can be achieved, but not without ecological compensation to make up for the harm caused to nature. This, however, requires critical assessment and planned measures.

Concern for nature and, on the other hand, understanding of its significance have increased rapidly in recent years. Many cities in Finland and around the world are currently developing their operations. At the seminar, Espoo sparred with three other cities that have also made great headway in nature work. Heli Huuskonen, who heads the Nature Positive Lahti programme, presented the Lahti project for improving biodiversity in the yards of daycare centres: the concept now completed will improve the comfort of new and repaired daycare centres and support the development of children’s relationship with nature. At the same time, stormwater accumulating on the plots is utilised and children are protected from the heat on hot days.

Turku’s aims to be a leading city in nature management and to establish new habitats, and Olli-Pekka Mäki, Director of Environmental Protection, presented good practices for and examples of the restoration of natural sites and the protection of special species.

Vantaa provided views on nature-wise city planning, as Vantaa was the first city in Finland to pilot ecological compensation. Laura Muukka, Senior Landscape Architect at Vantaa, emphasised that compensation is always the last option in the mitigation hierarchy; it is only utilised after effort has been made to avoid and mitigate harm to nature.

Inspiring examples confirmed that cities can really do their part in combating the loss of biodiversity while creating well-being and vitality. However, it is not always easy to reconcile different goals and realities. Cities cannot solve these challenges alone, they need partners: companies, landowners and residents, as well as dialogue with the world of research.

In his speech, Janne Kotiaho asked tough questions about how the city can safeguard biodiversity despite its growing population and, on the other hand, how urban actors can steer residents towards more sustainable lifestyles. At the end of the seminar, the topic was discussed by Harri Tanska, Director of Public Works Department, Kati Vierikko, Senior Researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute, Docent of Urban Ecology, and Juha Kostiainen, Director of Urban Development and ESG at YIT.

Espoo is a young city, which is why there are no old industrial areas or abandoned plots in Espoo. Thus, construction must be directed to existing green areas. However, both Tanska and Kostiainen hoped that construction would not cause any deterioration in people’s living conditions, the quality of the urban environment or the state of nature. As a representative of a construction company, Kostiainen was a round of applause from the audience when he called for stricter requirements for yard planning and consideration of nature values from cities.

Discussion of the seminar topics continued at the afternoon cocktail event. The implementation of the Nature-wise Espoo road map has been launched and good practices can now be properly developed,” Söderman says. “After all, a nature-wise Espoo is a way to act and implement all the goals set by the city in a nature-wise way.”

The Nature-wise Espoo Roadmap