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Flying squirrel in Espoo

There are approximately 1000-2000 flying squirrels in Espoo. Flying squirrels have spread fairly evenly across Espoo, and they live both in the forested areas of Northern Espoo and in the middle of densely built Southern Espoo. The flying squirrel is an endangered species and its breeding and resting places are protected under the EU Habitats Directive and the Finnish Nature Conservation Act. The flying squirrel must therefore be taken into account in all land use planning, and the protection of the flying squirrel can only be deviated from for special reasons.

Photo: Ari Valkonen

Protection of the flying squirrel

In the years 2014–2015, a comprehensive survey on flying squirrels (in Finnish) was carried out in Espoo, where the location of the forest areas inhabited by flying squirrels and the distribution of the population in different parts of the city were investigated. Radio monitoring of flying squirrels has also been carried out in Espoo in 2013 in the Matinkylä and Espoonlahti area (in Finnish) and in 2019–2020 in the Tapiola ja Mankkaa areas (with English summary). You can also find other reports related to the flying squirrel in the publications of Environmental Protection (mainly in Finnish).

In addition to these studies, regional flying squirrel surveys are carried out in Espoo every year. Surveys are usually carried out in connection with urban planning and construction projects, when they want to find out if there are flying squirrels in the planning area. If flying squirrels are found in the area, their habitats are taken into account and plans are changed if necessary. Sometimes situations may appear in which it is necessary to deviate from the protection of the flying squirrel. However, there must always be compelling reasons for deviating, for example that the project is particularly socially significant. The ELY Centre decides on deviations from protection.

The City of Espoo has its own operating model to protect the flying squirrels. The city’s various units cooperate closely so that the protection of the flying squirrel can be ensured in the growing city. In addition, Espoo is involved in the international Flying Squirrel LIFE project, which aims to improve the protection of the flying squirrel and share good practices with other operators. The project has published, among other things, a guide on considering the flying squirrel in urban planning (with English summary).

Espoo is also the home of the Siberian flying squirrel. We have Siberian flying squirrels living in our forests close to people. Protecting an endangered species in a growing city requires a great deal of planning and cooperation between environmental protection experts, city planners and developers. The video was produced as part of the Flying Squirrel LIFE project, during which Espoo has shared its lessons learned with other growing cities.

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