Youth and law drafting : Developing quality youth participation in legislative processes and courtrooms

publishedVersionNon peer reviewe

Hydropowering sustainability transformation: policy frames on river use and restoration in Finland

Hydropower, as a flexible energy source, has sparked renewed interest in the ongoing decarbonisation of the society. Simultaneously, a wider transformation of the socio-ecological system towards more sustainable practices of energy production is required. Our paper draws from the sustainable transformation theory and the concepts of transformability, hydro-social cycle, and aquatic regime to study a system of water governance and regulation in Finland. Our case study data consists of 16 semi-structured interviews and 207 news articles from Yle national broadcast company. We studied the policy frames to reveal how the water governance actors understand, view and make sense of future river use and restoration, and how they utilise the frames for strategic purposes. Results demonstrate that the future river use and restoration were framed by four modes of thinking: 1) hydropower as a ‘cultural trauma’, 2) restoring rivers and dam removal after hydropower construction and operation to improve ecological flows in rivers, 3) improving the social acceptance of hydropower and dam removal, and 4) improving the efficiency of the hydropower regime as a flexible source of power. Our paper shows that to enable pathways for socio-ecological-technical transformations of aquatic ecosystems further scientific scrutiny should be focused on reconciliation of the interest of river restoration, recreational uses of aquatic environments and the flexible energy function of hydropower in energy transition. Removal of migration barriers and small-scale hydropower plants and building fishways and bypasses are part of this transformation. Furthermore, the river regulation needed to give impoundment facilities the flexibility, causes changes in water levels which may be a potential source of conflict between riparian residents and hydropower operators. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on water governance that recognises the local dynamics and interactions within the social-ecological systems

Framing the peat - the political ecology of Finnish mire policies and law

This article aims to reveal the political positioning of ‘mire nature’ in Finnish peatland policy and law. The data analysed include the latest policy documents, laws and regulations related to mires and peat extraction. Analysis is based on frame analysis (i.e. how an object is defined and positioned) and ideas drawn from a political ecology approach. Two main frames can be identified within the Finnish legal and policy framework: peat as a natural resource to be utilised for national energy sufficiency and economic competitiveness, and peat as a valuable source of biodiversity and an integral element of global ecosecurity. Analysis reveals the degree to which the definition of issues or objects in legal and policy terms is important in determining outcomes. It also reveals that national policies have swung back and forth and are prone to economic power struggles. Furthermore, while laws and regulations have offered strong and longstanding support for the extractive use of peat, the latest regulatory developments show a break from this trend. However, the arguments and facts concerning climate change are poorly integrated with Finnish peatland policy and law

Nuorten osallistuminen ilmastolainvalmisteluun

publishedVersionPeer reviewe

After-use of peat extraction sites – A systematic review of biodiversity, climate, hydrological and social impacts

After drainage for forestry and agriculture, peat extraction is one of the most important causes of peatland degradation. When peat extraction is ceased, multiple after-use options exist, including abandonment, restoration, and replacement (e.g., forestry and agricultural use). However, there is a lack of a global synthesis of after-use research. Through a systematic review of 356 peer-reviewed scientific articles, we address this research gap and examine (1) what after-use options have been studied, (2) what the studied and recognized impacts of the after-use options are, and (3) what one can learn in terms of best practices and research gaps. The research has concentrated on the impacts of restoration (N = 162), abandonment (N = 72), and replacement (N = 94), the latter of which consists of afforestation (N = 46), cultivation (N = 34) and creation of water bodies (N = 14). The studies on abandonment, restoration, and creation of water bodies have focused mostly on analyzing vegetation and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, while the studies assessing afforestation and cultivation sites mostly evaluate the provisioning ecosystem services. The studies show that active restoration measures speed-up vegetation recolonization on bare peat areas, reduce GHG emissions and decrease negative impacts on water systems. The most notable research gap is the lack of studies comparing the environmental and social impacts of the after-use options. Additionally, there is a lack of studies focusing on social impacts and downstream hydrology, as well as long-term monitoring of GHG fluxes. Based on the reviewed studies, a comparison of the impacts of the after-use options is not straightforward. We emphasize a need for comparative empirical research in the extracted sites with a broad socio-ecological and geographical context

Energiaa vai luonnonrauhaa ? : puolesta ja vastaan argumentointi paikallisessa turvekonfliktissa Keski-Pohjanmaalla

Referee-artikkel

History of natural resource use in Koitajoki area depicting the environmental change

Tässä raportissa tarkastellaan Koitajoen valuma-alueen luonnonvarojen käytön historiaa ympäristön tilan muutoksen kuvaajana. Luonnonvarojen käytön historia Koitajoen alueella on toteutettu osana Freshabit Life IP– hankkeen (LIFE14 IPE/FI/023) Koitajoki toimenpideosioita luonnonvarojen kestävän käytön kehittäminen ja uusien toimintamallien kehittäminen. Hanke on Euroopan Unionin LIFE IP -ohjelman rahoittama vuosille 2016–2022 ja hanketta koordinoi Metsähallitus. Koitajoen osahankkeessa on tavoitteena luonnonvarojen kestävän käytön edistäminen yhteistyönä alueellisista lähtökohdista käsin. Raportin tavoitteena on laajentaa tietopohjaa Freshabit LIFE IP Koitajoki -hankkeen yhteistyön ja luonnonvarojen kestävän käytön suunnittelun tueksi ja taustoittaa luonnonvarojen käytön ja suojelun yhteensovittamista. Raportti on osa yhteistyöryhmän toimintaa varten tuotettua aineistoa luonnonvarojen kestävän käytön suunnittelun pohjaksi ja tausta-aineistoksi. Koitajoen valuma-alue sijaitsee itärajan tuntumassa, Ilomantsin kunnan sekä Lieksan ja Joensuun kaupunkien alueella. Luonnonvarojen kestävän käytön edistämistä varten alueelle on perustettu vuonna 2017 keskeisten toimijoiden, kunnan ja asukkaiden muodostama Koitajoen yhteistyöryhmä ja laajemman osallistumisen varmentamiseksi vuosittain kaksi kertaa kokoontuva kaikille avoin Koitajoki–Koitere ympäristöfoorumi. Tämä historiakatsaus kuvaa luonnonvarojen käytön muutoksia ja niiden käyttöön sekä ympäristöön liittyvien paikallisten kulttuuristen ja yhteiskunnallisten arvojen kehittymistä Koitajoen valuma-alueen ja Ilomantsin kunnan alueella vuosina 1943-2018. Näkökulmaksi tähän katsaukseen on valittu toisen maailmansodan jälkeinen ympäristöhistoria, sillä ajanjakso on ympäristöhistorian kannalta merkityksellinen ympäristömuutoksen ja luonnonvaroja hyödyntävän teknologian kehityksen ollessa valtaisaa. Ympäristötietoisuuden nousu ja ympäristöhallinnon kehitys ajoittuvat myös 1900-luvun lopun vuosikymmenille. Raportissa Koitajoen valuma-alue näyttäytyy itäisenä reuna-alueena, jossa muun muassa valtion ja yhtiöiden omistamien metsien osuus on huomattava. Valtakunnan metsä- ja luonnonvarapolitiikan käänteet ovat siten vaikuttaneet merkittävästi Pogostan maisemiin ja elämänmenoon. Toisaalta uutta luonnonvaroja hyödyntävää toimintaa on syntynyt rajaseudulle muun muassa kaivostoiminnan sekä matkailun ja mökkeilyn muodossa. Saavutettavuus on tarkistettu

Discursive Struggle and Agency—Updating the Finnish Peatland Conservation Network

This paper explores the process of updating the peatland conservation network in Finland—the Supplemental Mire Conservation Programme, which was drafted from 2012 to 2015. This study employs discursive agency approach (DAA), to reveal how agents actively seek to gain legitimate speaker positions and influence policy outcomes as they rely on existing discourses. It also studies the role of discourse in the context of Finnish peatland conservation policy and evaluates the role of agents in the discursive process and how they influenced the outcome. The empirical data consists of expert interviews, newspaper articles and policy documents. The results indicate that the discourses of ‘maintenance of biodiversity’, ‘regulatory program’, ‘voluntary conservation’ and ‘participatory approach’ influence the peatland conservation policy. Additionally, discursive agency is achieved through hegemonic discourse and a consensus seeking argumentation strategy that rely on keywords, such voluntary and sustainability