Minister Mykkänen: Lessons to be learned from destruction of freshwater pearl mussels to develop forestry practices and regulation

Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen will meet representatives of the forest sector on 10 September. The Ministry of the Environment is exploring further actions that could be taken to protect threatened habitats.

Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen has invited representatives of companies and organisations operating in the forest sector to a joint discussion and launched a process to explore measures that could be taken to ensure that this kind of extensive damage will not happen again.

In light of the recent news, the responsibility of the forest sector receives even stronger emphasis. Now that another unfortunate suspicion concerning criminal action against freshwater pearl mussels has come to light, the sector needs to restore our trust that the actions match the words. 

The Minister will meet forest sector representatives on 10 September. Those invited to the meeting are companies in the Working Committee of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, i.e. UPM, Metsä Group, Stora Enso, Tervakoski, Versowood, Kuhmo and Sappi Finland, Metsähallitus and a representative of the company chairing the Finnish Sawmills Association.
 
“We want to hear very clearly from the largest timber buyers and other actors in the sector that the companies comply with the law in their actions and their operations all through the supply chain are in line with the pledges they have made,” Mykkänen says.
 
The Minister has also asked the Ministry’s staff to examine what kind of legislative changes or other actions will be needed to ensure that such events will not happen again.

“We must analyse whether cases of negligence could be prevented more effectively through more detailed legislation regarding the protection of threatened species. This could mean definitions for the obligations to obtain information, liability for damages or destruction of habitats. But legal acts should not be passed in haste; instead, they must be based on thorough analyses and careful consideration.”

Inquiries:

Lyydia Ylönen
Special Adviser to Minister Mykkänen
tel. +358 50 476 1341
[email protected]

Tarja Haaranen
Director General
tel. +358 295 250 282
[email protected]