Voluntary forest protection under METSO Programme reached its target ahead of time - next period starting in 2026 prepared

In 2024, about 3,200 hectares of forest habitats were protected under the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO. Last year Finnish forest owners protected about 2,900 hectares of forest on a permanent basis and concluded ten-year environmental aid contracts that covered about 260 hectares. About 20 hectares of forest was protected for 20 years and nature managements works were carried out on about 200 hectares. The process is under way to prepare the next period of the METSO Programme and new targets for it.

A key target set for the METSO Programme was reached last year as a little more than 96,000 hectares of new areas are now protected on a permanent or long-term basis. The target was set to be implemented by the end of 2025, which means that it was reached ahead of time.

“The popularity of the METSO Programme among forest owners is one of the success stories in nature conservation. A big thanks goes to the forest owners who again offered excellent sites for protection,” Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala says.

Another main objective of the METSO Programme is to conclude environmental aid contracts and carry out nature management works covering at least 82,000 hectares by the end of 2025. Last year progress towards this target was made with less than 500 hectares, which is much less than in the earlier years. The main reason for this was the delay in the launch of the information system used for the application for aid for forest nature management under the forestry incentive scheme METKA. About 80% (65,500 hectares) of the target set for environmental aid contracts and nature management works in the METSO Programme has been reached.

“Forest owners and the actors in the sector who help them have again been very active in the implementation of the METSO Programme, and we should all thank them for this. The processing of environmental aid applications will make good progress this year after the Finnish Forest Centre has cleared the backlog in the applications and will again strengthen the training and advice in nature management to actors in the sector,” Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah says.

The value of the sites protected permanently or for 20 years under the METSO Programme in 2024 totalled about EUR 23 million. Among the reasons for the lower outcome of the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in hectares were the level of the appropriation and the higher unit costs due to the rise in the market price for timber. About EUR 0.8 million were used for compensations under the environmental aid contracts and EUR 0.6 million for nature management projects.

This year about EUR 46 million for measures under METSO Programme 

A record high amount of EUR 24 million is available to be used for concluding environmental aid contracts and for nature management this year. The reason for this is that the funds left unused last year were carried over into 2025. Now the Finnish Forest Centre is preparing a plan on promoting forest nature management for 2025–2030. The aim of the plan is to reach the targets set for the METSO Programme, and some of them are also being outlined for the coming years under the Helmi Habitats Programme.

This year the focus in permanent protection under the METSO Programme by the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment will continue to be on southern Finland. In future, however, valuable forest sites will be protected in the whole country. The preliminary funding reserved for this year is about EUR 22 million and the surface area of valuable sites to be protected with this should be about the same as in 2024.

New METSO Programme to be launched next year – targets are being prepared

The definition of the content and targets for the next period of the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO that will begin in 2026 has started in a broad-based working group led by the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The relevant stakeholders are represented in the working group. 

In terms of its main elements the METSO Programme will continue in a way the forest owners have gotten used to: the focus is on protecting sites on a voluntary basis and nature management in commercial forests, but the targets for these will be reviewed. Voluntary protection and nature management also support the work to achieve the targets of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation in Finland. The final evaluation of the METSO Programme published in February will be utilised in the preparation of the next programme period.

Images: Implementation of the METSO Programme in the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and the Finnish Forest Centre in 2008–2024. The figures of the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment do not include 13,000 hectares of forest protected by Metsähallitus under the METSO Programme in 2014, but this is also included in the implementation of the programme.

Inquiries

Päivi Gummerus-Rautiainen
Senior Ministerial Adviser
+358 295 250 240
[email protected]

Ville Schildt
Senior Ministerial Adviser
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
tel. +358 295 162 190
[email protected]