Threatened species in Finland

	Pteromys volans © Marko Schrader

According to the Evaluation of Threatened Species in Finland 2000 report, 1,505 species of animals and plants are classified as threatened in Finland – about one in ten of the 15,000 species that could be evaluated. There are thought to be a total of around 43,000 species in Finland, but there was only enough information for about a third of all these species to be assessed. This latest evaluation has been based on the new categories and criteria developed and approved by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 1994.

The threatened species include 50 vertebrates, 759 invertebrates, 180 vascular plants, 142 cryptogams, and 374 fungi or lichens. Some 37% of the threatened species are primarily associated with forest habitats, particularly herb-rich woodland and old growth heathland forest habitats. About 28% of the species typically live in traditional farmland habitats, and this proportion has risen considerably since the previous evaluation in 1990.

The main factors that threaten species or have led to extinctions include the overgrowing of open habitats no longer used for traditional forms of agriculture, and changes in forests induced by modern forestry methods.

The results of the Evaluation of Threatened Species in Finland 2000 report are being used to update the “red list” of threatened species and species under strict protection in Finland, which is officially maintained for the purposes of the Nature Conservation Act. This list contains some 1,410 threatened species, of which 608 are under strict protection, meaning that the destruction or degradation of habitat important for their survival is prohibited. In some cases, the Ministry of the Environment may also have to create special protection programmes for these species.

Reference

Rassi, P., Alanen, A., Kanerva, T. & Mannerkoski, I. (eds.). 2001. The Red List of Finnish Species. Ministry of the Environment & Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki. 432 pages. (English Summary)