Snowchange
08/06/2025
YLE Reports on the Rewilding Programme
National broadcaster YLE reported recently on the Landscape Rewilding Programme.
Link available below.
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Snowchange
27/05/2025
Traditional Knowledge and Conservation Priorities of Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
A new science paper highlights the status and trends as well as previously unknown TEK of squirrel.
The Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) has played an important role in Finnish traditional culture and livelihoods since pre-historic times. This paper analyzes the current role, status, and trends of the red squirrel using both available scientific evidence and testimonies from oral historians who were immersed in Finland's boreal hunting societies during the mid-1900s.
The convergence of observations points to the decline of this iconic mammal of northern forests and increased migration to urban habitats. Red squirrels are not currently seen as being of great relevance to conservation efforts, despite their central role in spreading seeds and in boreal predator–prey food chains.
If the animal is lost from Finland's remaining boreal timber forests, their absence may have consequences that are not yet understood. This article contains previously unavailable cultural knowledge of the Eurasian red squirrel, directly curated by knowledge holders. It presents an important nexus of different ways of knowing.
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Snowchange
29/04/2025
A New Peatland Restoration Atlas Released to Support Polish And Eastern European Restoration
Snowchange participates in a Nordic project to support Polish and Ukrainian efforts to boost restoration in the region. A recent field visit collected experts from three countries and saw the release of the much-anticipated "Peatland Restoration Atlas" developed by Snowchange for the partners.
The Nordic Council funded project "Nature-based solutions in open wetlands restoration for biodiversity, water quality improvement and climate mitigation" has partners in Poland, Ukraine and Finland. It is coordinated by Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków - OTOP, a birding organization from Poland.
Snowchange helped to develop the "Peatland Restoration Atlas" (link below) for the Ukrainian and Polish partners. On a recent field visit several restoration sites were discussed between project partners, and the trip included visits to Bagno Bubnów meadow restoration, Holeszów re-wetting site and several more including national parks in Poland.
The Atlas itself contains already the first mapped sites and includes for example highlights such as
Haidamatske Swamp Nature reserve
The Haidamatske Swamp Reserve, covering 751.7 hectares in the Zheryvskyi and Obukhivetskyi forestry districts, holds both natural and historical significance. It served as a shelter for Haidamaka bands in the 18th century and later for partisans during wartime conflicts. The reserve features mixed pine-oak forests, raised bogs, and a diverse array of plant and animal species, including rare and protected flora like Pasque flower and Early-purple orchid, and fauna such as the European pond turtle and the Eurasian lynx. The area is home to unique ecosystems, including sphagnum bogs, but faces potential threats from logging and drainage. Efforts are underway to monitor and protect this important site through ongoing Environmental Impact Assessments.
Irdyn Swamp
Irdyn Swamp, located in Ukraine's Cherkasy region, is a crucial wetland ecosystem that shelters a wide variety of protected species. The swamp, which was historically used for peat extraction, is now a candidate for national park status due to its biodiversity. It is home to rare species such as the red-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), white stork (Ciconia ciconia), Apollo butterfly (Parnassius mnemosyne), and the large oak longhorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo). In total, over 250 populations of protected species have been recorded here, with many listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and the IUCN Red List. Since 2019, the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group has been advocating for the establishment of the "Irdynske" National Nature Park, which will play a key role in preserving these species and the natural heritage of the region.
The project will conclude in the Autumn with further reporting on results of the Atlas.
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Snowchange
17/04/2025
The Skolt Sámi are rewilding the Näätämö River to protect their way of life
In Finland's far north, a collaborative approach encompassing Indigenous knowledge with Western science is helping to restore vital habitat for fish – and people.
Linking the boreal forests of Finland with Norway’s Arctic fjords, the River Näätämö eddies through a fast-changing landscape. The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average, and Atlantic salmon are vanishing from its shores.
The Näätämö has historically been rich in salmon, trout, grayling and a variety of whitefish, which spawn in the deep lakes and shale banks of its catchment and grow to adulthood in its meanders shaded by birch, spruce and pine. These fish populations – and the ecosystem that sustains them – represent one of Europe’s last areas of relatively intact wilderness. The Näätämö also sustains the Skolt Sámi, an Indigenous people who have lived in Europe’s far north for more than 10 millennia. While the Sámi are widely associated with reindeer herding, the existence of many communities is interwoven with the great salmon migrations of the North Atlantic.
The past half century has brought significant change to the Näätämö catchment. The region is on the forefront of the climate crisis, with warming waters and increased pollution disrupting the patterns of nature around which Sámi life has evolved. Salmon in the river have become smaller both in number and in size, and other fish populations have declined. This has been compounded by local industry, which has altered the very shape and flow of the river.
In the face of this, the Skolt Sámi are acting to protect the Näätämö and their way of life. In conjunction with Snowchange, a co-operative that works with Arctic Indigenous communities on the interconnecting issues of biodiversity, cultural tradition and climate change, they have begun to rewild the Näätämö, using Sámi knowledge to restore the river with a rare degree of fealty to its recent past.
A new English news article reviews over 15 years of restoration and rewilding work with the Skolt Sámi, available on the link.
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Snowchange
14/04/2025
Haarasuo Protected
Haarasuo, a peatland in Suomussalmi and a celebration site for Finnair, is now formally protected.
The conservation action supports extremely endangered freshwater mussels and biodiversity in Suomussalmi, Northeastern Finland.
Snowchange
07/04/2025
Kuumunsuo Officially Protected
Today the Center for the Environment, Transportation and Commerce - Kainuu in Finland officially protected Kuumunsuo, one of the wild forest reindeer sites in Eastern Finland as a conservation area.
The designation offers legal protection of the site which is totaling 44 hectares. The Center says that the site is of national relevance as a connectivity site between already protected sites and as habitat for the wild forest reindeer.
Snowchange
30/03/2025
Two Large Arctic Circle Peatlands Define the Late Winter
Two large Arctic Circle peatlands - Miehinkäaapa in Salla and Korppiaapa in Sodankylä - defined the late winter rewilding breakthroughs, totaling over 550 hectares.
Korppiaapa is close to Sodankylä and is over 300 hectares, making it a large single peatland close to the protected Viiankiaapa. Miehinkäaapa in Salla is over 200 hectares and important site close to several EU Nature 2000 sites. Both are significant bird migratory sites as well.
Snowchange
18/02/2025
New over 50 hectares Rewilding Area for the Wild Forest Reindeer with Sotkamo Municipality
Snowchange and the Sotkamo Municipality have agreed on a collaboration totaling over 50 hectares of critically important habitat for the wild forest reindeer.
Today the municipality of Sotkamo in Eastern Finland and Snowchange have signed a rewilding agreement to support wild forest reindeer. The joint operational area is located in Tipasoja village. At its core is a 26,48 hectares Snowchange owned rewilding site Lahtela. Sotkamo municipality has now agreed to provide additional adjacent area for rewilding as the area is critically important for the winter pastures of the wild forest reindeer. The agreement lasts in its initial form until 2045.
Snowchange
27/01/2025
Significant investment from RELEX Foundation and Snowchange Cooperative in the biodiversity of Finnish peatlands and forests in Ilomantsi and Sápmi
Snowchange Cooperative (Osuuskunta Lumimuutos) has received an exceptionally large €600,000 grant from the RELEX Foundation for nature conservation and restoration in Eastern and Northern Finland in 2024–2026. The aim is to safeguard Finland's unique and valuable peatlands and old-growth forests amidst increasing economic pressures. Local communities and their cultural heritage are at the heart of these actions, and restoration efforts utilise traditional knowledge about nature.
“The funding from the RELEX Foundation enables us to launch new initiatives. In Ilomantsi, we can protect and restore new areas, connecting ecologically valuable habitats such as eskers, natural small water ponds and peatlands within the nationally significant Putkelanharju-Petkeljärvi area. Protecting and restoring these sites near the eastern border is particularly effective, as the recovery of species and ecosystems benefits from the proximity of Russia's old-growth forests and pristine peatlands. In Sápmi, Finnish Sámi home area, at River Siuttajoki in Inari, we can purchase key old-growth forests vital for biodiversity conservation and restore areas impacted by human activities in collaboration with our Sámi partners,” says Tero Mustonen, Chair of Snowchange Cooperative.
The funding will also support the ongoing large-scale restoration project in the Koitajoki watershed. This initiative improves the condition of valuable peatlands and enhances the water quality of Koitajoki, which has suffered for decades from forestry management actions such as peatland ditching and alteration of hydrological conditions.. By improving water quality and restoring spawning grounds, conditions for the reproduction of the critically endangered brown trout and other salmonid species will be improved. Local residents actively participate in monitoring the river's condition through Finlands first River Guardian program.
The impacts of these efforts on nature recovery, such as species and habitat restoration, water quality, and climate emissions, will be monitored using scientific methods in both Ilomantsi and Sápmi. This research will provide insights into how quickly the condition of various ecosystems can be improved through restoration and what other environmental effects arise. This information will be valuable as Finland implements the EU’s new Restoration Law, which requires member states to restore at least 20% of their land and water ecosystems by 2030.
Snowchange has successfully employed innovative methods to secure large areas for conservation and restoration, working closely and respectfully with local communities.
“The ambitious, community-driven approach of Snowchange brings much-needed hope. The intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change are accelerating. We need practical examples which demonstrate how declarations can be transformed into impactful actions that improve nature at the scale required. With perseverance and creativity, even a small group of people can drive significant progress toward a better future,” says Johanna Småros, one of the founders of the RELEX Foundation.
Snowchange Cooperative is an independent, non-profit cooperative engaged in professional fishing, ecosystem restoration, and supporting traditional livelihoods worldwide. The cooperative is based in Tohmajärvi, North Karelia. www.snowchange.org, www.landscaperewilding.org, www.koitajoki.org
RELEX Foundation for a Better Future promotes diverse nature, a stable climate, and equitable societies. The foundation supports visionary organizations and initiatives working toward a better tomorrow for future generations. Although the foundation shares the same founders and a similar name with the company RELEX Solutions, it operates entirely independently.
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Snowchange
07/01/2025
New Trap Camera Documentary Released
A new short documentary filmed with several trap cameras has been released. It focuses on the boreal year and seasonal changes in Linnunsuo wetland in North Kareria, Finland.
Ecologists Alicia Jarma and Antoine Scherer present a 8 minute documentary about the changes in the wildlife and ecology of a Snowchange flagship wetland, Linnunsuo in the Jukajoki catchment. Filmed over 3-4 years the film captures the comebacks of large mammals, birds, moose and many other animals in the food chain. All in all over 205 bird species have come back in 15 years as well as many other species.
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