Collecting basic data for the METSO programme
Basic data on habitat types and species in the conservation areas is needed for the protection and planning and implementation of the management of the habitats and species. The data is also used for planning and steering the management and use of nature conservation areas. In addition, the basic data is needed for assessing the comprehensiveness, quality and representativeness of the network of protected areas and the status of its individual areas. Up-to-date basic data on the conservation areas is essential for monitoring climate change as well as adaptation to change.
Systematic species inventorying in all the nature conservation areas is not practical due to costs. Basic data collection on species should be focused on the investigation of the present status of endangered species, species listed in the Habitats Directive or other species important in terms of conservation, as well as the core areas of their occurrence.
The key species groups in the inventories are bracket fungi, beetles, vascular plants, birds, mosses and lichens. The most urgently required up-to-date information is occurrence data for species which require management measures to ensure their survival or revival.
In 2003–2006, comprehensive habitat type data was collected in Southern Finland, in connection with the first phase of the METSO action programme. During the 2008–2016 METSO programme period, habitat type inventories will primarily be performed in newly protected areas as well as in areas with imperfect habitat type data.
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