Stora Enso and Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland announced the start of a cooperation to protect the highly endangered freshwater pearl mussel in Finland. During the almost six-year contract period, mussel habitats will be mapped, inventoried and restored, watercourses will be restored and managed, and information system data will be improved. Stora Enso will finance the programme with EUR 1.1 million by the end of 2030.
Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland will define and lead the conservation measures to be implemented. Stora Enso will finance the project and provide technical support. Stora Enso’s employees will also participate in the implementation of practical measures where possible.
“I am pleased with the agreement which aims to improve the living conditions and living opportunities of the freshwater pearl mussel in Finland in the best possible way. The programme is part of Stora Enso’s environmental sustainability action plan which was launched after the environmental violation of Hukkajoki in 2024,” says Tuomas Tiilikainen, Head of Forest Finland at Stora Enso.
“Thanks to the funding, we are able to do more for the freshwater pearl mussel – for example, to increase the amount and improve the quality of critical occurrence information, as well as to rehabilitate mussel living waters that would otherwise not be possible to rehabilitate. The aim is also to contribute to ensuring that mussel damage such as in Hukkajoki does not occur again,” says Pekka Sulkava, Nature Conservation Director at Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland.
The agreement will enter into force on 1 July 2025 and will continue until the end of 2030. The focus areas of the programme will be decided together annually. More detailed information on the progress and practical actions of the conservation activities will be provided later.
Fact: Events at the Hukkajoki River sparked collaboration between Metsähallitus and Stora Enso on freshwater pearl mussel conservation
- In August 2024, it was revealed that endangered freshwater pearl mussels had been driven over by forestry machinery at the Hukkajoki River. The timber from the area had been purchased by Stora Enso. A preliminary investigation by the police is currently underway.
- Metsähallitus is working to protect the freshwater pearl mussel through the LIFE Revives project. At the request of the Kainuu ELY Centre and Stora Enso, project staff led restoration efforts at the Hukkajoki River last summer. Stora Enso employees also took part in the work. The area in question was located on private land.
- During the restoration, mussels were relocated from the most severely damaged section of the river to upstream areas. Later monitoring in the autumn showed that mussel mortality had not significantly increased in the section where they were moved. However, in the damaged area downstream of the machinery track, mortality was considerably higher over a stretch of about one kilometre. Monitoring of the mussel population will continue this summer.
- Metsähallitus and Stora Enso have agreed that the trees felled at Hukkajoki will be placed as decaying wood in Hossa National Park. In Hossa, there are forest areas where decaying wood is scarce. Hossa National Park was established in 2017; before that, parts of the area were used for forestry. Decaying wood is vital for forest biodiversity, providing food, habitat, and breeding grounds for a wide range of species.
- Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland will continue previously planned conservation and survey work for the freshwater pearl mussel this year as part of the LIFE Revives project. The EU-funded project is led by the University of Jyväskylä, while Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland is responsible for practical surveying, restoration, and conservation work.
More information
- Ingrid Peura, Press Officer Finland, Stora Enso, tel. +358 307 0026
- Pekka Sulkava, Nature Conservation Director, Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland, tel. +358 40 081 5660