SuoKauko project is developing new methods for the inventory of peatlands
This text was published in the blog of Priodiversity LIFE. Check out the other blog posts as well (metsa.fi).
18.12.2025
The state of nature in peatlands has weakened around Finland, which has increased the need of monitoring the state of peatlands. A significant reason is the drainage of peatlands and their surrounding areas during the 1950s-1970s. Additionally, climate change is causing peatlands to dry. The combined effects of drainage and climate change are leading to the degradation of peatlands.
SuoKauko (translating as ‘peatland remote’) is a project subject to Priodiversity LIFE, and it aims to develop inventory methods based on remote sensing of peatlands. The data produced in the project will be used for example in the planning of the management and use of nature conservation areas, as well as in the execution of Nature Restoration Regulation.
Remote sensing methodology has developed speedily during past years, i.e. due to sharper resolution of the satellites as well as more diverse use of drones. Remote sensing provides important regional coverage for mapping open peatland areas, complementing field inventories. The identification and classification of peatland information from aerial and drone imagery can be more reliable when supported by detailed field data. Moreover, by combining field data with imagery information, peatland types and ecosystems can be modelled across Finland using satellite data and machine learning methods.
The goal of developing inventory methods is to enable increased use of remote sensing methods for peatland area surveys and monitoring their condition. The development of these methods would improve the spatial and temporal coverage of peatland condition monitoring. SuoKauko project is coordinated by Metsähallitus Parks and Wildlife Finland, and other partners are Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Resources Institute Finland and Finnish forest centre.
Join Kaapro Keränen, nature conservation specialist from Metsähallitus Parks and Wildlife Finland, to the peatlands and get to know the SuoKauko remote sensing method on ArcGIS StoryMaps platform (storymaps.arcgis.com, in Finnish).
Kaapro Keränen, nature conservation specialist, Metsähallitus Parks and Wildlife Finland
Priodiversity LIFE offers solutions to halt nature loss. The project gathers a wide range of committed operators who together have the chance to find the most impactful and cost-efficient ways to stop nature loss in Finland. In the project we will create requirements to make halting the nature loss into a new skill for Finnish entrepreneurs, and to make Finland an expert on international scale. Priodiversity LIFE is coordinated by Metsähallitus Parks and Wildlife Finland.
Priodiversity LIFE – for halting biodiversity loss (metsa.fi)
