City of Vantaa
City of Vantaa
06/24/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/24/2024 08:40
Vantaa wants to be nature positive – we aim to improve the state of nature from what it is today
Vantaa wants to be nature positive - we aim to improve the state of nature from what it is today
News -24.6.2024
Vantaa wants to improve the biodiversity of its area, to be nature positive in the future. The aim is not just to stop the loss of nature, but to go beyond that, to improve the state of nature from what it is today.
Nature positive means that the cityʼs activities do more good than harm to nature as a whole. This is an ambitious goal, because as the city grows, people's activities require more and more space for nature. New housing, business premises, day care centres and other services often require the felling of trees or other forms of encroachment on natural areas.
The aim is to achieve nature positive status by the end of 2030, a tipping point after which the overall state of nature will begin to improve. To this end, the current state of nature in Vantaa is being assessed, cooperation with businesses is being stepped up, new biodiversity measures are being designed and introduced, and indicators are being established to achieve the targets.
In addition to supporting biodiversity in natural areas, compensation is also needed to compensate for the loss of natural values in situations where, for example, new construction requires the felling of forests. Ways of implementing compensation are currently being considered.
- Vantaa wants to be among the pioneers, says Jari Viinanen, Head of Vantaa Environmental Services.
Continuing the cityʼs biodiversity work
The new target is a continuation of the work the city has already done in the past to promote biodiversity. Existing activities will continue, but new tools will also be introduced as the target level is raised.
The city is already working to conserve natural areas and support biodiversity through land use planning and zoning. A key tool is the city's policy of directing new housing and services mainly to existing urban areas, thus densifying areas that are already built up. In this way, natural areas can be saved elsewhere.
Urban development also seeks to ensure that vegetated links between the cityʼs key natural areas are maintained, allowing plants and animals to move from one area to another. These links are important for maintaining good breeding opportunities for animals, for example, and for keeping populations viable.
- Increasing attention is being paid in planning to how much vegetation should be present in planned areas. In addition to the area of vegetated land, zoning can also guide the construction of vegetated roofs, says Sampo Perttula, Director of Urban Planning in Vantaa.
In addition to land-use planning, the existing urban landscape will be supported and diversified. Measures include increasing the amount of decaying wood in the city's forests and parks, combating invasive alien species that threaten natural vegetation, diversifying the plant species in the cityʼs green areas, reducing the cutting of grassland and restoring natural areas that have been modified by humans to a natural state, as Vantaa has done in Keimola Isosuo, for example.
The aim is also to increase the area of Vantaaʼs nature reserves from the current 6.7 percent to 10 percent by 2030.
Involving businesses and residents
The city also wants businesses in the city to be involved in nature positive work. The ways of working with businesses on nature conservation are largely in the planning stage, but opportunities exist at least in the area of compensation for damage to nature, to be agreed in the context of land-use planning, or participation in nature management-related events.
Compensation is already being tested in Itä-Hakkila, where a new Finnish Immigration Service reception centre is being planned. The planning of the centre will be accompanied by an agreement to compensate elsewhere for the damage to nature caused by the project.
Residents will also be encouraged and motivated to get involved in caring for the local environment. Residents will be offered opportunities to participate in activities such as invasive species control and stream restoration, and will be encouraged to plant diverse vegetation in their own yards or balconies.