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Ecosystem services (additional indicator)
Forests yield not only wood but also other material and immaterial
benefits for human needs. In Finland, unlike in many
other countries, forests are open to everyone every day under
Everyman’s Rights15 for recreation and as a source of a variety
of non-wood products. Forest products that can be collected on
the basis of Everyman’s Rights include wild berries, mushrooms
and herbs. By contrast, e.g. collecting lichen, hunting, cultivating
Christmas trees and burning tar are all activities based on
land ownership.
The material and immaterial products and services gained from
forests are now internationally being grouped together under
the heading of ‘ecosystem services’. Ecosystem services are divided
into provisioning services, regulating services, cultural
services and supporting services. Examples of ecosystem services
available in Finnish forests are listed in the following figure:
Provisioning services
- Wood
- Bioenergy
- Berries, mushrooms and other natural produce
- Game
- Trees and wild plants as a source of raw materials
- or the food, medicine and cosmetics industries
- Pure water
Regulating services
- Combating climate change, carbon sequestration
- Water purification and breathable air
- Prevention of flooding, storm damage, erosion
- Maintaining soil fertility
- Noise abatement
- Plant pollination services
- Disease and pest control
Cultural services
- Landscape
- Hiking, recreation and nature tourism
- Education and training
- Forests in art
- Cultural heritage
Supporting services
- Photosynthesis, cycle of nutrients, carbon and water,
soil conditioning
Non-wood forest products and forest-related services offer opportunities
for additional income and business. Forest-related
marketable services at the moment include hunting, the maintenance
of recreational areas and related services, and nature
tourism. Forest-related public goods include scenery and recreation
benefits. Public goods benefit society as a whole, and their
value is usually demonstrated in public debate or in political
decisions rather than on the market.
Ecosystem services often have great local and regional importance
for employment, the wellbeing of the population and the
permanence of habitation. Also, local natural products and the
immaterial values in natural resources contain substantial potential
for increasing wellbeing. There is an increasing demand
for services derived from natural beauty, purity, silence, health
impacts, etc., as the standard of living rises and the amount of
available leisure time increases.
Determining the financial value of ecosystem services is a key
current research topic. This research requires methodological
development, but on the other hand it should noted that the
value of ecosystem services is determined by agreement, based
on the goals set by society at large. For example, the value of
carbon sequestration by forests is largely dependent on the international
carbon trade, and as such is determined relative to
the promotion of various forms of energy production and support
and taxation mechanisms.
Links
15 Everyman’s Rights refers to the right of everyone staying in Finland, foreign
nationals included, to roam freely in the countryside and in forests regardless
of who owns the land. Everyman’s Right bestows the right to move freely
on land by foot, ski or bicycle, stay temporarily in areas where roaming is allowed,
pick wild berries, mushrooms and flowers, fish with a rod and line or a
jig, travel on water, swim or wash in inland waters and the sea, and move on
ice. Despite Everyman’s Right one may not cause disturbance or damage to
the land or landowner.
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