In the autumn of 2021, Metsä Group launched a ten-year nature management programme to finance regionally effective development projects that are carried out outside commercial Finnish forests and support biodiversity and the state of waters. These projects may relate to bird waters and wetlands, watercourse routes, small waters and coastal environments, pollinator habitats or new water protection methods.
New projects are selected for the programme every six months. The next selections will be made in June 2022. The application period has started and the deadline for applications is at the end of May 2022. Apply for financing here.
“At Metsä Group, we want to be widely involved in improving the state of Finland's nature also outside the commercial forests, and our nature management program offers good opportunities for this. There are many different ways to improve the state of Finnish nature. The first project selections in our programme focused heavily on waters and fish. I hope that in this second round of proposals, we will also be able to assess in a more comprehensive way projects related to, for example, pollinators, birds and new methods and technologies that improve biodiversity or the state of waters. An impressive nature project can be a large or ingenious new insight with wide-ranging expansion opportunities, improving nature management practices or the living conditions of species,” says Tomi Salo, SVP, Corporate Affairs, at Metsä Group.
For funding to be granted, the project must have proven positive impacts on biodiversity or the state of waters, the applicant must have provided Metsä Group with accurate and adequate information about the funded project, an analysis must have been carried out on different sources of funding, the project must be launched in accordance with the application, and the applicant must meet the Metsä Group’s monitoring and reporting requirements.
“Nature is very important to us all. Everyone can make an impact on nature’s biodiversity and the state of waters, and positive examples at their best encourage new actors to move and increase cooperation for the benefit of nature,” continues Tomi Salo.
METSÄ GROUP