Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge Rewilding of Boreal Forests in Finland

The Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge Rewilding of Boreal Forests in Finland project works with Sámi and Finnish villages to restore and conserve critically important boreal forests in Finland, as 97% of them have been lost between 1900-2022.

In this project, Snowchange Cooperative aims to restore important boreal forests in Finland through practical measures based on research and traditional knowledge.

The project is supported with SEK 7 000 000.

What does the project deliver?

By combining Indigenous knowledge and science, this project will restore and protect 250 hectares of Sámi forests, and positively influence up to 1000 hectares of middle boreal forests and associated peatlands, to support biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and Indigenous-traditional livelihoods. The project advances a novel, reformative approach to restoration and conservation summarized as ICCAs – Indigenous and Community Conservation Areas as defined by the UN Environmental Programme. It addresses the past equity issues in conservation, provides the Sámi and other villages with agency for the first time in their own areas, and pride in restoration and conservation.

Why do we support this project?

Establishing CCAs where forests are restored is a practical solution that gives importance on the ground. The project is part of the Postcode Foundation’s “Northern Forest Initiative”.