Stora Enso and Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland announced the start of a cooperation to protect the highly endangered freshwater pearl mussel in Finland. During the almost six-year contract period, mussel habitats will be mapped, inventoried and restored, watercourses will be restored and managed, and information system data will be improved. Stora Enso will finance the programme with EUR 1.1 million by the end of 2030.
Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland will define and lead the conservation measures to be implemented. Stora Enso will finance the project and provide technical support. Stora Enso’s employees will also participate in the implementation of practical measures where possible.
“I am pleased with the agreement which aims to improve the living conditions and living opportunities of the freshwater pearl mussel in Finland in the best possible way. The programme is part of Stora Enso’s environmental sustainability action plan which was launched after the environmental violation of Hukkajoki in 2024,” says Tuomas Tiilikainen, Head of Forest Finland at Stora Enso.
“Thanks to the funding, we are able to do more for the freshwater pearl mussel – for example, to increase the amount and improve the quality of critical occurrence information, as well as to rehabilitate mussel living waters that would otherwise not be possible to rehabilitate. The aim is also to contribute to ensuring that mussel damage such as in Hukkajoki does not occur again,” says Pekka Sulkava, Nature Conservation Director at Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland.
The agreement will enter into force on 1 July 2025 and will continue until the end of 2030. The focus areas of the programme will be decided together annually. More detailed information on the progress and practical actions of the conservation activities will be provided later.
Photo: Stora Enso
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