November and winter are soon here. Koitajoki restoration and other rewilding actions are drawing to a close with the large peatland of Lakkasuo completed, as well as over 1350 hectares in Koitajoki alone. Visits to Canada and US pave way for the 2025 international work.
In Koitajoki this season was a transition from the original three-year project into a five-year project mark. It also marked important structural terms of the availability and strategic location of restoration sites – both state economic lands and national park sites became part of the project actions.
If we assess the main context of the project the number of peatlands restored and wetlands reached appr. 1358 hectares point (as compared to appr. 900 hectares restored in years 1-2). This implies a safe and planned pathway towards the 2500 hectares mark at the end of 2027. Out of the peatlands restored in Summer 2024 the largest one was Lakkasuo, a southeastern strategic landscape influencing positively one of the ELSP Koitajoki landscapes that has not been under work before. So both in quantity and location Lakkasuo served an important step forwards.
We saw the comeback of rare waders and other wildlife such as the black-tailed godwit on Rahesuo which was a great positive sign. The Festival of Northern Fishing Traditions shared the experiences and knowledge with an international group.
In international news a series of workshops and meetings with a range of First Nations in Canada as well as in the US wrapped up the year of strategic planning. With more information in December Snowchange was able to review where we might be headed with the North American work in mid-decade and where the priorities lie. We spoke to the CBC in Canada on the role of Indigenous memory, oral histories and monitoring – available here.
