Mires and peatlands

Promoting the responsible use and conservation of mires and peatlands

Finland has a total of 9.3 million hectares of mires and peatlands, making up about a third of the country’s total land area. About half of the area is currently used for forestry, 250,000 hectares have been cleared to create farmland, and peat is harvested in areas totalling some 60,000 hectares. Approximately 1.2 million hectares (13 per cent) of mires and peatlands are protected. Peat accounts for approximately 7 per cent of energy consumption in Finland.

The Finnish Government adopted a resolution on the sustainable and responsible use and conservation of mires and peatlands in August 2012. The resolution sets out principles and measures concerning the sustainable and responsible use and conservation of mires and peatlands in Finland.

Attachment

Government resolution on the sustainable and responsible use and conservation of mires and peatlands, 30 August 2012 (in Finnish)

Related links

Climate impacts of peatland land use (Finnish Meteorological Institute)