8 Park Management and Its Effectiveness

8 Park Management and its Effectiveness Sections 8 and 9 of this report will examine the Natural Heritage Services mission and effectiveness of Metsähallitus’s management of vision for 2010 the protected areas under its administration by considering how well objectives have been The mission of the NHS has been defined as achieved, and assessing the benefits obtained follows: through management in relation to the resources – We manage our national parks and other used. The review will largely examine overall out- areas according to best practices based comes in relation to total resource use and moni- on research and experience, to preserve toring records showing how working hours are biodiversity and cultural values. allocated between the core processes that fulfill – We provide our customers with possibili- the main tasks of the Natural Heritage Services ties to enjoy recreation in and learn about (NHS). In relation to tasks especially relevant in nature. reaching goals set by society, there will be a focus – We create opportunities for nature tour- also on cost-effectiveness and productivity. These ism and sustainable regional develop- key tasks assigned to the NHS include: ment. – establishing of protected areas – We collaborate with many partners na- – surveying of natural and cultural values tionally and internationally. – planning of the management and use of – We work to improve our service capacity protected areas and the productivity and effectiveness of – restoring and managing habitats our activities. – providing facilities and services for hikers and other customers. This mission emphasises basic values shared throughout society: nature conservation and eco- This review is based on the concept of adaptive logical, cultural, social and economic sustainabil- planning and management of protected areas and ity in the use of natural resources. It also stresses the model for assessing management effective- the importance of collaboration at all levels. ness defined by the IUCN World Commission Actions must be based on sufficient knowledge. on Protected Areas (WCPA), both of which are The NHS aims to improve the quality and ef- described above in Section 2.2.3. fectiveness of its work continuously. The NHS has also defined the following 8.1 Management Objectives vision for 2010: – The favourable conservation status of 8.1.1 From Mission to Measures species and habitats in our areas is safe- guarded. The NHS has defined its own mission and a – Our services are valued by society and vision of circumstances that it aims to reach by promote welfare of nature and man. 2010. Strategic objectives have been defined on the basis of this mission and vision, as well as the These conservation objectives are clearly critical success factors that will determine wheth- linked to the objectives of the UN Convention er they can be achieved. A set of performance on Biological Diversity, the Natura 2000 Net- measures covering these factors has been defined work and the EU Habitats and Birds Directives. in the form of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC). The They also imply participation in the more precise indicators and performance measures are used to definition of related concepts, such as “favour- assess progress towards objectives, and to redirect able conservation status”. Efforts are made to operations when necessary. purposefully prevent any irreversible negative changes in the state of species and habitats, for example through habitat restoration and management work and by contributing towards im- 151 provements in the management of waters and – Responsibility for the monitoring and commercially exploited forests. management of threatened species and The services of the NHS can only be valued directive species will be expanded. by society if they are publicised and if they are of – Habitat restoration and management sufficiently high quality. Facilities for visitors are methods and the conservation of species provided on the basis of local levels of demand so will be improved. as to provide a unified network of services. – Collaboration with universities and re- Prospects for the well-being of nature are im- search institutes will be intensified. proved indirectly, whenever people’s appreciation 3 The NHS is a leading marketing organiza- of nature and desire to conserve biodiversity is tion and well-known provider of services increased through their positive experiences in for nature interpretation and recreation in natural environments, and the related guidance Finland. and interpretation. – The importance of State lands for local The well-being of people includes economic, communities will grow and Metsähalli- social and cultural well-being. Well-being can tus’s activities will support the economies be promoted, for example, through improve- of remote rural areas. ments in regional economies and tourism, by – The national service network will be increasing employment, through the beneficial systematically developed by improving health impacts of outdoor recreation, by cherish- operations, enhancing data management ing valuable landscapes and built environments, and building partnerships. and by supporting Sámi culture. – A set of principles for sustainable nature tourism will be defined to help ensure Strategic objectives the operations are responsible. – Increase in public awareness of nature In the year 2000 Metsähallitus defined a set of and conservation, and in interest for strategic guidelines known as “Future paths”, hobbies related to nature is aimed for. including the following key aims and outlines 4 International activities will be expanded for 2007: and deepened. – Transboundary cooperation on protected 1 Metsähallitus’s activities in State lands areas near borders will be intensified. will be developed through cooperation – Work in international organizations will between the business areas Forestry and be boosted through stakeholder coopera- Natural Heritage Services (NHS). tion and partnerships. – Conservation of forests in Southern Finland is improved through intensified These strategic guidelines were reviewed and cooperation. revised in 2005. Maintaining biodiversity, im- – The separation of societal tasks from proving facilities for visitors and intensifying in- business activities will clarify the status ternational cooperation are still central elements of the NHS. of the NHS’s strategic activities. Projected chang- 2 The NHS’s responsibility for the conserva- es in the administration of nature conservation in tion of biodiversity will increase Finland may be expected to allocate a wider range – The numbers of areas administered by of responsibilities to the NHS in nature conserva- the NHS will increase as conservation tion, the recreational use of natural areas, and the programmes progress and the adminis- sustainable use of natural resources. This means tration of State lands is concentrated to greater responsibility for the inventories, plan- Metsähallitus ning, management and monitoring of Finland’s – Metsähallitus’s planning system will be Natura 2000 sites, and for the conservation of reorganised. NHS’s land use planning species, aquatic ecosystems and cultural herit- will be standardised and data manage- age at national level. Wider responsibilities and ment improved to support planning. services require increased and diversified funding as well as capacity building. 152 Ensuring the ecological and social sustain- halt the decline in biodiversity. Another goal in ability of hunting and fishing has also become protected areas is to provide opportunities for a strategic objective for the NHS following the recreation and income for local communities. administrative reorganisation. This includes The achievement of objectives set by society and the management of game grounds and fishing the ministries can be measured by monitoring in- waters, and the administration of fishing and dicators, such as customer satisfaction levels and hunting rights. New responsibilities of the NHS trends in the populations of species for which the now also include controlling off-road traffic and NHS is responsible. supervising game and fisheries. Critical success factors affecting the work of The social obligations defined for Metsähal- the NHS have been defined on the basis of the litus in new legislation – to promote nature rec- Balanced Scorecard. Some of the crucial variables reation and employment, and to safeguard Sámi are listed below. culture and conditions for reindeer husbandry Basic funding and project funding levels – are also specifically considered in the planning must be sufficient to ensure that operations con- and implementation of protected area manage- tinue. New means to improve the productivity ment. of the state administration must be found, and their impacts monitored. The motivation, skills Critical success factors and indicators and know-how of personnel must be maintained and enhanced. Critical success factors have been identified as Protected area real estates must be es- the vital preconditions for the achievement of tablished within the timescale defined for the strategic objectives. These factors will largely Natura network, to ensure the achievement of determine the effectiveness of NHS operations. conservation objectives. Property value must be Such factors are categorised into four areas in the maintained by managing and restoring it. Balanced Scorecard model (see Fig. 44): Sufficiently comprehensive and updated – resources information must be available as a basis for – working capacity and renewal

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