THE FINNISH ENVIRONMENT 11en | 2007

ENVIRONMENTAL Our Shared Environment 2020 PROTECTION Environmental Programme for Region

Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre

The Finnish Environment 11en | 2007

Our Shared Environment 2020 Environmental Programme for Uusimaa Region

Helsinki 2007

Uusimaa Regional Enviroment Centre THE FINNISH ENVIRONMENT 11en | 2007 Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre

Layout: Osmo Leppälä / St. MIR Cover photo: Helena Inkeri/Gorilla Inside photos: • Leena Eerola/Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre: p. 8 Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) p.16 Examining flying squirrel droppings; p.17 Threatened Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)/ Spring Pasque flower (Pulsatilla vernalis)/ European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola); p.18 Girl with alien species Swamp Lantern (Lysichiton americanus); p. 20 Shore at Lappohjanranta, Hanko; p.23 Snowy brook and White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) • Erno Forsström/SYKEKuvat: p.7 Underpass; p. 8 Shopping mall and tractor; p.14 Market/construction work/ Road surveyor; p.18 Töölönlahti Bay, ; p. 20 Mowing the grass/Housing estate; p.24 Kamppi building site, Helsinki; s.26 Solar panel; p.27 Shop/Waste collection point/ Elielinaukio, Helsinki; p.28 Ruoholahti, Helsinki/Factory/ Traffic; p. 29 Tram • Jani Ketola/Kuvakori: p.23 Wake • Keijo Lotvonen/Kuvakori: p.15 Train • Osmo Leppälä/St. MIR: p. 2 Field with power lines; p. 6 Island in the sea • Sakari Manninen/City of : p. 12 Kartanonkoski, Vantaa • Tuomas Marttila/Kuvakori: p. 7 Chimney • Tero Sivula/Kuvakori: p. 7 Field with bales; p.10 Car in floodwater; p.21 Power plant • Tero Taponen/Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre: p. 9 Intersection on Kehä III ring road; p.19 Sipoonkorpi wilderness area; p. 22 Lake Kanteleenjärvi, Pukkila; p. 23 South Harbour, Helsinki; p. 24 Child and bulldozer/Ice forming; p.25 Quarrying, Långmossabergen, Vantaa; p.29 Canoeing/Basket of wild mushrooms; p.31 Aspen

Maps: Riitta Tornivaara-Ruikka/ Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre

Also available on the Internet at: www.environment.fi/publications

Edita Prima Ltd., Helsinki 2007

ISBN 978-952-11-2903-2 (pbk.) ISBN 978-952-11-2904-9 (PDF) ISSN 1238-7312 (print) ISSN 1796-1637 (online)

4 Foreword

Climate change is a global phenomenon, significantly influenced by emissions, energy production, and consumption. In the Uusimaa Region, ’s only metropolitan area, we must be prepared for climate change and promote sustainable development by making the right decisions about land use, traffic and housing. The challenge is how to combine the necessary short-term decisions with longer-term planning that will create ecologically, economically, socially and culturally sustainable conditions for the future. The Uusimaa Environmental Programme 2020 contains the targets for ensuring balanced development of the region on the terms of nature and man. With this pro- gramme we want to provide the various actors in the region with a versatile foun- dation of environmental policy on which to base their plans and decisions. The programme has been compiled through interaction with regional stakeholders on a broad front. In the Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre, the programme will guide our future activities and provide a background against which to choose focal areas. In order to allocate resources correctly it is important to be aware of the changes that are going on in the operating environment. I wish to express my most sincere thanks to all those who have contributed to the work of compiling the Environmental Programme and to the dialogue involved. Our cooperation has been productive and it has shown the breadth and depth of interest in developing our region to achieve a better living environment and to preserve the nature of our region. My warmest thanks for their contribution to preparing the programme go to project co-ordinator Hannele Ahponen, to the project team members, Deputy Director Rolf Nyström, Senior Inspector Matts Finnlund, co-ordinator Johan Sundberg, Division Manager Eeva-Riitta Puomio and Information Officer Marja-Liisa Torniainen, as well as to the whole staff of the Regional Environment Centre.

Helsinki, April 2007

Leena Saviranta Director, Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre

5 6 Contents

Foreword...... 5

The state of the environment in Uusimaa Region...... 8 Our common goal is to combat climate change and to be prepared to counter its impacts...... 11 Developing community structure and the living environment...... 12 The community and the living environment...... 13 Reconciling the needs of land use and traffic...... 14 Conserving biodiversity...... 17 Nature conservation areas, natural habitat types and species...... 17 The ecological network and urban nature...... 18 Improving the quality of the environment and reducing the environmental load...... 20 Reducing the load on waters and sustainable use of water resources...... 20 Protection of soil and groundwater...... 24 Air protection...... 26 Waste management...... 27 Environmental management in business and industry...... 27 Environmental information to facilitate decision making...... 28 Programme implementation and monitoring...... 29 Documentation page...... 30

7 The state of the environment in Uusimaa Region

The environment of the Uusimaa Region is char- a load on waters, as there are still 100 000 inhabit- acterised by great biodiversity. The soil is varied ants in the Uusimaa region living outside the reach and supports the variety of different species of of municipal sewer systems. Strong action is being fauna and flora is wide. The coast, the sea area taken to restore waters to a natural state, but there and the water bodies form a valuable part of this are still many lakes, bays and rivers in need of environment. The region has two sides: it has an rehabilitation. old cultural landscape and rural farming areas, but The amount of traffic and carbon dioxide emis- it also has a modern urban structure and serves as sions from traffic have risen sharply since the be- a national traffic hub. ginning of the millennium. In addition, air traffic The Helsinki Metropolitan Area has the larg- causes considerable noise nuisance as well as car- est concentration of population in the country. A bon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide, sulphur significant part of Finland’s business and industry, dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions 30 per cent of jobs and 25 per cent of construction is from industrial plants requiring an environmental concentrated in the Uusimaa region. In 2007, there permit fell in the late 1990’s, but since the year 2000 are about 1.5 million people living in the area of emissions have started to rise again. In the area the Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre. The covered by the Uusimaa Regional Environment environmental loading caused by human activity Centre, there are approximately 2 600 sites where is considerable, and land use is undergoing rapid soil analyses are to be carried out and the need change. With the building of traffic routes and for rehabilitation assessed. These sites are close the fragmentation of community structures, the to habitation, groundwater areas or water bodies. area of green spaces and corridors is diminishing. Measures for the rehabilitation of contaminated The most important coherent areas of green space soil have been carried out at about a hundred sites are shown in the regional plans and local master annually. Volumes of hazardous chemicals trans- plans. ported both by land and by sea have increased. There has been a clear improvement in the quali- Reconciling the needs of human activity with ty of waters since the end of the 1990s, even though those of the natural environment, combating cli- most rivers, shallow lakes and the coastal waters mate change and reducing the load on the envi- of the Gulf of Finland still suffer from eutrophica- ronment are the most serious challenges facing tion. There is heavy loading of water bodies by us during the Environmental Programme period agriculture, as a large area of the region consists of 2007–2020. Our prime objective is to create a good agricultural land and the soil is sensitive to erosion. living environment for the residents of Uusimaa Even the more sparsely populated areas represent and to preserve the biodiversity of the region.

8 Our Shared Environment 2020 Our Shared Environment 2020 9 10 Our Shared Environment 2020 Main objectives of the Uusimaa Environmental Programme

COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE Action will be taken to combat climate change in all areas of environmental programme, While at the same time preparing to counter the impacts of climate change.

Developing community Conserving biodiversity Improving the quality of the structure and the living environment and reducing environment the environmental load

The community structure in The natural environment Air quality and the state of waters Uusimaa will be coherent, and of the Uusimaa region will and soil will be good. Energy urban development will be retain its biodiversity and consumption will no longer be ecologically sustainable. In the there will be a coherent increasing and the use of natural countryside the population will network of green spaces. resources will have decreased. The mainly live in villages. The living The ecological state of the risk of environmental accidents environment will meet the daily waters will be good. will be low. needs of the inhabitants and will be safe, healthy and pleasant to live in.

Our common goal is to combat climate change and to be prepared to counter its impacts

Climate change is a global problem, but in order to combat it local action is needed, in the Uusi- maa region as elsewhere. Climate change is the most critical and wide-ranging environmental is- sue for which solutions will be sought during the programme period 2007-2020. To combat climate change we need cooperation between the many different actors involved. For example, by creating communities with a coherent structure, we reduce the need to travel and thus the carbon dioxide emissions from traffic, and by increasing the use of renewable fuels and bioen- ergy, we can reduce CO² emissions from energy production. By maintaining an extensive, coher- ent ecological network we can help different spe- cies to adjust to climate change. Changing climate conditions present a challenge for agriculture and for building, but also for communities, which will need to reduce their load on waters.

Our Shared Environment 2020 11 Developing community structure and the living environment

Vision for the year 2020 pleasant places to live are their character and iden- The community structure in Uusimaa will be coher- tity, whether they are in Helsinki, in population ent, and urban development will be ecologically growth centres, or in rural villages. The planning sustainable. In the countryside the population will of housing areas will be based on the existing built mainly live in villages. The living environment will environment, the landscape and the natural envi- meet the daily needs of the inhabitants and will be ronment. Everyone should be able to reach recrea- safe, healthy and pleasant to live in. tional areas on foot and nature should play a vital role in the area. Pleasant, eco-efficient areas with good public trans- Eco-efficiency and life cycle planning will be in- port connections will be the most attractive options tegral parts of new building and the renovation of for living in the Uusimaa region. The new housing housing. The buildings must be adaptable to dif- areas will complement the existing regional struc- ferent uses and users. By finding new uses for old ture, relying particularly on the rail traffic routes buildings the character of the area can be strength- of the metropolitan area. Services and jobs will be ened. Water and energy supplies and traffic connec- accessible by public transport or light traffic routes. tions will function as economically as possible. There will be less need to use private cars. When planning land use, the impacts of climate The towns and urban environments will be change have to be assessed. The living environment high-quality, desirable living environments. The will be planned in cooperation with the people who objective is to offer a sufficient amount of reason- live there. The inhabitants of the Uusimaa region ably priced dwellings and variety of alternative will feel that their living environment is meaningful housing areas, also in the Helsinki Metropolitan and will participate in its development and decision Area. Among the factors that make housing areas making processes.

12 Our Shared Environment 2020 Population distribution in Uusimaa Region in 2006

Railway Road

© Uusimaa Regional Council Built up area (Urban Structure Monitoring System YKR, © Regional Council of Itä-Uusimaa Finnish Environment Institute SYKE and Statistics Finland, 2005) © Seija Väre, Sito Oy © Urban Structure Monitoring System YKR, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE Other inhabited area (Register of Buildings and Apartments, and Statistics Finland, 2006 Population Register Centre 2004) © National Land Survey of Finland, licence 7/MYY/2006

The community and the living environment

The structure of communities will be coherent and • The regions will preserve the green spaces ecologically sustainable. The environments in which formed by recreational areas. The municipali- people live will form entities that are diverse yet ties will ensure that there are public spaces have their own individual character. Especially in the such as squares and city and suburban parks Helsinki region there will be a sufficient range of in the built-up areas. Unbuilt shoreline areas versatile, reasonably priced housing options on offer. will be developed for recreation.

• New building projects will grow up around • Surveys and assessments of alternatives will existing housing and service structures and be used to guarantee the quality of land use traffic connections. The regions and local planning. Planning and everyday values will authorities will cooperate to create a regional be brought together by interaction with the centre and service network system to promote residents. the availability of the services. Building will anticipate the future. Buildings will • The municipalities will use the means offered be multifunctional and adaptable. The living by land use policy to build up a sufficient environment will be clean. reserve of plots. Questions of land use policy will be actively discussed and information dis- • The life cycle of the built environment will be seminated. New small-scale solutions will be extended by making sure that the materials and developed. technical systems used are sustainable, renew- able and can be repaired; energy efficiency and • The different historical layers of the urban adaptability will also be priorities. Traditional structure and townscape will remain visible. methods of building will be respected. The municipalities will use land use planning to ensure that cultural milieus are preserved.

Our Shared Environment 2020 13 • The ageing of the population and different Reconciling the needs of population groups are taken into consideration land use and traffic in housing production and in the planning of neighbourhoods, ease of access being an impor- By reconciling land use and traffic planning we can pro- tant factor ensuring everyone’s mobility. mote a sustainable community structure. Functionally areas will be as self-sufficient as possible and they will make use • In town planning and building, the local author- of the rail and other public transport network. There will be ities, planners and construction companies will good conditions for the operation of public transport and anticipate climate change by allowing for wind light traffic, and the mobility of all residents will be ensured. factors, temperature changes, snow loads and flood risk as well as drainage of rain and melt • The municipalities will plan community structures to water. suit people’s everyday needs: travel will be made easy for residents (transport chains, parking at connecting • The municipalities, planners, designers and points, development of public transport nodes and serv- building firms will give careful consideration to ices). Jobs and services will be easily accessible by public questions of health, heating economy, acoustics transport. and the quality of air in buildings.

Travels by public transport and passenger car Carbon dioxide emissions by source in the Metropolitan Area in the Metropolitan Area in 2005 Journeys/day 1500000 Air Traffic 2% Shipping 1 % Passenger cars Motor vehicles 18% Public vehicles

1000 000 Industry 3%

500 000 Pover plants 76%

Total emissions 6748 ton

0 1966 1976 1988 1995 2000 Source: YTV, Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council

14 Our Shared Environment 2020 • As a part of town planning, the municipalities • New functions will be located so that they are will investigate the possibilities for utilising affected as little as possible by traffic noise and public transport, arranging light traffic routes particle emissions. Protective measures will be and reducing people’s dependency on cars. taken in areas that are exposed to noise. Quiet areas will be reserved for recreational use and • The regions, municipalities, and transport au- the needs of tourism. thorities will harmonise their regional transport Carbon dioxide emissions by source in the Metropolitan Area in 2005 strategies, and plan the traffic system as a whole. • Guidance will be given to support and encour- The efficiency of the rail traffic network will be age sustainable means of transport. Means will Air Traffic 2% Shipping 1 % enhanced. The planning of the traffic system will include the promotion of transport plans at cover the whole Helsinki Metropolitan commut- workplaces, car sharing , travel centres offering Motor vehicles 18% ing area. traffic and information services and routing and scheduling centres. Industry 3% • New traffic pricing practices will be introduced (e.g. road tolls, congestion charges, free public • In town planning and goods traffic manage- transport). Shared transport arrangements will ment, the municipalities will be aware of the Pover plants 76% be encouraged by the authorities, for example risks involved in the transport, storage and use by disseminating information and by forming of chemicals and hazardous substances and nec- Total emissions 6748 ton carpools. In the central and residential areas essary risk management actions will be taken. most heavily affected by emissions, there will be restricted use of other than low-emission ve- hicles.

Our Shared Environment 2020 15 16 Our Shared Environment 2020 Conserving biodiversity

Vision for the year 2020 There will be close cooperation between land The natural environment of the Uusimaa region will use planning, nature conservation and nature man- retain its biodiversity and there will be a coherent agement. network of green spaces. The ecological state of the waters will be good. Nature conservation areas, Management and use plans will have been drawn natural habitat types and species up for protected areas and Natura 2000 network ar- eas to ensure the conservation of the natural values The network of protected areas in the Uusimaa and sustainable use of the areas. region will be comprehensive and coherent. In the Uusimaa region, protected areas as such Wildlife and natural habitats will be conserved. are not sufficient to prevent species from being threatened or to counter loss of biodiversity. Green • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre is spaces of many types will also be preserved outside responsible for implementing the area’s nature the protected areas. The ecological network will be conservation programmes and the Natura 2000 comprehensive and coherent, and it will act as a network. The boundaries of nature conserva- buffer zone around the protected areas, providing tion areas will be marked in the terrain. The corridors between them and serving as recreational network of protected areas will be extended in areas for residents. town planning will ensure the cooperation with landowners. continuity of the green corridors across regional and municipal borders. • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre will be Urban nature, heritage environments and areas responsible for organising the management and with landscape values in the Uusimaa region will use of protected areas in order to maintain their be identified and systematically managed. natural values.

Our Shared Environment 2020 17 Green corridors in Uusimaa region in 2006

Regional ecological corridor Need for green corridor Regional core green area Railway © Uusimaa Regional Council © Regional Council of Itä-Uusimaa Road © Seija Väre, Sito Oy © Urban Structure Monitoring System YKR, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE Built up area (Urban Structure Monitoring System YKR, and Statistics Finland, 2006 Finnish Environment Institute SYKE and Statistics Finland, © National Land Survey of Finland, licence 7/MYY/2006 2005)

• Data will be collected to provide a basis for steer- ing protection measures and assessing the effec- tiveness of protection. The natural habitats and sites of species requiring special protection men- tioned in the Nature Conservation Act will be inventoried and the boundaries marked. The de- velopment of the stock and distribution of species requiring special protection will be monitored.

• Steps will be taken to acquire information on the impacts of invasive species and on the possibili- ties for countering negative impacts.

The ecological network and urban nature The Uusimaa region will have a comprehensive and coherent ecological network, including links to neighbouring regions.

• The regions and municipalities will define the dif- ferent levels of the ecological network and clarify the related concepts (green space, recreational area, ecological network). They will also make recommendations for the size of the network.

18 Our Shared Environment 2020 • The ecological efficiency of green corridors will management. Indicators will be developed for be ensured by control of town planning, increas- monitoring the state of urban nature. ing the dialogue between the different planning levels. As part of the network of green spaces, • Protecting urban nature will involve coopera- recreational facilities will be guaranteed for resi- tion with residents. The conservation of urban dents (hiking trails, skiing trails, unbuilt shore- nature will be taken as the point of departure line areas, water areas). both for building and for the planning and management of green spaces. • In connection with road rebuilding and repair projects, the Uusimaa Region of Finnish Road • Nature and landscape surveys will be used Administration will build over- and underpasses to determine the quality criteria to be consid- to provide safe crossing places for animals. The ered as regards the special features of urban municipalities will ensure that these routes are nature. continued in land use outside the area of the road. Heritage environments and areas with scenic and landscape values will be protected Urban nature will be diverse, there will be informa- tion available on its diversity and it will be protect- • Heritage biotopes that have been classified ed. Land use planning, urban nature conservation as nationally and regionally valuable or oth- and different permit systems cooperate closely. erwise significant will be managed according to a regional management programme. • An assessment will be made of the need for protecting urban nature biotopes and recom- • Management plans will be drawn up for areas mendations will be drawn up for urban nature with scenic and landscape values.

Our Shared Environment 2020 19 Improving the quality of the environment and reducing the environmental load

Vision for 2020 Reducing the load on Air quality and the state of waters and soil will be waters and sustainable good. Energy consumption will no longer be in- use of water resources creasing and the use of natural resources will have decreased. The risk of environmental accidents will be low. Effective measures will be taken to reduce the load on waters deriving from agriculture Environmental loading of air, water and soil will have decreased. The sites that are most harmful for • The environmental subsidy system for agricul- health will have been cleaned up. ture will be improved and more efficient use The ecological status of the Gulf of Finland and will be made of the subsidies. Coherent buffer the lakes and rivers in the region will be good. The zones will be created on shores and banks of wa- waters will be suitable for a variety of recreational ter bodies in accordance with buffer zone plans. uses. The quality and amount of groundwater will The amount of year-round vegetation cover on continue to be good as a source of water supply. fields will be increased. Special attention will The protection of surface and groundwater will be given to steeply sloping fields bordering on be given consideration in land use, business and water bodies. industrial activities and in soil extraction. Emissions from energy production and traffic • Agricultural producers will improve the grow- will have been successfully reduced and the struc- ing condition and nutrient utilisation of their ture of energy production will be diverse, with fields. They will also prepare to meet the threats renewable fuels accounting for a significant pro- brought by increased rainfall and erosion due to portion. climate change. The use, storage and transport of hazardous chemicals and petroleum products will be safe. • By calculating and interpreting nutrient bal- The risks involved will have been identified and ances, more accurate use can be made of fer- reduced by selecting less hazardous chemicals and tilisers and manure. The environmental risks through land use planning. Business and industry represented by pesticides will be recognised will focus on prevention in their environmental and minimised. Only harmless pesticides will protection practices. be used in groundwater areas.

20 Our Shared Environment 2020 Our Shared Environment 2020 21 • Livestock producers will reduce the effluents into dry closets are recommended. Wastewater will not surface and groundwater and greenhouse gas be infiltrated into the soil in groundwater areas. emissions caused by the handling and use of ma- nure on fields. • In order to reduce leakage, water works will reno- vate their sewer networks especially in ground- Communities will have effective wastewater treat- water areas. ment. The wastewater load from sparsely populated areas will be significantly reduced. • The municipalities will organise reception points for wastewater from boats in harbours and mari- • Wastewater treatment plants will be managed in nas. the best possible way. The elimination of nutrients will be improved if necessary by installing the lat- Water supply assured for Uusimaa residents. est technology, for example, tertiary filter systems. The risk of fault in operation will be recognised • The municipalities and water works will be re- and preparations made for such contingencies. sponsible for ensuring a reserve water supply, and for the sufficient number and competence of per- • Wastewater treatment plants and municipalities sonnel. In case of electricity cuts, the availability will centralise their wastewater treatment for com- of a standby power supply will be assured. Prepa- munities and more densely populated rural areas rations will be made to counter the risk of flood- by taking wastewater for treatment in more ef- ing. The municipalities and water works will take ficient units. Municipalities will develop methods responsibility for emergency response plans. for treating rain- and melt water. The objective will be to relieve some of the water bodies from waste- • Steps will be taken to promote cooperation be- water load. tween water works and their integration. By pro- moting joint water supply management in sparse- • The municipalities, water works and property ly populated areas all residents in the Uusimaa owners will work to improve wastewater treat- region will be guaranteed a good quality and suf- ment by the year 2014. In sparsely populated areas ficient domestic water supply.

22 Our Shared Environment 2020 • The programme for developing the water sup- • Rain- and melt water will be taken in open chan- ply and sewerage in the Uusimaa will be kept nels to basins and wetlands for treatment and the up to date together with the municipalities and absorbed into the soil. The objective is to improve the regional councils. Water supply and sewerage the quality of water and reduce the incidence of projects will be promoted in accordance with the extremes situations. programme. Overall regional plans for water sup- ply and sewerage will be drawn up. • In the restoration of water bodies and other relat- ed work, natural methods of hydraulic engineer- • Land use planning will ensure that there are areas ing will be used. Uusimaa Regional Environment for groundwater formation. Centre will promote natural methods by giving advice and supervising projects, especially land The use of waters is sustainable and the status of drainage and other works carried out by private waters good. Preparations for flooding and periods owners. The harmful impacts of dredging and of drought are made in advance. excavation will be reduced.

• In cooperation with a joint working group, Uusi- • Local residents and other actors will take re- maa Regional Environment Centre is preparing sponsibility for the restoring and management a River Basin Management Plan for the Kymi- of lakes. Uusimaa Regional Environment Cen- joki – Gulf of Finland river basin district, and a tre will support the rehabilitation of the most Programme of Measures for the Uusimaa region. important and most eutrophic sites. Preventive The necessary measures to achieve good ecologi- work will be done in lakes that are still in a good cal and chemical status of waters are included in condition. New methods of rehabilitation will be the plan and in the programme and they will be developed as well as methods for assessing and implemented. monitoring the impacts of rehabilitation.

• The habitats for aquatic organisms will be im- • Control of flood risks will be improved by reduc- proved and conditions ensured for the migration ing damage to the existing structures. Uusimaa of fish. Fish and crayfish stock will be strength- Regional Environment Centre and the munici- ened by rehabilitation of rapids and fast flow- palities will draw up flood maps and ensure that ing waters. The municipalities will ensure that no buildings are erected in areas susceptible to flowing waters and their surroundings are kept flooding. Measures will be taken to promote the as ecologically diverse open channels with flood preparedness of both municipalities and private areas in built-up areas, too. residents in case of flooding.

Our Shared Environment 2020 23 Protection of soil and • The Uusimaa Region of Finnish Road Admin- groundwater istration will apply ground water protection in groundwater areas where roads are built. The Contamination of soil and groundwater will be chloride content of groundwater due to road prevented. salting will no longer increase and will start to fall by 2015. • By land use planning, construction work and care in all operations, the risk of contaminating Contaminated soil and sediments will be cleaned soil and groundwater will be reduced. efficiently and according to good soil rehabilitation practice. • There will be clear regulations and interpreta- tions of research and rehabilitation responsibili- • Sites that constitute environmental and health ties. Flexible funding systems will be developed risks are known and they are being monitored. for funding research on contaminated soil and Information on the areas will be available to the groundwater areas, and the rehabilitation plan- public. ning and cleaning up of these areas. • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre will • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre, the draw up a rehabilitation plan defining which municipalities and water works will draw up sites will take priority. Primary rehabilitation protection plans for groundwater areas in all targets are sites that represent a risk to ground- important areas suitable for water supply and water and other sites causing significant envi- revise them regularly. The structure and condi- ronmental and health risks. tions of groundwater deposits will be known. • Sites that can be left outside the scope of rehabili- • New industrial, business or recreational activi- tation due to economic or environmental factors ties that might involve a risk to groundwater will be identified. will be located in groundwater areas. Places where chemicals are stored or fuel distributed • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre together (such as petrol stations) will be located outside with the parties responsible for rehabilitation of groundwater areas. the areas in question will promote the develop- ment of methods for research and rehabilitation of contaminated soil. Recommended methods of treating contaminated soil are those that en-

24 Our Shared Environment 2020 able re-use of the soil that has been removed and • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre and other minimising the need for transport. regional environment centres, the Geological Sur- vey of Finland, rock aggregate producers, the mu- • Occurrences and quantities of contaminated nicipalities and regional councils will determine sediments will be surveyed and their environ- the areas that are safe in terms of environmental, mental impacts assessed. Rehabilitation will be nature and groundwater protection and that can carried out at sites that cause significant harm be used efficiently for gravel extraction, including to aquatic organisms or impair the use of water gravel extracted from under groundwater areas. areas. Different levels of land use planning will deter- mine those areas that are suitable for the extrac- • Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre will co- tion of soil and rock aggregate and those where operate with the municipalities and those carry- extraction is not permitted. ing on operations in the area, to ensure that the dredged material resulting from the dredging of • In using sand and gravel reserves from the sea contaminated sediments are placed at disposal bottom, the possible harm to marine ecology and treatment sites that are appropriate for the caused by extracting these resources will be taken purpose, and if necessary, centralised so that into account. they do not constitute an environmental haz- ard. • Recycling of soil will be promoted, and some ar- eas near the metropolitan area will be reserved The management and extraction of rock resources for the storage and handling of soil. will be given consideration in land use planning. More efficient re-use of soil will be promoted.

Our Shared Environment 2020 25 Air protection

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions will • The private and public sector will carry out ener- have halted. Harmful airborne emissions will have gy reviews and implement energy saving meas- been reduced. Energy consumption will no longer ures. Energy-efficient solutions will be sought in increase and renewable energy sources will be building, town planning and traffic planning. preferred in energy production. • In industry and energy production plants, the ef- • A climate strategy will be drawn up for the Uusi- ficiency of cleaning equipment will be improved. maa region and the metropolitan area. Green- Failures will occur infrequently and be of short house gas emissions from energy production, duration. Energy production will be diverse in traffic, waste management and agriculture will structure, and its maintenance and operation be reduced. will be reliable.

• Emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, • Energy saving and the use of environment- ammonia, volatile organic compounds and fine friendly, renewable energy sources will be en- particles from energy production, traffic, small- couraged: these include geothermal, solar and scale combustion, agriculture and industry will wind power, waste fuels, biological fuels and be reduced in line with the national air protec- district heating. tion programme.

26 Our Shared Environment 2020 Waste management

The principle of waste management will be pre- any sites that represent a significant risk to envi- vention at source. Re-use of waste in the form of ronment and human health. material or energy will increase, replacing the use of natural resources. Waste transport and handling • The municipalities, regional councils and Uusi- will not be harmful to the environment. maa Regional Environment Centre will draw up plans for waste management in emergencies, • Waste will be reduced at source in compliance (e.g. oil spills, epidemics) and set up the neces- with the national strategy. sary handling and disposal sites.

• Separation and re-use of waste will be promoted. • The responsible authorities will increase their The recovery target is more than 70% of munici- cooperation on reducing litter and eliminating pal waste and 80% of other waste. illegal dumps.

• Waste incineration will both reduce the need for landfills and lower the consumption of fossil Environmental management f­uels. in business and industry

• Waste management organisations and compa- Companies will have efficient environmental nies will use as preferred treatment methods, management systems and cooperate effectively composting, decomposition and sludge treat- with the responsible authorities. ment, which allow waste to be re-used as ferti- lisers and soil improvement agents. • In town planning the municipalities and regional councils will reserve areas for industry and busi- • By 2009, no more than 40% of biodecomposable ness that represent a potential hazard to the en- municipal waste will be taken to landfills and vironment. The required buffer zones will be left by 2016 no more than 25%. The percentage will around these areas. decrease further by 2020. • Companies will apply Best Available Technology • Landfill gases contributing to climate change and Best Practices in their environmental protec- will be recovered for energy production. tion. They will reduce their environmental load by continuous improvement of their operations. • The municipalities and companies involved will monitor disused landfills and conduct risk as- • Environmental management systems will be sessments. Rehabilitation will be carried out at developed for use in monitoring and reporting.

Our Shared Environment 2020 27 Regular permit control inspections will be of a Environmental high standard and sufficiently frequent. The in- spections will be chargeable. information to • Companies will save natural resources by improv- facilitate decision ing their production methods and products. In- dustry will make efficient use of waste materials making and by-products in production. Vision for the year 2020 • Problems and risks arising from chemicals will be Policy makers and residents will have access identified. Hazardous chemicals will be replaced to up-to-date information on the state of the by less harmful ones and the use of chemicals will environment and on the impacts their decisions be restricted. Studies will be carried out to find have on the environment. the main sources and occurrences of environment- loading compounds and monitoring will be ar- • Residents, businesses, organisations and author- ranged. ities will have compatible information systems at their disposal. Environmental information can • The purpose of permit and supervisory activities be easily used and updated by its producers. will be to anticipate and give guidance. • Interpreted and refined information on the en- • Cooperation between companies and the authori- vironment of the Uusimaa region will be made ties will be effective and there will be a clear divi- available for the use of policy makers. sion of responsibilities. The authorities will act to ensure a good level of service for business and • Data from environmental monitoring carried residents in the Uusimaa region. Special support out by various organisations will be combined will be given to small and medium-sized busi- in order to provide comprehensive information nesses in environmental issues. on the state of the environment in Uusimaa.

• Cooperation with the authorities responsible for supervising occupational health and safety, safety of chemicals and environmental protection will be developed and their methods harmonised. In- formation gained through supervision will be ef- fectively exploited and applied over a wide area.

28 Our Shared Environment 2020 Programme implementation and monitoring

The Uusimaa Region Environmental Programme vironmental Programme measures will be moni- brings together the region’s common guidelines tored and reported during the programme period for improving the state of the environment. The 2007-2020. The trends for the state of the environ- Programme will be implemented by all the actors ment will continue to be shown by the environ- involved in their own operations: business and mental barometer for Uusimaa, which explains the industry, research institutions, authorities, organi- policy makers’ opinions on the most significant sations, regional councils and municipalities. The environmental targets, measures and their impacts. regional plans and regional programmes are also In addition, the Uusimaa region’s ecological foot- important tools in achieving the targets of the En- print will be studied in collaboration with other vironmental Programme. actors in the region. Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre will im- Common indicators of the state of the environ- plement the plan through its work. The Environ- ment were drawn up in 2006 for the use of all the ment Centre’s annual target plan will be tied to the regional environment centres and other regional programme targets. The targets will be taken into actors. The use of the indicators and reporting will consideration in the allocation of funding and in be developed and new indicators added to the list, planning environmental projects. taking into account the special features of the Uusi- The development of the state of the environ- maa region. ment in Uusimaa and the implementation of En-

Drafting of the Programme Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre has drawn carried out at the initial stages of the work, the up the Environmental Programme in collaboration respondents considered the worst environmental with other authorities, organisations, business and problems to be climate change, eutrophication of industry and research institutions in the region. waters, pollution of soil and groundwater and de- In the process of preparing the programme, three creasing biodiversity due to changes in land use. thematic seminars were held: Nature and Natural At different stages of drafting the Environmental Resources, Communities and Industries and Envi- Programme several proposals were received for ronmental Protection. In addition, in autumn 2006 cooperative projects that would contribute to im- the opportunity was offered to give feedback on plementing the Programme’s objectives. the draft programme via the Environment Centre’s For further information on the Environmental web site. Programme, visit http://www.environment.fi/ According to a questionnaire dealing with the uus > Environmental Programme for Uusimaa priorities of environmental problems in Uusimaa Region

Our Shared Environment 2020 29 Documentation page

Publisher Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre Date December 2007 Author(s)

Title of publication Our Shared Environment 2020. Environmental Programme for Uusimaa Region

Publication series and The Finnish Environment 11en/2007 number Theme of publication Environmental protection

Parts of publication/ The publication is also available on the Internet at http://www.ymparisto.fi/julkaisut other project A list of background material for the Environmental Programme can be found at publications http://www.environment.fi/uus > Environmental Programme for Uusimaa Region

Abstract There are some 1.5 million people living in the Uusimaa Region, and the population continues to grow rapidly. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area has the only large concentration of population in Finland. The pollution load on the environment is increasing and coherent areas of green space are diminishing. On the other hand, the region has great biodiversity. The objectives of reconciling the needs of human activity with those of nature and reducing the environmental load present the region with challenging tasks. The Uusimaa Region Environmental Programme presents the objectives and action for promoting balanced development of the area on the terms of both nature and man up to the year 2020.

Measures to combat climate change and prepare for its impacts will be implemented in the various focal areas of the programme throughout its duration. The objective is to give the Uusimaa region a coherent community structure and offer its inhabitants a safe, healthy and pleasant living environment. By adjusting the needs of traffic and land use planning, an eco-efficient regional structure and equal opportunities for mobility will be ensured, while reducing dependence on private cars. The continuity of green space and the ecological network will be guaranteed by planning across regional and municipal borders. The urban nature of the Uusimaa region, heritage environments and valuable landscapes will be inventoried and systematically managed.

Action will be taken to halt the growth of emissions from energy production and traffic. Protection of surface and ground water will be given attention in land use, business and industrial activities and soil extraction. The soil areas and sediments most harmful to human and environmental health will be cleaned up. The risks arising from hazardous chemicals and oil transport will be reduced.

Keywords state of the environment, regional development, sustainable development, environmental protection, environmen- tal information, environmental loading, environmental programmes, environmental policy, climate change, Uusimaa region

Financier/ commissioner ISBN ISBN ISSN ISSN (pbk) 978-952-11-2903-2 (PDF) 978-952-11-2904-9 (print) 1238-7312 (online) 1796-1637 No. of pages Language Restrictions Price (incl. tax 8 %) 32 English (available also in Public 8,00 € Finnish and Swedish) For sale at/ Edita Publishing Ltd., Customer Service, P.O.Box 800, FI-00043 Edita. Phone +358 20 450 05, distributor fax +358 20 450 2380, E-mail: [email protected], Internet: www.edita.fi/netmarket Financier Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre, Asemapäällikönkatu 14, POB 36, 00521 Helsinki. Phone +358 20 490 101 of publication (exchange), +358 020 690 161 (Customer Service). Fax +358 20 490 3200. E-mail: [email protected], Internet: www.environment.fi/uus Printing place and year Edita Prima Ltd., 2007

30 Our Shared Environment 2020 Our Shared Environment 2020 31

There are some 1.5 million people living in the area of the Uusimaa Regional O ur S hare d E nviroment 2020 Environment Centre and the population continues to grow, especially in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The pollution load on the environment is increasing and coherent areas of green space are diminishing. Climate change is considered to be the most significant environmental challenge for the future. The Uusimaa Region Environmental Programme presents the objectives and action for promoting balanced development of the area, on the terms of both nature and man, up to the year 2020.

In 2020: • The structure of communities will be coherent and urban development ecologically sustainable. The living environment of the inhabitants of the Uusimaa region will meet their daily needs and will be safe, healthy and pleasant to live in. • The region will retain its biodiversity and there will be a coherent network of green space. The ecological state of the waters will be good. • Air quality and the state of waters and soil will be good. Energy consumption will no longer be increasing and the use of natural resources will have decreased. Environmental risks will be under control. | 2007 T he F innish E nviroment 11 en |

Order Service: Edita Publishing Ltd. P.O.Box 800, FI-00043 Edita Customer Service: phone +358 20 450 05, fax +358 20 450 2380 Edita-bookstore in Helsinki: Annankatu 44, phone +358 20 450 2566

ISBN 978-952-11-2903-2 (pbk.) ISBN 978-952-11-2904-9(PDF) ISSN 1238-7312 (print)

32 Our SharedISSN Environment 1796-1637 2020 (online)