KarRC RAS
in social media
in social media
Publications
Scientific publications
K. Salovaara.
Valuing biodiversity - inventory of some herbs of economical potential in rural villages of North Karelia biosphere reserve in Ilomantsi, Finland
// Biodiversity of Fennoscandia (diversity, human impact, nature conservation). Petrozavodsk: Karelian Research Centre of RAS, 1997.
Multiple-use of forests and other natural resources is an important tool for conserving biodiversity. Utilisation of non-timber forest products (NTFP) can add a great value for natural habitats and offer a sustainable alternative for more destructive resource utilisation. Furthermore, ecosystem valuation can be used as an approach to valuing biological diversity. In Finland there is a long tradition of commercial utilisation of forest berries and mushrooms, but other NTFPs have been undervalued. In this study, the economical value of some potentially important herbs was estimated in order to achieve background information for their utilisation.
For several years, North Karelia Biosphere Reserve has been developing the utilisation of herbs and other harvestable nature products of commercial value in rural areas in Ilomantsi. This could serve as an alternative for timber extraction, currently one of the most important economical practices in the area, and offer additional income for local communities.
Ideally, development of NTFP utilisation should be based on biological information of potentially harvestable species. The objectives of this study were to make a preliminary inventory of some species that are commercially utilised as herb products in Finland, and to find out their potential economical value in the study area. Also the development of applicable methodology for future purposes was an essential part of this pilot phase.
Study was done in two rural villages, Sonkaja and Naarva, in the municipality of Ilomantsi. During summer 1997 the inventories concentrated on species that are most commonly found in cultural landscapes, i.e. the core areas of the two villages studied. These biotopes include meadows, abandoned agricultural fields and pastures, and adjacent forest areas.
These biotopes are generated by traditional land use, but are currently decreasing in Finland due to changes in rural policy. However, at landscape level they are an important part of biological diversity. The need for preservation of these traditional landscapes has been recognised in Finland, and in the inventory of valuable traditional landscapes Sonkaja is now listed as having national value.
In the study areas the abundance of certain herb species was estimated in the field using 50x50 m quadrats. Based on this data and biomass sampling, harvestable biomass of each species was estimated for the two villages, and the most productive locations were mapped. Sufficient information for mapping was recorded for 10 species, and 5 species resulted with an estimate of harvestable biomass. These figures can be used for estimating the economical value of herb products in these areas. Also the abundance of harvestable species in different habitats will be analysed. Some future prospectives are discussed with respect to current trends in rural land use.
For several years, North Karelia Biosphere Reserve has been developing the utilisation of herbs and other harvestable nature products of commercial value in rural areas in Ilomantsi. This could serve as an alternative for timber extraction, currently one of the most important economical practices in the area, and offer additional income for local communities.
Ideally, development of NTFP utilisation should be based on biological information of potentially harvestable species. The objectives of this study were to make a preliminary inventory of some species that are commercially utilised as herb products in Finland, and to find out their potential economical value in the study area. Also the development of applicable methodology for future purposes was an essential part of this pilot phase.
Study was done in two rural villages, Sonkaja and Naarva, in the municipality of Ilomantsi. During summer 1997 the inventories concentrated on species that are most commonly found in cultural landscapes, i.e. the core areas of the two villages studied. These biotopes include meadows, abandoned agricultural fields and pastures, and adjacent forest areas.
These biotopes are generated by traditional land use, but are currently decreasing in Finland due to changes in rural policy. However, at landscape level they are an important part of biological diversity. The need for preservation of these traditional landscapes has been recognised in Finland, and in the inventory of valuable traditional landscapes Sonkaja is now listed as having national value.
In the study areas the abundance of certain herb species was estimated in the field using 50x50 m quadrats. Based on this data and biomass sampling, harvestable biomass of each species was estimated for the two villages, and the most productive locations were mapped. Sufficient information for mapping was recorded for 10 species, and 5 species resulted with an estimate of harvestable biomass. These figures can be used for estimating the economical value of herb products in these areas. Also the abundance of harvestable species in different habitats will be analysed. Some future prospectives are discussed with respect to current trends in rural land use.
Last modified: November 20, 2006