Nature

Sonnanjoki will be restored to be suitable for lake trout – stones will be returned to the rapids and embankments will be lowered for fish fry

Pebbles will be returned to Sonnanjoki as spawning grounds for lake trout, and the shoreline will be thinned out as a living space for the fry.

Heikki Holsti and the excavator at Seppälänkoski.
Heikki Holsti and the excavator at Sonnanjoki in Seppälänkoski.

Sonnanjoki will be restored to be suitable for lake trout – stones will be returned to the rapids and embankments will be lowered for fish fry Read More »

A herd of more than a hundred cats will be expensive for the association that saved the cats from the wild – the bill can reach many thousands of euros

More than 80 individuals were caught from Ylöjärvi’s cat population in August, but several dozen cats remained in the wild.

What to do with abused, semi-feral cats? What does it cost?

The volunteers of the Cat Corner association had to think about the issue in Pirkanmaa after a herd of more than a hundred semi-feral cats was found in the countryside of Ylöjärvi at the end of August.

More than 80 cats were lured from the herd at one time. Dozens of cats were still left wandering in nature, and they are going to be lured today, Friday. Such a large herd has never come to Kissankulma (http://www.kissankulma.com/) at one time before.

Rescuing the cats and then food, chipping, vaccinations, sterilization and other care is a multi-thousand-euro expense item for the Kissankulma association.

Amazed cat.
Individuals of the large cat population found in Ylöjärvi have been placed, for example, in the Katajankulma foster home in Hattula.

A herd of more than a hundred cats will be expensive for the association that saved the cats from the wild – the bill can reach many thousands of euros Read More »

Research: Whales’ hit songs are transferred from performer to performer across the vast ocean

Humpback whales learn the complex songs of other populations quickly and accurately when they hear them along their migrations. An equal cultural exchange is known only from humans.

Humpback whale under the water surface.  A diver is barely the length of a whale's tail fin.
A diver and a humpback whale in the waters of Tonga in the South Pacific. An adult humpback whale is about 15 meters long and weighs 30 tons.

Research: Whales’ hit songs are transferred from performer to performer across the vast ocean Read More »

The worst forest fires in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years – Researcher: Brazil’s presidential election is the moment of fate for the forests

The leading candidates strongly disagree about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. The election will decide whether we will start fighting forest destruction or let it continue. In the worst case scenario, the Amazon rainforests are on the road to drying out and atrophying.

In the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon in Brazil, the worst forest fires in 15 years are raging.

Illegal land grabbers set fires to clear the forest for cattle grazing and soy plantations.

Palopesäkkeitä Amazonilla on ollut Greenpeacen mukaan tämän vuoden tammikuusta elokuuhun 16,7 prosenttia enemmän(http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn\u003dCy2nBLYM7ZKqmbukR8vXkcbLPTRG5vhxcINdCA62U5tJYky107vWS1map0-2FKZ-2BTff37kSK4Bi3I5Pxjcf8ZcJoz9DSoax8M-2B-2FUNglLPEolIx9vX3eJatPJBEeRJ2xbC9N78-2BXNiMi-2BekfU6r3qDc5M68kCwbeuO6jWfatrLZxkf5Li1m4tKyAt5gAEuSLVMwDQHXiRd4p5QBaRItxQbOh96ZXZkjjxdC8tUBBL3UXxU-3Dxe01_ugikIhRd1he0SmIB9HmaAUw0fduYFFF9zvJgEQ3pEmaHyZ- 2BQfzZKAJ1VnW6PShJwpB-2BPE73-2BwhDrmO8JpdSVMgtTzTBRbDGCHR9fagmwhr5tkf4iX1PuYpR06MMSYqviucRbhXAgKc-2FnTko83cImoU2r3zTo6ln-2FefFrrpE1wswpgmfOVIBGeqtpQitLVT1LETxXyAYTD9Cbou33-2FSmwzDCAt-2B5nwvV1-2FYMCUuTjVYmQKYq6-2FXVxVat8y1igEF5RgZgzL3IWYMIXCp-2BZLIjDb9NS4p1sNRkSemA5QBQenlKdh5JZlvPqJjyd2MMGX5OaWtGtykvLlXC7FwV2mssgwKgCss1xFkYzQmeJGGFiz6NjX8ZtkEkrpQlkEe-2BLDDLO9nUm-2F-2BKv5c-2FpzWMbD-2F1lyw-3D-3D) verrattuna viime vuoden vastaavan ajanjaksoon.

One of the biggest reasons for the devastating forest fires has been the reluctance of President Bolsonaro’s administration to protect the environment: the country’s economy is growing at the expense of the Amazon rainforest.

Amazon BR163 Itaituba aerial photo just cleared
The past five years have seen extensive deforestation in the forests of Brazil. Rainforest cleared for fields along the road leading to Itaituba in 2019.

The worst forest fires in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years – Researcher: Brazil’s presidential election is the moment of fate for the forests Read More »

Dry August took away hopes for a good mushroom harvest, but suitable rain and heat can still partially restore them

The hot August took away the mushrooms, but suitable rains can still bring them back.

– I’ve been walking here for seven years, and I’ve never seen a forest so empty of mushrooms at the turn of August and September, says Korhonen.

The past summer and early autumn have been quite special when it comes to mushrooms. At the end of July, mushroom baskets were filled with delicious chanterelles in different parts of Finland.

The hot period in August stopped the mushroom season almost completely.

– There is still hope. When the water comes, the mushrooms still rise. Not in a day or two, but in a week from the rains, Jarkko Korhonen reminds.

September is the best mushroom month in southern and central Finland.

– Measured in milliliters, the rain has been quite reasonable in recent days. I think the mycelium is starting to flow and produce a crop. I just have to hope that the night frosts don’t come too early.

Jarkko Korhonen is a Finnish mushroom expert and writer.
Jarkko Korhonen is a Finnish mushroom expert and writer.

Dry August took away hopes for a good mushroom harvest, but suitable rain and heat can still partially restore them Read More »

The Rasmus’ Eurovision meadows will be auctioned so that the Natural Heritage Foundation can buy the forest from Lope

The city of Vantaa has decided to sell the 50-hectare forest area in Lope to the Natural Heritage Foundation. The forest will be bought and protected with the funds of the Blue Forest collection launched by the Natural Heritage Foundation and the Von Hertzen Brothers band in February.

Kie von Hertzen investigates the river running through the Blue Forest at Lope.
Musician Kie von Hertzen explores the river that runs through the Blue Forest.

The Rasmus’ Eurovision meadows will be auctioned so that the Natural Heritage Foundation can buy the forest from Lope Read More »

Herring has lost half its weight in 40 years – now researchers have found a new explanation: a decrease in iodine

Herring is an important food fish, but suffers from the effects of climate change. The decrease in salt content has changed the diet of herring.

A new explanation is being found for the poor condition of herring in the Archipelago Sea.

Back in the 1980s, herring was twice as plentiful as it is now. Reasons for the silverfin’s weight loss have been searched for a long time.

There are several factors behind this, but the latest observation is the decrease in iodine concentration in the Baltic Sea.

Heavy rains dilute the Baltic Sea

It has already been observed that a decrease in salinity is harmful to herring.

At the turn of the millennium, it was noticed that climate change has an effect on the life of herring. Due to climate change, the amount of precipitation has increased and with it the salinity of the Baltic Sea water has decreased.

When water moves away from the Baltic Sea more regularly, salt pulses occur less frequently. When no new salty water comes from the Danish straits, the salinity of the Baltic Sea water is further diluted.

Due to the lower salinity, the diet of the herring has changed. Because of that, the herring lives in constant hunger. In 40 years, the herring has lost up to 50 percent of its weight.

Assistant professor Jari Hänninen at Seili
Jari Hänninen heads the activities of the Archipelago Sea Research Institute on the island of Seili.

Herring has lost half its weight in 40 years – now researchers have found a new explanation: a decrease in iodine Read More »

The squirrel population grew explosively in Kainuu

The reason for this is the fir’s good cone crop during the previous few summers. The squirrel population has been calculated using game triangles and it describes the strength of the population in forest areas, but not in urban environments.

a squirrel in a tree
The squirrel is a declining species elsewhere in northern Finland, but in Kainuu the population has increased fivefold.

The squirrel population grew explosively in Kainuu Read More »

The Regional Administration Office banned the raising of fish fry off Pietarsaari – Ekofish’s project was widely rejected in numerous statements

According to the Regional Administrative Agency, the production of fry near the shore could have caused water pollution.

En man står ute på en fiskarbåt och matar fiskar i en odling.
Ekofish’s fish farm in the open sea. Stock photo.

The Regional Administration Office banned the raising of fish fry off Pietarsaari – Ekofish’s project was widely rejected in numerous statements Read More »