The study and understanding of biodiversity and how it is impacted by human activities causing climate change, habitat modifications and the introduction of invasive species, increasingly demand from researchers working in various fields, ecosystems and at different levels of biological organization to get together and adopt multidisciplinary approaches addressing the complex environmental problems of our time. Simultaneously, sustaining such adapted and visionary cross-disciplinary research activities will only be possible if supported by quality biodiversity education.
Launched in 2022 within the framework of the EU-funded Biokarelia CBC project, the “Finnish Biodiversity Research & Education Platform” aims at filling those needs. It constitutes the visible outcome of a close collaboration between Vilma Lehtovaara, coordinator of the North Karelia Biosphere Reserve, and Philippe Fayt, project planner and postdoc biodiversity researcher, both graduated from the University of Eastern Finland. The endeavour has been implemented and is hosted by the North Karelian Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY-Keskus) based in Joensuu, eastern Finland.
The platform was developed in cooperation with Miikka Kostian and his colleagues from www.kooders.fi, who provided the coding services for all the information found on the portal, which has been gathered, compiled, uploaded and is continuously updated by Philippe Fayt. As he himself put it when presenting the platform online on the 25th of October 2022:
“Collecting data on who is doing research on biodiversity in Finland, with what kind of expertise, as well as on the existing study possibilities and funding resources supporting that research has been a long process but a rich, informative and rewarding experience and a necessary step before building our internet platform. At this stage, I identified altogether as many as 1300 biodiversity researchers from the Finnish universities and associated research institutions (Luke and Syke). Although only a fraction of them have already agreed to join the platform, the value of having such a website is real and can be viewed as a remarkable networking tool and a multidisciplinary cooperation arena that promotes environmental education and facilitates research on Finnish biodiversity. Especially since, although not exhaustive, the list of included researchers is very much inclusive as it extends to scholars from other fields of research such as geography, forestry, history and law who have demonstrated a marked interest in different aspects of biodiversity research and management.”
Watch the video “Presenting the Finnish Biodiversity Research and Education platform and its functionalities” on Youtube: https://youtu.be/E3dub4EEStQ
This platform should be understood as a national facilitator of knowledge building and sharing on Finnish biodiversity through research, cooperation and education. It is a win-win initiative for researchers and students, as well as for us, the project implementors. The former win by gaining visibility and relevant information concerning study and funding opportunities on Finnish biodiversity. And us, by benefiting from your inputs and suggestions how to potentially improve the platform and keep it up-to-date with any missing information that you would find relevant and supportive of our objectives. For that reason, the present platform is as much ours as it is yours. What matters, is a positive and lasting contribution to Finnish Nature, its understanding, sustainable use and conservation.