Snowchange Cooperative

A new documentary highlights the impact of Pamilo hydropower station to lake Koitere and other water bodies, land locked salmon and local communities in Koitajoki.

This documentary contains materials of community-based observations of hydropower impacts and ecological change in Koitajoki catchment, North Karelia. It is the home of a large Snowchange restoration project funded by Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme.

Impacts have accumulated since 1950s, including the loss of the migratory routes and habitat for the unique land locked salmon. A new restoration plan has been developed to address some of the issues.

You can see the film here.

August brings late summer restoration and forest actions to view, fisheries are beginning, Le Monde covers Snowchange rewilding actions in the Eastern Finland and Lapland. Several international events mark the Autumn.

Rewilding and restoration has proceeded in summer. Highlights of the season include the arrival of Paanneoja Sámi OGF forest and ecological corridor up in Muotkatunturi Wilderness Area, Inari, of 100 hectares and several kilometers. Most of the sites focused in June and July into Arctic Circle peatlands and forests.

In Kemijärvi, Karvakkoselkä 70 hectare topographically important spring-fed peatland and forest system supports existing Snowchange sites in close vicinity. In Salla, Vilmajoki ecological corridor is an important old growth forest and flood plain. Joukahaisoja, as a part of the wider lake Unari catchment work in Sodankylä can be assessed to be a rather completely intact trout river in North Boreal. It can be considered a pearl of boreal ecosystems.

Most important of the summer restoration and rewilding actions continued in Salla and Eastern Lapland. Hand restoration in Kotala, Latoaukia and Orahaara provided for the first modern catchment and peatland restoration actions on these sites, and planning and scoping of Koutelo River catchment restoration continued with expansion of 50 hectares of Pahajoenjänkä and digger restoration expected either late in 2026 or 2027. This peatland has fully intact old growth forest islands supporting outstanding boreal biodiversity. In other regions, planning and licensing for major post-peat mining sites in Ranua and river restoration continued and the Koitajoki restoration proceeded at a rapid pace.

International media visited through the season – a major German magazine will cover Sámi forest work later in the year. Le Monde, prominent French newspaper wrote about our peatland work and this is available here. Autumn is expected to be busy with several IPCC and UN events, Snowchange workshops on boreal peatland restoration and Pacific work.