Proposed Finnish fence on Russian border will affect wildlife, researchers warn
https://sputniknews.com/20221129/proposed-finnish-fence-on-russia-border-will-affect-wildlife-researchers-warn-1104806231.html
Proposed Finnish fence on Russian border will affect wildlife, researchers warn
Proposed Finnish fence on Russian border will affect wildlife, researchers warn
The fence is expected to be hundreds of kilometers long, over 3 meters high and fitted with barbed wire. In the proposed format, a large … 29.11.2022, Sputnik International
2022-11-29T05:23+0000
2022-11-29T05:23+0000
2022-11-29T05:23+0000
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The proposed construction of a 260-kilometre-long fence along part of Finland’s border with Russia will hinder the free movement of wolves, bears and wild boars in the Nordic country, the environment said. Experts warned. Major parties, including the leader of the Social Democratic Party and incumbent Prime Minister Sanna Marin, have backed a proposal for Finnish border guards to partially fence off the country’s eastern border, with work due to begin next summer. It is an “unauthorized crossing,” the researchers warned, and the barrier will also prevent wildlife from moving freely through the sparsely populated border areas. The proposed fence is expected to be more than 3 meters high and has barbed wire attached to the top, so despite bears being good at digging and lynx being good at climbing. It can prevent large mammals from climbing over fences or passing under them. Wild boars are common in southeastern Finland, but usually on the Russian side of the border. Researchers at the Finnish Institute of Natural Resources added that fences could have devastating effects on local populations. For example, in northern Finland, much smaller reindeer, he kills many forest birds every year, even on fences. This is because the reindeer cannot be seen and dived straight into it. To reduce negative impacts on the environment. The fence is expected to cover up to 20% of the 1,300 kilometers long border between Finland and Russia, especially near designated border crossings, mostly located in the southeast corner of the country. It borders the Russian Leningrad Oblast and has the highest cross-border traffic. Fences will also have a considerable impact on Finland’s budget. The Ministry of the Interior is proposing to allocate his €139 million to the main phase of the project and his €6 million to the test section. This funding covers the fence itself, along with surveillance technology, road infrastructure and related land acquisition. “Is it fences, cardboard, or laths?” she quipped. The fences further undermine Finland’s once mutually beneficial relationship with Russia, which encompasses vigorous trade and economic cooperation since the Soviet era. Following Moscow’s launch of special operations in Ukraine, Helsinki joined other European Union nations in launching a number of sanctions against Russia, almost strangling cross-border economic activity. Finland has also restricted travel, curbed visa issuance and closed borders for Russian tourists. While the move was meant to have symbolic value, it backfired economically as many border areas have become dependent on Russian visitors and shoppers.
https://sputniknews.com/20220927/finnish-border-guard-wants-to-spend-hundreds-of-millions-of-euros-on-border-fence-against-russia-1101256165.html
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border fencing, wildlife conservation, wildlife conservation, Finnish-Russian relations, bilateral relations
border fencing, wildlife conservation, wildlife conservation, Finnish-Russian relations, bilateral relations
The fence is expected to be hundreds of kilometers long, over 3 meters high and fitted with barbed wire. The proposed form would block large mammals from moving over, under, or through it, disrupting traditional migration patterns, researchers say.
The proposed construction of a 260-kilometer-long fence along part of Finland’s border with Russia will hinder the free movement of Finnish wolves, bears and wild boars, environmental experts say. warned.
So far, the leaders of all major Finnish political parties, including the leader of the Social Democratic Party and incumbent Prime Minister Sanna Marin, have supported the proposal for Finnish border guards to partially fence off the eastern border of the country, and work was scheduled to start next summer.
Border Patrol touts the fences as a means of preventing “unauthorized crossings,” but researchers warned that the barriers would prevent wildlife from moving freely through sparsely populated border areas. The fence is expected to be more than 3 meters high and has barbed wire attached to the top, so even though bears are good at digging and lynx is good at climbing, large mammals can be prevented from climbing over fences or passing under them. .
“With the construction of the border fence, fewer wolves, bears and wild boars will enter Finland from Russia. In addition, the number of red deer coming to Finland will decrease,” warns the Finnish Institute for the Environment, warning that large mammals will be It emphasizes that it can travel up to 50 kilometers per mile and can even swim across lakes and rivers.
Wild boars are common in southeastern Finland, but usually on the Russian side of the border. The fence will therefore have a devastating impact on local numbers, added researchers from the Finnish Institute of Natural Resources.
Researchers also noted potentially harmful effects on small animals. In northern Finland, for example, even much smaller reindeer fences kill many forest birds each year.
The Finnish Border Guard has pledged to study the impact of the proposed fence on the surrounding ecosystem and ways to mitigate its negative impact on the environment.
The fence is expected to cover up to 20% of the 1,300-kilometer-long border between Finland and Russia, especially in areas near designated border crossings, most of which borders the Russian province of Leningrad and most borders. traffic across. Fences will also have a considerable impact on Finland’s budget. The Ministry of the Interior proposes to allocate 139 million euros for the main phase of the project and 6 million euros for the test section. The funds cover the fence itself, along with surveillance technology, road infrastructure, and related land acquisition.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously mocked the border fence on her Telegram account. “Is it fence, cardboard, lath?” she quipped.
The fence would further undermine the once mutually beneficial relationship between Finland and Russia, which has included active trade and economic cooperation since Soviet times. Following Moscow’s launch of special operations in Ukraine, Helsinki joined other European Union countries and launched a number of sanctions against Russia, almost strangling cross-border economic activity. restrictions, curbed visa issuance and closed borders to Russian tourists. It has backfired economically because it has been dependent on customers.
https://sputniknews.com/20221129/proposed-finnish-fence-on-russia-border-will-affect-wildlife-researchers-warn-1104806231.html Proposed Finnish fence on Russian border will affect wildlife, researchers warn
