Report of the panel discussion

Organized by Oikos Finland together with The Forum for Environmental Information and the University of Helsinki, the panel discussed what role ecological knowledge has in decision making processes in society in an age where everyone from businesses to government agencies have to take the climate and biodiversity crises into account. 

In light of the ongoing environmental crisis, society needs to have the ability to adapt and find solutions. The Finnish government, regions and businesses must consider the risks posed by these crises across all sectors from agriculture to the construction industry. Having access to ecological research and knowledge will help the making of wise decisions to protect biodiversity and ecosystems. Panelists dove deep into the role of ecological knowledge in decision making for the private and public sectors. 

The panel consisted of a very distinguished representatives of different sectors of society: the Ministry of Finance's permanent secretary Juha Majanen, business and sustainability executive Kaisa Hietala, University of Helsinki professor Tomas Roslin, and Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen.

The discussion was lead by environmental influencer Saara Kankaanrinta and the topic was introduced by Finnish Environmental Institute's director general, Leif Schulman. 

In their Finnish language discussion the panel approached the topic from many angles and came up with some practical ideas for action. For example, Juha Majanen suggested that the global coalition started by Finland for finance ministers to find solutions for climate change should also be now implemented in the same way for the biodiversity crisis.