The European Regional Development Fund has awarded a grant to the University of Lapland, the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla), and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) to establish a professorship in natural resources. This is the first professorship in natural resources law in Finland. The professorship is sustained by the Faculty of Law at the University of Lapland. Another collaborating party is Forestry Development Centre TAPIO that deals especially with practice-oriented communication.

– Several mines are being launched in Lapland. Their operation must be proportioned to other businesses utilizing nature and natural resources. More legal expertise is required to enable an equal consideration of the varied needs in land use, notes Professor Kai Kokko, the head of the project.

The professorship in natural resources law lays a foundation for closer multidisciplinary and international research collaboration in the future. The centre of expertise, on the other hand, aims to enhance the use of research resources. It also enables us to create tailored knowledge for the sustainable use of natural resources and to foresee and avoid potential conflicts related to land use. The aim is to support user-based research knowledge by creating practices that promote knowledge transfer between research communities, business life, and administration.

– Enhancing research on natural resources is extremely well in line with the strategy of the University of Lapland the and researcher education it provides: Cooperation with Metla, GTK, and TAPIO is seamlessly linked with ongoing research projects. And further, the professorship enables the creation of new research projects. New research knowledge makes it possible to develop and clarify the societal and environmental responsibilities of businesses exploiting natural resources, Kai Kokko says.

Further information:
Kai Kokko, Professor of Environmental Law, tel. 040 484 4014
Kristiina Jokelainen, Research Coordinator, tel. 040 501 9856


ULapland/Communications/RJ