The Finns also proudly showcased their country's natural treasures, one of which is certainly the Siberian flying squirrel. In Estonia, the only remaining habitat of the Siberian flying squirrel is in the north-east of the country, while in Finland the species has habitats as far north as central Finland. It was particularly exciting to visit the Espoo area, where approx. 1,000 flying squirrels live alongside a population of 300,000 humans, and their habitats and green corridors are included in urban planning. Although we didn't see any flying squirrels, the project teams didn't mind putting on flying squirrel and seal costumes!

We also went to see the Finnish nature conservation practice of burning forests to increase biodiversity in a controlled way.

Cooperation with the locals has been positive, and the employees of the Finnish rescue services are being trained and invited to participate in the work. Burning is a traditional practice in Finland and Sweden, accepted by their societies.
Some of the group also had the chance to see the restoration works of the semi-clogged lagoon and the sandy beach on the Hanko peninsula.

During these three days, an overview of projects in other countries was given and joint activities for the future were planned.