The biodiversity footprint refers to the harmful impact of humans on nature. In the update of the Tampere Biodiversity Programme, the new goal 7 brings together the key measures that aim to have an impact on the direct biodiversity footprint caused by land use within the city limits (priorities for action 7.1) and the global damage to biodiversity caused by the consumption of natural resources (priorities for action 7.2).
The biodiversity footprint of land use is formed when natural areas are used for construction. The residents of the growing City of Tampere need homes and services. Ilmari Nurminen's Mayoral Programme states that the city's growth will focus on public transport corridors, the city center, and regional centers. However, new land areas will also be taken into use for construction, which will reduce the share of nature in the city. Construction fragments the habitats of different species and weakens the quality of their habitats. As the City of Tampere also aims to be nature-positive in land use, this goal must be taken into account in urban planning. There are several ways to achieve a positive attitude towards nature, but the primary thing is to avoid harm to nature. If it is not possible to avoid harm, other means of the so-called mitigation hierarchy can be introduced, which are described in more detail in priority for action 7.1. An actual biodiversity footprint has not been calculated for local land use, at least for now.
The global biodiversity footprint of the City of Tampere has been calculated in the joint research project of the School of Resource Wisdom of the University of Jyväskylä (JYU.Wisdom) (Pokkinen et al. 2024). The largest global environmental impacts in 2021 were caused by the procurement of food (22 %), heat (13 %), building materials (12 %), and electricity (8 %). In Tampere, food is most commonly used in the catering services of day-care centers, schools, and educational institutions: about 10 million meals are prepared annually. Red meat, dairy products, and poultry are the most harmful to nature.
Consumption in the City of Tampere causes environmental damage globally, mainly through climate change (56 %) and land use change (35 %). The city can reduce the harm by making purchases that contribute as little as possible to causing climate change and, for example, deforestation to make way for cattle pastures. It is also important for residents to understand how their consumption choices affect biodiversity. The city can provide information about it.
As the calculation of the biodiversity footprint has developed, the University of Jyväskylä has shown what kind of consumption is most harmful to the climate and biodiversity. It is crucial to make more sustainable food choices, save energy, switch to more sustainable energy solutions, and develop a circular economy to save natural resources and make material purchases more efficient. With regard to these measures, the prevention of biodiversity loss and the preservation of biodiversity are strongly intertwined with Tampere's climate and circular economy work.
Measures from the Climate Neutral Tampere 2030 roadmap (City of Tampere 2024) have also been raised to focus in priorities for action 7.2. It shows which actions are most significant in both combating global biodiversity loss and mitigating climate change.
Other benefits
- Climate: Measures aimed at reducing the biodiversity footprint, such as the material efficiency of construction and the local utilization of land masses, reduce the need for transport and thus also transport emissions. At the same time, improving energy efficiency and using renewable energy sources support the achievement of climate goals. In addition, switching to more plant-based foods significantly reduces both the climate load and the harm caused to biodiversity.
- Well-being: More sustainable food choices, such as favoring plant-based food and domestic fish, support nutritional health and can reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases. In addition, the conservation of natural resources and an environmentally friendly living environment increase the quality of life and environmental responsibility experienced by residents.
- Economy: The reuse of building components and materials and other circular economy solutions make the management of material resources in the built environment part of asset management and reduce the costs of construction and procurement. In the future, resource efficiency will also bring savings in municipal service production and infrastructure.
- Education and skills: Measures aimed at reducing the biodiversity footprint, such as responsible sourcing and sustainable food education, offer opportunities to increase environmental awareness and develop new skills both in educational institutions and in working life.
- Strengthening the city's sustainability mandate: Activities aimed at nature-positivity strengthen Tampere's reputation as a pioneer in the field of sustainable development and responsible urban planning. This can attract new residents, businesses, and investments.