MI13 Directive mire habitats

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Current conservation status

Ten habitat types of the Habitats Directive have here been classified as mires. Seven of these occur both in the alpine and boreal region while three are restricted to the boreal region. The conservation status of alpine mire types is favourable in general. Only palsa mires have been evaluated to represent the unfavourable-inadequate status class.

The status of all mire habitat types in the boreal region is unfavourable. This is mainly due to decrease in habitat area, deteriorating structure and function as well as adverse future prospects. In the case of alkaline fens also the range of the habitat type has decreased due to a considerable loss of sites in southern Finland.

Active raised bogs, Fennoscandian decidious swamp woods, palsa mires and Fennoscandian springs and springfens have been evaluated as unfavourable-bad in the boreal region. Both raised bogs and decidious swamp woods are naturally most abundant in southern Finland, where the use of mires has been most intensive as well. The conservation status of all boreal mires is weakened by a variety of land uses (see also MI12).

Palsa mires occur in the boreal region only in the northernmost part while their main distibution covers the alpine region of northern Lapland. For palsa mires, the most critical factor which influences their conservation status is the threat arising from global climate change. Palsa mires are characterized by the consequences of ground frost and permafrost dynamics, which will most likely become rare if the temperature rises.