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Communication plan for the National strategy and action plan

for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity 2013–
2020

STRATEGIC BACKGROUND

This communication plan promotes the achievement of the goals of the Finnish Na-
tional strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the action
plan 2013–2020 supporting it. The communication plan was drafted by a communica-
tion team on biodiversity appointed by the Ministry of the Environment. This plan
may be used by all parties for planning their communications.

The main goal of the biodiversity strategy is to halt biodiversity loss in Finland by
2020. The leading idea in the efforts to achieve this goal is that biodiversity cannot be
safeguarded by means of conventional nature conservation alone. Mainstreaming
environmental issues across society and harnessing new actors to work for the envi-
ronment play a key role. Decision-making underpinned by robust research, accepting
Finland's responsibility for the global environment as part of the international com-
munity and sustainable use of natural resources are also essential.

The priorities of the strategy and action plan are in line with international policies. At
the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Japan in
2010, it was agreed that loss of biodiversity must be halted globally by 2020. To sup-
port this goal, the period 2010–2020 has been declared the Decade on Biodiversity by
the UN General Assembly.

THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN ACHIEVING THE GOALS

The national strategy adopted by the government states as the first strategic goal to:
"mainstream the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the public
administration and society."

The key aim that will help us achieve this goal is ensuring that Finnish people have
basic knowledge about biodiversity and that they are aware of its significance and
their own possibilities of influencing its conservation and sustainable use.

In order to formulate and implement the objectives related to environmental services

contained in the Finnish National strategy and action plan for biodiversity, we must
increase awareness of environmental services and their links to human well-being.

Disseminating information, developing communication channels and keeping these

channels open are important means for mainstreaming biodiversity. We need re-
search-based information on biodiversity and interdisciplinary cooperation to exploit
this information for developing indicators and gauges that support communication.
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A uniform look has been created for the Finnish communication plan, which various
parties should adhere to when communicating about the conservation and sustaina-
ble use of biodiversity.

VISIBILITY OF BIODIVERSITY

Loss of biodiversity continues to be overshadowed by other environmental issues,

even if the prominence and visibility of biodiversity issues have increased in recent
years. Questions of traditional conservation concerning individual organisms and
protected areas are the most likely themes to spark public discussion. In addition to
individual species, the media has given prominence to biodiversity's link with ex-
treme weather phenomena and their consequences (floods, storm damage in forests),
health and allergies, and such as fish stocks. Topics that have received less attention
include the connection between biodiversity loss and the deterioration of environ-
mental services caused by climate change. On the other hand, the media has also re-
tained a relatively good level of interest in biodiversity after the biodiversity theme
year in 2010.

From the perspectives of increasing general awareness and communication, what we

need is making a closer connection between biodiversity loss and other major envi-
ronmental issues, for example climate change, the services that the environment pro-
vides for humans, food supply, human well-being and water resource protection. Bio-
diversity is also important for plant breeding and, consequently, both national and
global food supply. Protection of genetic resources safeguards their availability for
farmers, breeding and research and future generations. We must not hesitate to also
bring up Finland's international responsibility for biodiversity and the related links
between living natural resources and poverty. Other themes to be highlighted are bio-
economy and renewable raw materials.

By European standards, Finnish people are quite familiar with biodiversity as a con-
cept (Eurobarometer survey 2007 and 2010). At the same time, Finnish people are
the least concerned of all European citizens over biodiversity loss. We must alert the
citizens to the alarming situation, interest them in biodiversity as a larger entity and
encourage them to support decision-making that conserves biodiversity.

Conserving biodiversity and the environmental services it underpins should become

a joint effort of various groups of citizens and sectors, rather than only seeing it as the
concern for certain people or professional groups. The key strategic goal of communi-
cation is mainstreaming biodiversity, encouraging an increasing number of groups
and actors in society to embrace it. In addition to disseminating information and
working on attitudes, the aim is to encourage individuals, authorities and industries
to change the way they operate in a way that contributes to conserving biodiversity
and ensuring sustainable use of the environmental services based on it.

Biodiversity is already visible in official documents. In Prime Minister Katainen's gov-

ernment programme, for example, it is quite prominent. While it is also visible in the
programmes of Regional Councils and political parties, it typically is acknowledged by
a short mention or cited as a strategic goal whose implementation the programme
calls for without going into the details of how it should be done. On the other hand,
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the fact that biodiversity is mentioned at all indicates that conserving it is a generally
accepted principle. The issue has been recognized and it ”exists”, and a potential for
action is also there.1

In the operations of Finnish companies, action for biodiversity is scarcely visible.

Many companies seem hesitant about bringing up this theme, and it is often absent
from such documents as corporate social responsibility reports. On the other hand,
there are Finnish companies that play an active role in global forums of this issue and
also include it in their communications.

THESES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Conserving biodiversity must be mainstreamed across Finnish society as a shared

concern that is not just up to certain people or professional groups.

The goal of communication is to promote a trend where an increasing number of

groups, individuals and organisations wish to act to halt biodiversity loss and know
what they can do in practice. To achieve this goal, communications must be captivat-
ing, targeted and designed to appeal to both reason and emotion.

The following theses were formulated as a guide for effective and relevant communi-
cations about biodiversity. They can be applied to the planning of a wide range of
communications, regardless of what the topic is or who is sending out the message.
The idea of the theses is to communication the message in a way that can be heard
over the "noise" and that can inspire new actors to take an interest in working for the
environment. The theses will help to mainstream efforts for the environment.

1. Communicate through an individual whenever possible

You can make biodiversity "an every-day topic" by communicating through an indi-
vidual and using examples whenever you can. Biodiversity should be associated with
the basics of life that concern us all, including business and industries, health, food,
housing, pastimes and consumer choices. At the same time, practical steps that each
one of us can take for the environment should be highlighted. We need to communi-
cate to people the idea that they can personally do something important for the envi-
ronment.

2. Encourage and inspire

Your tone should always be inspiring, hopeful and inciting to action. Through positive
examples, you can get across the message that change is not only necessary but also
possible.

3. Believe in your cause and let it show

Enthusiasm is contagious. A person whose manner of speaking and whole appear-

ance radiate enthusiasm and confidence is more likely to be heard than one spouting

1 Co-operative Torstai: A condition for life? An analysis of communications on biodiversity 29 Jan 2013
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"plain facts". For example, an expert openly sharing his or her concern over the state
of the environment can be extremely appealing.

4. Look for partners

The goals of the strategy cannot be achieved without broad-based cooperation. Har-
nessing new parties as communication partners may be helpful, as an unexpected
messenger may get people to pause and listen. Who could be "the last person" to talk
about the issue? Could he or she be the one to take the message forward, after all?

5. Make sure you can be understood!

Biodiversity as a concept has not been widely adopted in public discussion. However,
the key goal here is not making a certain concept a catchword, but saving the envi-
ronment. As indicated by circumstances, you can also replace biodiversity with other,
better known concepts. The main point is that your message is comprehensible, it
gets heard and it results in change or a willingness to change. Some of the following
terms might work:

diverseness in the natural world

environmental well-being
versatile environment
good status of the environment
healthy environment
rich environment

6. Use images whenever possible

Images draw attention and they are easy to distribute electronically. Always use visu-
al material (photos, graphics, videos) when you can. Besides supporting verbal infor-
mation, pictures are increasingly being used in communications and the media with
nothing but a caption.

Photography has become a part of our every-day lives thanks to digital cameras, es-
pecially those on mobile phones, and social media has made images an elemental part
of telling the story that is here and now. The fact that Finnish people like taking lots of
nature photographs could be better exploited in communications about the environ-
ment.2

THE COMMUNICATION TEAM'S ROLE

The communication team behind this plan is a subdivision of the working group pro-
moting the implementation and monitoring of the Finnish National Strategy and ac-
tion plan for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Its members are
mainly persons working in communications at the Ministry of the Environment, Min-

2Professor Merja Salo, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Yle 1, Julkinen sana 9 Jan
2013.
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istry for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of De-
fence, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finnish
Environment Institute, Metsähallitus Natural Heritage Services and Finnish Broad-
casting Company.

The communication team plans and implements communications that support the
implementation of the National strategy and action plan for the conservation and sus-
tainable use of biodiversity 2013–2020. The parties represented in the team ensure
that the goals of the National strategy and action plan for biodiversity are brought to
bear on as many of their organisations' communication policies and measures as pos-
sible.

The team coordinates its member organisations' communications on biodiversity,

works together whenever possible and ensures that overlapping efforts are avoided.
The team may select annual priorities for its communications, including food or
health and well-being.

The communication team strives to involve new parties in action for the environ-
ment, for example by:

actively seeking new partners,

organising events and seminars for journalists,
convening a meeting of the communication partners at least once a year,
producing newsletters, brochures and other communication products together
whenever possible, and
actively monitoring the success of communications.

CORE MESSAGES

Biodiversity is a condition for life.

We all have a unique opportunity of preserving life by conserving biodiversity.

For companies

Awareness of the prerequisites for conserving biodiversity and promoting its sustaina-
ble use, its conditions and its restrictions is a precondition for sustainable business and
part of risk and reputation management.

Businesses depend on biodiversity, environmental services and natural raw ma-

terials and processes.

For decision-makers

Loss of biodiversity is a political and economic threat on par with climate change.
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Research-based knowledge of biodiversity must be applied to decision-making. There

must be close interaction between the scientific community and decision-makers.

Finland is committed to the global conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Meeting our global responsibilities is a benefit for Finland.

Biodiversity cannot be protected by means of nature conservation alone. Con-

serving biodiversity is our shared concern.

The environment does not recognize administrative boundaries.

For the scientific community

Interdisciplinary cooperation is required in biodiversity research.

Multidisciplinary research is a prerequisite for sustainable decision-making.

There must be close interaction between the scientific community and decision-
makers. Decisions concerning biodiversity must be underpinned by research-
based information.

Be brave, publicise you results and exert an influence.

For citizens

Biodiversity is a condition for life.

Your habits as a consumer have an impact on biodiversity.

The well-being of humans depends on biodiversity.

Biodiversity safeguards our future.

Global

The poorest people in the world depend on biodiversity for their survival.

Biodiversity protects us from natural disasters and controls climate change.

Sustainable use of natural resources and healthy ecosystems prevent environmental

refugeeism and support international stability.

We can reduce poverty in developing countries by conserving biodiversity and using

natural resources sustainably.