Helsinki (News release) - UPM is participating in the NorthDIVeRSITY project led by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), which is developing eDNA (Environmental DNA) tools for monitoring fish and forest species suitable for the Nordic nature. The project aims to find more effective methods for monitoring the effects of restoration, for example, by studying species distribution before and after restoration.

The first mill was built along the Ala-Kelvänjoki river in 1666. The last mill is still in place, a reminder of the history of the area.

"New methods for assessing environmental biodiversity are needed to complement traditional ones. eDNA is a promising alternative for monitoring fisheries, for example, but its performance in northern conditions needs further development," says Pauliina Louhi, Senior Researcher at Luke.

One of the project's research sites is located in the Kelvänjoki river and its catchment area in Lieksa, North Karelia. Kelvänjoki flows into the Pielinen river. In the summer of 2024, the old mill dam on the Ala-Kelvänjoki river was dismantled and the rapids were restored. UPM's stream water program was one of the funders of the restoration site. Different kinds of samples were taken from the water body before the restoration started, and monitoring will continue in the coming years.

Another migration barrier was removed in summer 2024 at a restoration site in the upstream of the area. An old road culvert was restored at the Korisevanjoki river. eDNA samples were taken from several different sites and with different methods in the Kelvänjoki water way.

"It may take time for different species to spread from the Pielinen to the Kelvänjoki and upstream, so it will be interesting to monitor the possible spread now that the migration barriers have been removed," says Louhi.

It is estimated that there are around 5,000 energy-insignificant dams or structures in Finland that prevent the free movement of fish and other aquatic life. In addition, an estimated 30% of Finland's 90,000 road culverts are migration barriers.

"It is important that restoration activities are targeted at sites that have no significance to energy production, and the aim is that in the future we will be able to monitor more closely the impact of our restoration activities on biodiversity," says Mikael Rytkönen, UPM Energy's Environmental Manager and coordinator of UPM's stream water program.

NORTHDIVeRSITY is funded by the EU and co-funded by the Lapland Regional Council, Länsstyrelsen i Norrbottens län and UPM. The project, led by Luke, also involves the Universities of Oulu and Umeå.

Environmental DNA or eDNA

• Environmental DNA, or eDNA, refers to DNA contained in samples collected from the environment, such as water, soil, sediment, snow or air. Samples contain metabolites, mucus, germ salts, skin, hairs, etc. left in the environment by organisms.
• When standardized, eDNA can provide reliable information on the presence of species, saving time and money compared to more traditional methods of environmental research. It can be used to detect individual target species or to identify up to hundreds of species from individual samples without the need to collect live specimens.
• The method is used, for example, to monitor UPM's restoration sites on the Ala-Kelvänjoki and Korisevanjoki rivers, and on the Hiitolanjoki river, where UPM was one of the sponsors of the third phase of the restoration project.