Suovu
Suovu – Environmentally safe reuse of peat production areas – Suovunselkä catchment area
Restoration plans for areas retired from peat production focus on water protection, and the effects of restoration on local water bodies are monitored. The project supports Kyyveden Osakaskunta, local landowners, and other restoration initiatives in South Savo.
The Suovu project works to improve the water quality of Lake Kyyvesi.
What we do
The Suovu project, in cooperation with Kyyveden Osakaskunta’s investment project, restores former peat production areas in the Kyyvesi catchment and improves the lake’s water quality. The project also provides expert support to landowners in implementing after-use plans and organizes events on restoration practices such as wetland construction.
Restoration plans will be prepared for four sites in the catchment together with Kyyveden Osakaskunta, and the impacts on water bodies — particularly in the Suovunselkä sub-catchment — will be monitored.
Sustainable land use after peat production
The project strengthens regional expertise and offers replicable models for landowners and contractors. Restoration helps secure peat carbon stocks and manage water impacts in a sustainable way.
The Suovu project consists of four work packages:
1. Reuse plans – Suovunselkä, Lake Kyyvesi
In cooperation with Kyyveden Osakaskunta’s investment project, reuse plans are prepared for four restoration sites in the Suovunselkä catchment area:
– Kuusikumpu wetland renovation and stream erosion control
– Erosion control and restoration of Tarsanlampi and Oininginlampi streams
– Erosion control and restoration of Hirsikankaansuo stream
– Expansion of the Tervalahti wetland and construction of a surface flow field
2. Monitoring of impacts
The water and environmental impacts of the restoration sites are monitored in spring, summer, and autumn. Field visits and drone-based orthophotos provide up-to-date data.
3. Support for implementation
The project supports Kyyveden Osakaskunta, contractors, and landowners in carrying out restoration measures, lowering the threshold for high-quality implementation.
4. Communication and reporting
Communication targets a wide group of landowners and contractors through events, guidance materials, and contract templates. The aim is to increase awareness and provide expert support for reuse planning and implementation.
Results
As a result of the project, landowners of former peat production areas will have increased awareness of sustainable post-production land use options. With the help of land use transition plans, these sites can be safely and environmentally responsibly converted to new uses. This ensures that greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on water bodies are minimized.
The transition of these areas to new uses will also create employment opportunities for local entrepreneurs and contractors. The project will produce research data on the effects of post-production land use on water quality.
As a result of restoration measures, the water quality in the Kyyvesi–Suovunselkä catchment area will improve, and the effects will be monitored through continuous observation.
Former peat production areas are being sustainably transitioned to their next land use.
The implementation of the project is supported by the Kyyvesi Joint Ownership Association’s investment project “Improving the Surface Water Quality of Suovunselkä in Lake Kyyvesi.”
Facts
Suovu – Environmentally safe reuse of peat production areas – Suovunselkä catchment area
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