An alien species means any live plant, animal or other organism introduced outside its natural range by human activity, whether accidentally or deliberately. In other words, an alien species is one that has exceeded natural barriers to spreading, such as a continent, a sea or mountains, with the help of humans.
Not all alien species are invasive. An invasive alien species means an alien species which has been found to threaten biodiversity.
For more information see also EASIN FAQ.
Immigrant species, on the other hand, spread to our country by natural processes. This means that species which spread to Finland naturally, for example as a result of climate change, are immigrant species, and the legislation on alien species does not apply to them.
The barnacle goose is an immigrant species rather than an alien species, as it has spread to Finland naturally. Species that are not accidentally or deliberately introduced outside their natural range by human activity are not within the scope of the alien species legislation.
Read more about the definitions of alien species, invasive alien species and immigrant species
Always report observations of invasive alien species trough the reporting form on the web service Vieraslajit.fi.
The objective is to obtain more detailed information on the distribution of species and their impacts on biodiversity in order to target prevention measures at areas where they are the most cost-effective. You can also report your observations to the environmental protection authority of your home municipality.
Information on alien species legislation: national statutes, EU legislation on alien species and management plans.
The List of species of Union concern contains the invasive alien species to which the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species applies. Provisions on this list are contained in a separate Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141. The list is updated as necessary.
The list of species of Union concern on the European Comission website.
The list of species of national concern includes the invasive alien species which are not included on the List of species of Union concern but which can be considered harmful in the Finnish conditions. Provisions on the national list are laid down in a Government decree 1725/2015. The list is updated as necessary.
Invasive alien species referred to in the alien species legislation are the species which have been included on the List of Union or national concern. Not all prohibitions laid down in the legislation apply to the alien species which are classified as harmful in the National Strategy on Invasive Alien Species, but which are not – at least for the time being – included on either list. The only provision applicable to these alien species is section 3 of the Act on Managing the Risks Caused by Alien Species, which forbids the release of such alien species into the environment.
The most important way to control and prevent the spread of alien species which are not included on the Union or national list but which are classified as harmful in the National Strategy on Invasive Alien Species is to disseminate information as efficiently as possible about the harm caused by these species and about the methods available for controlling them. When cultivating such species, people should be instructed to ensure that the reproductive parts of plants cannot spread outside the garden or other site on which they grow. Voluntary information or eradication campaigns are examples of methods that can be used to control these species, similarly to the listed species.
An invasive alien species included on the List of species of Union or national concern may not be imported to Finland from EU or non-EU countries. Such species may not be cultivated, sold or marketed. Releasing them into the environment is prohibited.
The same prohibitions apply to the species on the national list. A Government decree may be issued, however, stating that some of these prohibitions do not apply to a species on the national list or its specific uses. Nevertheless, releasing an alien species into the environment is prohibited at all times.
Cultivating an invasive alien species is prohibited, and the owner or party in possession of a property must eradicate any invasive alien species found on it. Rather than eradicating it, however, it may be sufficient under the Alien Species Act to effectively prevent the spread of the species.
The obligation to eradicate a plant may consequently also apply to plants that have spread from a neighbouring property or elsewhere in the surroundings, even if they are not deliberately cultivated. It is recommended that owners of adjoining properties, for example, take action to eradicate the species simultaneously and in cooperation to effectively stop it from spreading further.
As the owner of public areas, the municipality is responsible for ensuring that invasive alien plants are not allowed to reproduce in areas controlled by it. From the perspective of the Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Alien Species, it is justified to equal tolerating an alien species to cultivating it, especially in municipal areas under regular management, such as green zones in streets, parks and beaches.
A road operator is responsible for maintaining and managing road areas. Their surface area is extremely large, and the maintenance needs and types of actions required vary significantly even on the same road sections. This should be taken into account when assessing if the presence of an invasive alien plant species in an area that is part of the road could be considered equivalent to cultivation.
Importing, breeding or cultivating, selling or otherwise keeping any species included on the List of Union or national concern is prohibited.
The prohibitions and restrictions applicable to new species added to the list entered into force in summer 2019. From that point onwards, the importation of these species has been prohibited, and old stocks must be destroyed as a rule. However, companies are allowed to sell such species for research purposes or pharmaceutical production for which a specific licence has been issued until 2021. After these deadlines, companies may no longer stock the species in question. They may no longer be sold to consumers.
You can report this to the regional Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre), which supervises compliance with the Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Invasive Alien Species, for example by notifying the ELY Centre's Environmental customer service.
The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) supervises compliance with the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species (1143/2014) and the national Act and Decree on Managing the Risk Caused by Alien Species (1709/2015). Compliance with regulations on the importation of invasive alien species is supervised by the Customs.
Above all, knowledge and understanding of the harms caused by invasive alien species and good cooperation in their prevention are needed to control these risks. The primary aim is achieving this through information activities and advice, without enforcement actions taken by the authorities. The former also bring the most effective and lasting results.
An invasive alien species included on the List of Union or national concern may not intentionally be cultivated on a property. If a listed plant species is growing in the garden, for instance, the owner must remove it and dispose of the plant parts ensuring that it cannot reproduce.
If an invasive alien plant species grows on a property that is continuously used and managed by its owner or the party in possession of it, considering this as cultivating the species is justified. This applies regardless of how the plant originally spread to the property and whether it is actively managed or simply passively tolerated.
As cultivating invasive alien species is prohibited, the property owner should eradicate an invasive alien plant species found on their property, including a species that has spread from a neighbouring property or from elsewhere in the local area. If the species has spread from a neighbouring property, the neighbours should take action simultaneously and preferably in some form of cooperation to effectively prevent the further spread of the species.
Failure to eradicate an invasive alien plant species is not an offence.
However, if a species that has not been eradicated succeeds in spreading outside the property due to this failure, the property owner may also be ordered to eradicate such occurrences that have escaped into the environment.
Cultivating, possessing or releasing into the environment of invasive alien species included on the List of Union or national concern is prohibited. The owner (such as a farmer) or the party in possession of arable land and field margins must eradicate invasive alien species in the areas which they use and manage.
However, an alien plant species may also spread to the property naturally and grow there without any actual management, for example in field or road margins. An occurrence of this type may also be considered cultivated if the areas in question are used and managed by their owner. In other words, a property owner may be regarded as cultivating an alien species, regardless of whether the species is actively managed or only passively tolerated. If a species that has not been eradicated succeeds in spreading outside the property, the property owner may also be ordered to eradicate such occurrences that have escaped into the environment.
Compliance with the Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Invasive Alien Species is supervised by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre). Good methods for controlling the garden lupin, for example, can be found on the species card for the garden lupin and the Management plan to prevent invasive alien species of national concern.
The customer service at the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) provides advice on alien species matters at the regional level; for example, information on controlling alien species is available from the nationwide Environmental customer service.
Municipalities have been encouraged to offer work for the unemployed in the prevention of alien species and to support voluntary activities aiming to eradicate them. Some municipalities provide guidance for residents and associations in organising and participating in working parties that tackle invasive alien species. Various organisations also organise working parties of volunteers to eradicate alien species. If you give your permission as the landowner, volunteers could possibly be organised to eradicate such plants found on your land, for example by working parties.
The Management plan to prevent invasive alien species of national concern contains the best and primary methods for combating such species as the Japanese rose. As the Japanese rose is a common ornamental and useful plant, cultivating it will be prohibited following a transition period after 1 June 2022 (for more information, see the section on the prohibition of cultivating invasive alien plant species). During the transition period, suitable means of eradicating the Japanese rose will also be investigated, and property owners will be informed about them. The prohibition of cultivation does not apply to hybrid rosa rugosa varieties, including rosa ‘Hansa’.
The landowner's permission is always required to pull up plants. Plants may be collected under everyman's rights, but digging and weeding on someone else’s property is not permitted without the landowner's permission.
Where everyman’s rights do not apply, all actions undertaken by private individuals in an area owned by someone else are subject to permission given by the owner or party in possession of the area. This also applies to such public areas as municipal recreational areas, parks, beaches and similar. While a municipality may allow the picking of unprotected plants in recreational areas, as a rule this does not apply to the total eradication of plants, not even invasive alien species. Even if a municipality would in practice approve of the eradication of invasive alien species in its area, you should consider if sporadic eradication – particularly if carried out by private individuals – is useful in controlling the species or whether it may also be harmful (fertile parts of the plant may spread or a wrong species may be eradicated). Municipalities should first and foremost instruct people to report all observations to the local authorities. Reporting should also be made as easy as possible.
Some municipalities guide residents and associations in organising and participating in working parties that control alien species.
No, because railway areas are out of bounds for safety reasons. If you know of significant occurrences of alien species on railways, report them to the Vieraslajit.fi or the ELY Centre's Customer service for transport.
If the landowner allows the eradication of these plants on their land, you can organise a working party. You must always have the landowner’s permission. The municipal environmental protection authority can be contacted for permission for land owned by a municipality. You should ask for permission before you get the working party together. Some municipalities guide residents and associations in organising and participating in working parties that control alien species.
If you would like to organise a working party to eradicate alien plant species on the roadside, contact the Customer service for transport. However, permission cannot be obtained for motorways or dual carriageways.
Based on the biodiversity impacts caused by the spread and occurrence of alien plant species, more detailed measures have also been specified for road margins, making sure that prevention measures are targeted at areas where they are the most cost-effective. More specific objectives and measures that promote their attainment regarding the prevention of invasive alien plant species in road areas are included in the Management plan to prevent invasive alien species of national concern III. For example, the management plan sets out priority areas and the most cost-effective methods for controlling the garden lupin. The primary aim is to control the garden lupin on roadside sites of high nature value, including in the vicinity of areas with endangered or near threatened species and along roads going through protected areas, as well as on road and street environments to which the lupin is about to spread. Large knotweed species on the road network are also to be mowed. Additionally, efforts will be made to eradicate the Japanese rose on road sections leading through conservation areas, and options will be developed for preventing extensive plantings of Japanese rose along motorways and other dual-carriageway roads. Japanese rose, knotweed occurrences and other invasive alien species will be eradicated in connection with road improvement projects. The objectives additionally include slowing down the spread of the garden lupin in road and rail environments and preventing its spread to road sections free of this species. Consequently, the control or eradication of widespread alien plant species may in places prove not to be cost-effective or even possible, which is why limiting their spread should be the primary objective, rather than eradication.
On the road network, prevention measures will be put in place on the road network no later than as part of competitive tendering procedures for new area maintenance contracts. For the part of the central government, the responsible stakeholders and partners in this work are the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and the ELY Centres' areas of responsibility for Transport Infrastructure and the Environment in cooperation with other parties, including the municipalities, private landowners and contractors.
You should process waste or surface soil from alien species eradication on your property or take them to a garden waste reception site designated by the municipality. Plant waste must not be taken to the forest or unauthorised dumps, which are one of the most important pathways for spreading harmful species into the environment.
Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority (HSY) guides residents to package small loads of alien species waste in plastic bags (for transport by cars, vans or trailers) and take them to Sortti waste sorting stations for incineration. HSY directs all large loads of alien species waste (trucks) to the biowaste treatment plant (stems, roots, seeds) or to the green waste compost pit (cut stems and leaves, no roots or seeds).
Instructions for garden owners, housing companies, organisers of working parties and others producing moderate volumes of plant waste can be found at How should I handle and dispose of waste containing alien plant species? (in Finnish).
The general supervisory authorities under the Waste Act are the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) and the municipal environmental protection authority. The municipal waste management authority performs the tasks for which the municipality is responsible. The municipality must also make arrangements for managing such waste types as garden waste if the party in possession of the waste so requests because other services are lacking and the waste is, regarding is quality and quantity, suitable for transport or processing in the municipal waste management system.
At the time of the next review of the Management plan, the means of disposing of plant waste containing alien species and the service providers handling this waste under the waste legislation will be examined in detail. The plan will be published in 2021.
Hogweed species (Giant hogweed, Sosnowsky’s hogweed and Persian hogweed) are on the List of species of Union concern. Cultivating these plants is prohibited. Such plants as the butterbur, on the other hand, are so far not included on the Union or national list, and planting it in your private garden is consequently not prohibited. Planting this species is not recommended, however, considering the harm its spread could cause to nature. Even if an alien plant species, such as the butterbur, has not been designated as an invasive alien species, its spread outside the site on which it grows must be prevented.
The garden lupin spreads efficiently from seeds, which preserve their ability to germinate for a long period. While eradicating the plant completely from the site may be difficult, the first step is preventing it from spreading. If the number of plants on your property is not large, you should dig them out one by one, including the roots. Slightly larger areas of lupins should be mowed before they finish flowering or, alternatively, all lupin flowers should be broken off and collected. To avoid fertilising the ground, it is vital that the mowing waste is not left lying on the site. The mowed lupins or cut flowers can be placed in the compost or raked into a pile and left to decompose on the site. By covering the pile with a strong sheet of plastic or canvas you can ensure that the seeds will not keep developing.
You can recognise seeds that are not yet mature by their green pods. The seeds can mature even if the flower has been broken off. You can place the flowers in a plastic bag and leave them to decompose, thus preventing the seeds from developing. If the plant has already shed its seeds, mowing or breaking off the flowers is too late for that summer. Mature pods, on the other hand, are brown; they have burst open and shed their seeds. The prevention efforts should be continued for several years, as lupin seeds stored in the ground will keep germinating for many years.
A small amount of plant waste can be disposed of in a compost if its temperature rises high enough (thus also destroying the seeds). This means that you can put small quantities of plant waste in the housing company's biowaste container. A good disposal method, especially if the plant waste contains seeds, is placing the lupins in a sealed plastic bag and putting it in a mixed waste bin for incineration.
For more detailed instructions, see the page How should I handle and dispose of waste containing alien plant species? (in Finnish).
You can pick lupins on the roadside, as picking flowers is part of everyman's rights. The margins of motorways and dual carriageways are out of bounds, however. Always think of safety when out on the road margin: you should park your car in a parking area or a lay-by and watch out for passing traffic. You should wear a yellow high-viz vest to make sure you can be seen. Remember that litter, such as glass fragments or metal pieces, may be found on the road margin.
The eradication or digging up of garden lupins or other alien species is not part of everyman's rights, however, and permission for this is always required. If you would like to organise a working party to eradicate alien plant species on the roadside, contact the Customer service for transport. However, permission cannot be obtained for motorways or dual carriageways.
The Rosa rugosa species of Japanese rose and its white-flowered form, Rosa rugosa f. alba, have been classified nationally as invasive alien species. The cultivated Rosa Rugosa species, however, are not within the scope of regulation. Cultivating invasive alien species is prohibited. These species must not be sown or planted, and any plants being cultivated must be destroyed. As the Japanese rose is so widely used as a decorative and useful plant, however, a longer transition period has been reserved for its eradication until summer 2022. During this period, suitable means of eradicating the Japanese rose will also be investigated, and property owners will be informed about them.
Even if the Japanese rose in your garden does not appear to produce root suckers beyond the growth site, its seeds may still be transported a long distance with birds and flowing water, for example.
The methods of controlling the Japanese rose include either starving the plant or digging the plant and its roots up. In the starvation method, all new green shoots of the rose bush are cut off. In the first year, it is advisable to cut off the shoots three to four times. In the following years, you cut them two to three times during the growing season whenever new shoots emerge. The cut shoots can be left lying at the bottom of the bush to decompose. The bush will die slowly over three to four years. The advantage of this method is that the rhizomes also dye and, ultimately, only the stems of the bushes remain, which can be cut down and even burnt. If the area is too large to reach the middle of the thicket, you can first cut the bushes down, for example at the height of 30 cm. You then have better access to the middle of the area and can start cutting off the new shoots as they start growing. Starving is a good method on rocky sites where pulling up the roots is not possible. A very significant advantage of this method is that no pesticides are needed. The work is also relatively light.
Eradication by digging up the roots is the easiest when the bushes are still small. Small plants growing in sand are easy to pull up by hand. For larger ones, not only a good pair of gloves but also tools are needed. The bush should first be cut down at ground level, for example using pruning shears or a brushcutter. You can then get at the roots, which you should try and dig out completely. While uprooting the rhizomes from sandy soil is relatively easy, on a rocky site this work is harder.
Widespread, continuous thickets of Japanese rose should be eradicated mechanically using a tractor. Careful aftercare and monitoring will also be needed after mechanical eradication, as rhizome fragments always tend to be left in the ground.
When working with this thorny plant, you should protect any bare skin areas appropriately. Eradicating the Japanese rose once and for all is usually not possible. Rhizome fragments may remain in the ground and grow into new bushes. This is why aftercare will be needed on the site in the following years, until you are sure that the species has been eradicated.
The prohibition of cultivation does not apply to hybrid rugosa roses, including rosa ‘Hansa’.
The flowers of the Japanese rose are simple and there (usually) are five petals. The flowers of cultivated varieties are usually doubled and thus have a clearly higher number of petals. For instructions on identifying the Japanese rose, visit Vieraslajit.fi and see the species card for the Japanese rose.
The dissimilarities between the Japanese rose and the glaucous dog rose include the number and shape of their thorns: the former has a high number of straight thorns of different sizes, whereas the latter has fewer thorns, which are curved. In addition, the flowers of the Japanese rose are pink or white, whereas the flowers of the glaucous dog rose are a pale pink. A good way of distinguishing between the Japanese rose on the one hand and the glaucous dog rose and prickly wild rose on the other is looking at the rosehips (rose berries): the hips of the Japanese rose are turnip shaped and flattened in the middle, whereas the hips of the other two species are elongated.
As the Japanese rose is a common ornamental and useful plant, a three-year transition period until 1 June 2022 was allowed for eradicating them. After the transition period, the Japanese rose may no longer be cultivated and any cultivated plants must be destroyed, including those cultivated for commercial purposes. Suitable methods for eradicating the Japanese rose in different situations can be found in the Management plan to prevent invasive alien species of national concern.
However, the cultivation ban does not apply to cultivated rosa rugosa varieties, and their cultivation for commercial purposes is permitted.
Municipalities have been encouraged to provide work for the unemployed in the prevention of alien species and to support voluntary activities aiming to eradicate them. Some municipalities guide residents and associations in organising and participating in working parties that control alien species. Various organisations also organise working parties of volunteers to eradicate alien species. If you give your permission as the landowner, volunteers could possibly be organised to eradicate such plants found on your land, for example by working parties.
For instructions on identifying and controlling the Japanese rose, see the species card for the Japanese rose. The Management plan to prevent invasive alien species of national concern contains the best methods for controlling and eradicating the Japanese rose, too. As the Japanese rose is so widely cultivated as an ornamental and useful plant, a three-year transition period until 1 June 2022 was allowed for eradicating them.
The Japanese rose is widely used as an ornamental plan in yards, gardens and public areas and as a useful plant. As this is a widespread and commonly cultivated species, it has been necessary to allow property owners a transition period for complying with the prohibition. The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) as the supervisory authority also needed a transition period in order to prepare for enforcing the prohibition.
The cultivation of the Japanese rose will be prohibited as from 1 June 2022, or three years after the entry into force of the regulation. Controlling the Japanese rose requires long-term work, which is why getting started early is a good idea. While eradicating the plants completely during the transition period may often not be possible, the spread of the Japanese rose can still be effectively prevented (see "How should I eradicate the Japanese rose?" above). This also meets the requirements of the Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Alien Species.
Not all species in the species groups are alien. An alien species means a species introduced outside its natural range by human activity, whether accidentally or deliberately. Species that naturally spread to a new area, for example as a result of climate change, are immigrant species and thus not subject to the alien species legislation. The groups of species listed in the national Act and Decree on Managing the Risk Caused by Invasive Alien Species only refer to species that are not native in Finland and that have not spread into the country naturally. This applies to all species groups. In other words, the birds of prey and crow family species nesting in Finland or, for example, species that end up here as a result of getting lost while migrating, are not included in alien species. However, hybrid bird of prey species bred in captivity and populations bred in captivity that differ from the wild populations in Finland are also regarded as alien species.
First make sure it is a Spanish slug. The Spanish slug can be easily confused with the ash-grey slug, which is a native species in Finland and should not be destroyed. The breathing pore of the Spanish slug is located towards the anterior of the mantle and close to the head, while the ash-grey slug has its respiratory opening in the posterior half of the mantle. For more identification tips, see the species card for the Spanish slug. Once you are sure of correct identification, you can destroy the Spanish slug.
In private gardens, Spanish slugs should be collected and killed by cutting them in half or dropping them in boiling water. The most effective way of collecting them is placing planks or jute bags on the ground. They attract slugs as moisture collects underneath them. Dead slugs should be placed in a sealed waste container or buried in the ground to stop them from providing nutrition for other individuals of this species. A small amount of garden waste which may contain Spanish slug eggs may be sealed in a plastic bag and disposed of with mixed waste, or in a compost with a sufficiently high temperature. Industrial composters are an example of such facilities.
In areas that have sustained large-scale damage, soils contaminated by the slug should be stripped to the depth of 10 cm. The stripped soil should be tipped into a hole excavated in the ground or laid in piles. The pit or piles of soil are covered with a thick layer of soil. A soil layer of 0.5 m is likely to be sufficient. Compacting this layer will make it more effective. A thick, compacted soil layer prevents developing slugs from getting through to the surface.
An EU regulation under which the signal crayfish is defined as an invasive alien species has been valid from the crayfish season of 2017 onwards. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141, species including on the List of species of Union concern that are already widespread in the Member State, including the signal crayfish, can be managed by fishing, hunting or trapping, or any other type of harvesting for consumption or export, provided that these activities are carried out within a national management programme. In Finland the hunting, trade and use of crayfish can thus be continued as before, but the introduction of the crayfish in all waters – including those where the crayfish already occurs – and farming it are prohibited.
In its written reply to the Member States’ specific questions, the Commission has confirmed that the aforementioned Regulation also allows the export of live signal crayfish from one Member State to another. The precondition is that the exports and imports are included in the management plans of the exporting and importing state. The Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry approved a Management plan to prevent invasive alien species of national concern on 13 March 2018. This means that live signal crayfish may be imported from another EU country into Finland for the food industry, provided that the reproduction and release into the environment of imported individuals is effectively prevented. These conditions are fulfilled when the valid guideline issued by the Finnish Food Agency, ”Guideline for importing live crayfish” (in Finnish) is complied with.
You should always report all observations of alien species using the reporting form. What you should do depends on the invasive alien species in question:
If you come across a mink, racoon dog, muskrat, nutria (coypu) or racoon, you should contact the local hunting club through the game management association or the districts of the Finnish Hunters’ Association. The local hunting club may have a local expert hunter who can try and eliminate the harmful alien species in the wild.
If you come across a wolfdog in the wild, you should follow the instructions for meeting a wolf, as telling a wolf and a wolfdog apart based on external signs is practically impossible in many cases. A wolfdog found in the wild must be identified by analysing the individual's DNA, and only after this may the individual be culled by permission of the Finnish Wildlife Agency. The hybrid will be eliminated by stakeholders who provide executive assistance in large carnivore matters.
The identification of the species is confirmed by actors designated by the authorities. The authorities also decide on culling individuals found to be hybrids as well as on the stakeholders authorised to eliminate the animal.
If you see a wolfdog or a wolf, call the emergency response centre number 112 in the following cases:
In other cases, you can report your observations to the Finnish Wildlife Agency's large carnivore contact persons. Ask for instructions from contact page (riista.fi). Report the details of your observations and the exact location. You should also report the traces of a wolf or wolfdog and its droppings as well as carcasses left behind by large carnivores.
If you come across an invasive alien fish species, a signal crayfish or a Chinese mitten crab in the wild, you can report it using the reporting form at Vieraslajit.fi or the Natural Resources Institute Finland’s kalahavainnot.fi form (in Finnish only). If you catch an alien fish species, do not release it back into the water.
Use the reporting form at Vieraslajit.fi to report all other species. If necessary, you can also contact the ELY Centre’s Environmental customer service for more information.
At their discretion, zoos can receive pets and animals held by commercial operators included on the List of Union species of concern, as well as wild animals included on the List of either Union or national species of concern. Zoos may keep the animal in question until the natural end of its life, however ensuring that it cannot reproduce or escape. Alien animal species received by local animal welfare associations may also be handed over to zoos on discretionary grounds.
A racoon dog, mink or other invasive alien species may only be captured and killed if you are sure you know the legal requirements and you also have adequate skills to do so. In practice, this means that catching and killing these animals should only be undertaken by an experienced hunter. You can contact your local game management association or hunting club for expert help.
Provisions on capturing and killing invasive alien bird and mammal species are laid down in the Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Invasive Alien Species, the Hunting Act and the Animal Welfare Act. You must also keep in mind the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act.
Under the Animal Welfare Act, inflicting undue pain and distress on animals is prohibited. The killing of animals must be performed as quickly and painlessly as possible, and they may only be killed by a person who has sufficient knowledge of the method and technique of killing the species in question and also sufficient skills to carry out the procedure (sections 3 and 32 of the Animal Welfare Act).
Provisions on permitted hunting equipment and methods are laid down in the Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Invasive Alien Species and the Hunting Act and Decree. The capturing or killing of an animal may cause no danger to humans or domestic or game animals.
When capturing and killing an alien species, no disturbance to protected species prohibited under the Nature Conservation Act may be caused, especially during their breeding season, in important resting areas during migration, or in other places important for their life cycle. The species must be identified with certainty. Capturing animals in a nature conservation area shall be subject to a right or permission to derogate from the protection rules laid down in the conservation regulations of the area.
Violations of all the above provisions are punishable.
An attempt should be made to assist a wild animal in a helpless state. This is valuable and important, and also an obligation under the Animal Welfare Act.
The racoon dog is defined as an invasive alien species under Union legislation. They harm native species of Finland and thus threaten biodiversity. Racoon dog populations and their spread should be controlled as efficiently as possible to prevent the harms caused by them. This is why killing a racoon dog, both a cub and a fully grown animal, that has been found in a helpless state is justified under the Animal Welfare Act. However, the animal may only be killed by a person who knows how to do this.
Racoon dog cubs wandering alone in the forest give rise to concern (MTV feature, 27 June 2020, in Finnish.)
The native Finnish reptiles and amphibians are protected species. This is why, before taking any action, it is important to ensure that the species has been identified correctly (for example, alpine newt, sand lizard, edible frog).
An animal designated as an invasive alien species under legislation (list of species of Union or national concern) which has escaped into the wild and is able to survive there it is not regarded as a wild species within the meaning of the Nature Conservation Act.
Where everyman’s rights do not apply, all actions undertaken in the area owned by someone else are subject to permission given by the owner or party in possession of the area. Destroying animals (or plant specimens for that matter) in an area owned by someone else is not included in everyman's rights, not even in the case of invasive alien species.
The requirements of the Animal Welfare Act must also be complied with when handling invasive alien animal species, ensuring that no unnecessary pain and distress is inflicted on the animal.
If you notice an invasive alien species in the wild, it is usually advisable to contact the municipal environmental protection authority or the ELY Centre's Environmental customer service. Among other things, they can provide instructions for confirming the identification as well as methods which should be used to destroy the animal. Additionally, they will tell you if the action you take should be coordinated with measures already in progress or planned.
Zoos can keep any invasive alien species on the Union list already in their possession until the end of the animals’ natural lives, ensuring that the species cannot reproduce or escape.
The national list of alien species does not apply to individuals kept in zoos.
The wolfdog is included on the national list of alien species; in other words, it has been defined as an invasive alien species in Finland under the Government Decree. Such species may not be released into the environment or imported into Finland from EU or non-EU countries. Neither may they be kept, bred, transported, placed on the market, passed on, sold or otherwise conveyed. A wolfdog acquired legally before the entry into force of the Government Decree on 1 June 2019 may be kept until the end of its natural life. However, care should be taken to ensure that the animal will not reproduce or escape. A pet must also not be passed on to anyone else.
Under the Decree, a wolfdog refers to all hybrids of domestic dog and wolf in the first four generations (F1-F4), hybrids of domestic dog and other canid species in the first four generations (F1-F4) as well as all hybrids where one parent is one of the hybrids listed above, regardless of the number of generations (F1-F4) and the other parent is a canid other than a domestic dog. For example, the animal is thus regarded as a wolfdog if, in addition to a domestic dog, its ancestors include a wolf going back no more than four generations, including the generation of the hybrid in question. Hybrids of the fifth and further generations (F5) are considered domestic dogs. However, if another wolfdog is used for breeding rather than a domestic dog, for example, the genetic characteristics of the new hybrid will still be similar to a wolf. This applies, no matter how many generations away the original wolf is. Consequently, the number of generations is irrelevant in such hybrids. For more information, see the species card for the wolfdog and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s guidelines for wolfdog breeders.
Owners may keep pets which are included on the List of species of Union or national concern until the end of the animal's natural life. The condition for being allowed to do so is that the animal was kept as a pet before its inclusion on the list. The owner must also ensure that the animal can neither reproduce nor escape. A pet must not be passed on to anyone else.
As described above, the skunk is included on the list of national concern under the Government Decree. The skunk is a carnivore species referred to in section 1.1 of Annex A to the Decree. Importing, breeding and selling skunks has consequently been prohibited as from 1 January 2016. However, the ban does not apply to specimens which are kept in zoos.
Owners may keep their pet skunks and other companion animals which are included on the List of species of Union or national concern until the end of the animal's natural life. The condition for being allowed to do so is that the animal was kept as a pet before its inclusion on the list. The owner must also ensure that the animal can neither reproduce not escape into the wild. A pet must not be passed on to anyone else.
An invasive alien species included on the List of species of Union or national concern may not be imported into Finland from outside the EU, or from another EU country. Foxes and other carnivore species that are not native in Finland are defined as invasive alien species on our national list. Importing them is prohibited, and no import licence can be issued. The prohibition does not apply to individuals kept as fur animals. However, it should be noted that simply registering as a fur farmer does not make the importation and possession of animals permissible; they must also be used exclusively as fur animals in reality. In other words, such animals as foxes which are classified as alien species can no longer be imported into Finland as pets, nor can they be released from fur farms for this purpose.
The legislation on alien species specifically prohibits the transportation of these species. The prohibition mainly applies to commercial transport, however, such as when animals are transported from a breeder or importer for resale. When the owner of an alien species kept as a pet transports the animal with him or her, this is part of normal handling of a pet and permitted under the transitional provision.
If the owner already kept a red-eared slider or some other animal as a pet before the species was included on the List of species of Union or national concern, they can keep the animal until the end of its natural life.
The right to keep an alien species as a pet applies to the person who owned the animal when the ban entered into force. The EU Regulation or the national Act on Managing the Risk Caused by Invasive Alien Species contain no provisions on passing a pet on to a new owner. This is why the pet and the right to keep it can basically not be passed on to another person.
Regarding alien species on the national list, this provision is straightforward: the owner may not hand over an alien species on the national list kept as a pet to anyone else. The purpose of this provision is to protect the rights of the original owner and their relationship with a pet important for them. If the owner later feels able to give up the pet, this need for protection no longer applies.
However, the right to pass on pets should be assessed separately for species on the list of Union concern, as the provisions on these species are interpreted at the EU level. Under the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species, a Member State cannot provide for a universal right to hand alien species kept as pets over to a new owner. The Commission's informal position is, however, that handing an animal over may be possible if there are special grounds for doing so. The Member State must assess these criteria separately for each species, taking into account such factors as the range of the species, its life span and any factors that may impede putting down individuals of the species.
Red-eared sliders, for example, are long-lived and may reach an age of over 50 years, which is why allowing them to be handed over to a new home is justified. The condition is that the animal is not kept for commercial purposes. Animal welfare associations are not commercial operators, and pets can consequently also be handed over to them in order to find a new home for the animal. A transfer fee that purely covers the costs potentially charged by the animal welfare association does not make this a commercial activity.
In addition to mitigating climate change, halting biodiversity loss is one of our greatest challenges. Not only habitat loss and fragmentation but also invasive alien species are the most significant threat to biodiversity globally. In Finland, too, invasive alien species threaten our endangered species, for example in herb-rich forests, beaches, meadows and eskers.
Significant financial costs may be incurred from invasive alien species, either directly as they cause crop losses in agriculture, or indirectly in the form of costs incurred from charting their spread and controlling them in practice.
An alien species means a species introduced outside its natural range by human activity, whether accidentally or deliberately. They may be spread unintentionally by humans through various pathways, including in contaminated plant or packaging materials, with animals, by escaping from yards, gardens or owners, and with vehicles, trains and ships used for transport.
There are also several ways of controlling them. A cost-effective way to prevent the unintentional spread of invasive alien species is to inform both private individuals and operators dealing with pets, plants or soil, for example. Ship crews and facilities treating garden waste also need to be informed. For more information about prevention, see the Management plans.
Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - English translation uploaded 28 July 2021.