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Viikki Tropical Resources Institute, operating within the University of Helsinki, studies the sustainable exploitation of tropical forests and other natural resources. The aims of Western and developing countries don’t always meet, so making reasonable decisions requires interdisciplinary expertise.

If forest energy production is increased as planned in Finland, the carbon sink capacity of Finnish forests will suffer. A weaker carbon sink capacity will cut actual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions achievable through forest energy by 60-80 per cent in Finland by 2020.

Eduardo Maeda from the University of Helsinki’s Department of Geosciences and Geology has modeled the loss of cloud forests in Kenyan Taita Hills since the 1980s. Vast forest areas have been converted to fields with serious consequences.