We invited friends and partners of the MUST research project to discuss multispecies justice and the state of urban nature with us at the project’s first Multispecies Morning Dialogues.

We organized the Multispecies Morning Dialogues for the first time in February 2026. We wanted to discuss and hear what practical benefits MUST has provided to our project stakeholders. Over 70 people participated in the discussion, representing a wide range of perspectives from research, cities, state administration, and civil society.

The main focus of the morning dialogues was discussion and sharing experiences. We invited Virve Hokkanen from the Ministry of the Environment, Niina Ruuska from the City of Turku, Maria Jokela from the City of Lappeenranta, and Kaisa Mustajärvi from the City of Tampere to the panel discussion.

Inspired by the opening remarks of Nora Fagerholm and Maria Hällfors, the panel discussed what is currently topical in cities’ biodiversity work and how the MUST project has benefited the ministry and the cities. The discussion also delved into how the societal discourse on multispecies justice has evolved and how the rights of nature could be incorporated into biodiversity work now and in the future.

Biodiversity should be a central part of urban development

The discussion highlighted the increasing emphasis on biodiversity as part of the sustainable urban development discourse.

Virve Hokkanen, from the perspective of state administration, emphasized the need to reconcile construction and nature in a way that creates good and pleasant living environments for people – such environments often also support the well-being of other species. However, it is challenging to consider both the diversity of people and the needs of other species in planning.

Moving towards nature-positivity from the perspective of Turku’s growth requires the alignment of ambitious goals and urban development, according to Niina Ruuska. She called for the diversification of planning regulations and the adoption of new methods so that nature can be strengthened even more when new areas are built. An interesting example of this is industrial areas. It is important that research results are put into practice and that, for example, the selection of plant species and the consideration of bird species’ perspectives are taken into account in planning. Preserving or improving the existing nature is always the most essential, even though ecological compensation is an important tool.

Kaisa Mustajärvi also brought up the perspective of a growing city. Tampere has several ongoing research projects that produce valuable information for monitoring biodiversity (e.g., BOOST and Arvo). The city’s biodiversity program in Tampere is currently proceeding to decision-making. There is a strong will and interest in new operating models among planners and other actors. Restoration offers opportunities to restore lost functions of natural habitats. Mustajärvi also pointed out that bringing nature into the city might involve fears, but fortunately, more opportunities are now starting to be seen. She emphasized the importance of strong stakeholder engagement.

The situation in South Karelia is slightly different. The region engages in close regional cooperation, where things are moved forward through development projects despite the lack of direct funding. Maria Jokela stated that the Lappeenranta region has projects related to, for example, ecological compensation and restoration.

What is needed to promote multispecies justice?

During the Multispecies Morning Dialogues, we considered what should change in the operating environment to advance multispecies justice. It would be particularly important to:

• Simultaneously consider different perspectives (human groups, other species, habitats).
• The need for various kinds of knowledge: ecology, urban planning, communication, and stakeholder skills.
• Engaging people in joint discussion.

The panelists stressed the need to increase knowledge and expertise throughout the city organization. Strong cooperation between the city and companies, organizations, and local associations is also crucial for reconciling many interests. The MUST project has also been able to concretely assist cities in initiating dialogue.

It is good to remember that ultimately, many important themes of urban planning – such as mitigating and adapting to climate change, supporting biodiversity, and human well-being – can be promoted by the same means. Furthermore, now is a particularly good time to promote urban biodiversity, as nature has strongly emerged in the discussion alongside climate change from the perspective of co-benefits, due to changes in societal and political priorities.

In the future, we should promote the cross-cutting inclusion of multispecies criteria and operating methods in zoning and urban development processes, as well as in state administration. A concrete means that emerged in the morning dialogues was, in particular, supporting green connectivity to promote the well-being of species.

Multispecies Morning Dialogues continue in autumn 2026

We asked the participants of the Multispecies Morning Dialogues what they would like to hear more about in the future. Based on the feedback, they were particularly interested in how cities can benefit from the information produced by the project, what practical tools are being developed, and how multispecies perspectives and the voices of other species can be taken into account, for example, in the preparation of a strategic nature roadmap. These questions will guide our future work in the MUST project.

Thank you to the participants for their active contribution to the first Multispecies Morning Dialogues! In the future, we will organize the Multispecies Morning Dialogues as webinars open to all, where we will discuss more specific content questions of multispecies justice with experts. The specific themes and implementation schedule will be finalized once we receive the funding decision for the project’s continuation. We will most likely continue already in the autumn of 2026.

Text: Salla Kässi and Kari Jalonen, Demos Helsinki
Picture: Pauliina Rautio