Meri-Pori case, Finland
Purpose of the case study: The Meri-Pori scenarios is one of the six case studies carried out byWatersketch project. The goal of the case was to produce collaborative and consensual land and water use scenarios for the area, which covers the delta of River Kokemäenjoki, the peninsula of Yyterinniemi and the bay of Preiviikinlahti. The reason for the initiation of the case study was the persistent upheaval of conflicts and controversies between the stakeholders.
Geographical description: Meri-Pori is located at the delta area of River Kokemäenjoki covering the western-most parts of the City of Pori. It is located on the boreal zone of Fennoscandian ecoregion in South-West Finland. The whole catchment of River Kokemäenjoki covers 8% of Finnish land area being the fourth largest river basin in Finland. The annual mean flow of the river has been 231 m3/s during 1961-1990. The main parts of the drainage basin are covered by forests. Upstream of the river soil consists mainly of clay, in the downstream of gravel, sand and silt, these soils affecting the rate of sedimentation in the delta. The delta of River Kokemäenjoki is the largest one in the Nordic countries.
Ecological status and main pressures: The River Kokemäenjoki has been one of the most heavily loaded rivers in Finland. The discharge contained in 1970’s and 1980’s toxic substances, such as organic chlorines, PCB, and heavy metal derivates, like those of copper and mercury. The load of nutrients is still relatively high and the coastal area of Pori is eutrophic. Purification of the waste waters from industry and settlements has significantly decreased the load of organic, nutrient and toxic materials. The water quality of River Kokemäenjoki has become rather good due to the investments in waste water purification technology.
The wetland habitats in the Kokemäenjoki delta are the most representative in Finland. The delta is part of the Natura2000 network covering altogether 8 437 hectares; 2 885 hectares on the delta and 5 552 hectares in the Bay of Preiviikinlahti. The delta shifts gradually seawards due to land uplift and sedimentation, the rate being about 30 meters annually.
The tools and methods:
As for the methodological purposes, the approach known as Transactive Planning with Scenario Planning and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) was integrated. Transactive scenario planning consists of seven overlapping stages, in which a relatively small group of researchers, managers, policy-makers, and other stakeholders explore through a series of workshops. The stages are: 1) the articulation of purpose, 2) the identification of hotspots, 3) the articulation of context, 4) the naming of drivers (attractors), 5) the creation of alternatives and scenarios, 6) the assessment and signification of futures, and 7) policy screening and policy formulation.
An impact matrix was also created to demonstrate to the total effects of various pressures.
Results and outcomes:
In the case study, three most important hotspots were identified:
a) The delta of River Kokemäenjoki,
b) Preiviikinlahti Bay and Yyteri Peninsula, and
c) Inshore waters.
The main pressures at the above-mentioned areas were identified as following:
- Preiviikinlahti Bay and Yyteri Peninsula: Yyteri is a valuable dune area incorporating camping areas, hotels and various eco- and recreational businesses, whereas Preiviikinlahti Bay is important area for nature conservation. In this area, there are several conflicts between development towards extensive tourist area, traditional recreation and conservation
- Delta of River Kokemäenjoki: conflicts between conservation, other forms of land use and flood-protection including extensive dredgings
- Inshore waters: conflicts between conservation, fishery, marine windmill park and extraction of sand and gravel from sea bottom.
For each hotspot the parties identified future drivers and pressures. Also, a GIS map of spatial institutions, ecosystems and social practices was created.
Only in one hotspot, namely in the delta of the River Kokemäenjoki, the problems were specific enough, so that the alternative courses of action emerged. A multicriteria decision making tool (MCDM-method) called WEBHIPRE was applied in assessing and weighing the existing alternatives and their impacts.
In the beginning of case study, the relevant parties were firstly able to agree on the working methods, and secondly, to produce a proposal for future development for each of the hotspots. Concerning the delta of the river Kokemäenjoki, different planning alternatives were created and ranked. Currently the alternatives and the weighing of their impacts are under discussion in the various planning offices of the city.
Interactive map.jpg)
Click here to view an interactive map of the Meri-Pori area.
SVG-viewer is needed. The viewer does not work with Mozilla Firefox. 
Description and introduction to SVG can be found here
Attributes included in the layers on the SVG map
- Railroads and roads
- Length of the railroad or road in meters (LENGTH)
- Railroad or road (Road_rail)
- County
- Rivers:
- Length of the river in meters (LENGTH)
- Type of river, 433: Width <5m, 432: Width 5-20m, 431: Width 20-100m (TYPE)
- Lakes:
- Level of lake, 31: Lake < 0,06km2, 32: Lake 0,06-0,25km2, 33: Lake 0,25-4km2, 46: River > 100m (LEVEL)
- Area of the lake in square kilometres (AREA)
- Underwater sandpit- planned
- Windmill area- planned
- Nature protection areas
- The total area in square kilometers (AREA_KM2)
- Regional plan
- The area class that the regional plan indicates for the specified area (CLASS)
- Land Cover:
- Land Cover classification (LAND_COVER)
- Area in square kilometres (AREA_KM2)
Aditional Information
Pdf document with more details on the case area can be found here.
Contact information: Mikko Ojanen: mikko.ojanen@utu.fi
