Browsing by Subject "risk management"
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(2024)Forest fires are a growing issue of concern because of climate change. Forest fires impact forest ecosystems partially or completely and can cause negative and positive consequences. Negative consequences include, for instance, carbon release, and positive consequences include, for instance, increase in biodiversity. Forest fires are prevented by various measures, among which there are those targeted at human behavior. The aim of this thesis is to research current forest fire prevention strategies of Finnish national parks, find gaps and problems, and suggest possible solutions. The thesis focuses on the five largest Finnish national parks ac- cording to the number of visits, because the parks can demonstrate examples of education and modification of people’s behavior. The focus is on human behavior because the majority of forest fires are human-caused. The research questions of the thesis are: 1) “What are the behavior-oriented forest fire prevention measures in Finnish national parks?” and 2) “What are the problems of the current prevention measures?” The data of this study was collected via semi-structured interviews with national parks' workers who have knowledge about the topic. This method was chosen because interviewees can provide explanations and case examples. Five interviews were done via Zoom or Teams, while two responses were received via email. The content analysis of the data was performed in qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti. The theoretical frame- work of the thesis is risk governance and, more precisely, risk management and communication. In addition, the framework includes prevention practices identified in previous research. Behavior-oriented forest fire prevention measures identified in this thesis classify as risk management and risk communication. Risk management includes construction and maintenance of safe facilities, forbidding unsafe campfire ignition methods, and regulations mentioned online and on-site. Risk communication, in turn, includes safety instructions, wildfire warnings, organized activities, promotion of visits without campfires, nudge, and verbal advice. The problems related to the measures are making campfires when and where it is forbidden, irresponsible behavior in the context of ashes and rubbish, and leaving fires unattended. In addition, problems are related to how and where forest fire safety information is provided. The knowledge and findings of this study can be used to improve current forest fire prevention measures. Possible solutions include delivering explanations of measures’ reasons to visitors, highlighting the urgency of a problem, and organizing more educational group activities.
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(2024)The demand for CO2-free electricity will grow in the future, which is expected to lead to an increase in onshore wind power capacity. Like all energy forms, wind power can have negative impacts on the environment, which can pose different risks for wind power companies. Several companies that have wind power in their portfolio have recently committed to biodiversity targets, typically aiming for no net loss or net positive impact on biodiversity. These targets are expected to be a possible avenue for competitive advantage, however, there is a research gap on whether biodiversity considerations can bring competitive advantage to companies. In my research, executed as a paid assignment for Fortum Renewables Oy, I examine wind power investors’ perceptions of biodiversity targets and whether they perceive that the targets can bring competitive advantage to wind power companies. In this thesis, I aim to provide answers to three primary research questions: 1) How do investors manage their investments’ biodiversity impacts? 2) Can setting biodiversity targets bring competitive advantage to wind power companies? and 3) What kind of biodiversity targets do investors value? For this research I interviewed investors known to invest in onshore wind power in Finland. I conducted seven interviews with eight informants, including both finance and sustainability professionals, representing seven different investors. I analysed the interview data using inductive thematic analysis provided by Braun and Clarke (2006). My research found that investors identify several possibilities for both risk mitigation and competitive advantage, which can be achieved through good biodiversity management. Thus, investors see value in biodiversity considerations, such as biodiversity targets. Simultaneously, investors recognised several issues regarding these targets, which hinder achieving competitive advantage through them. The findings of my research may prove useful both for companies that have or aim to set biodiversity targets and investors wanting to manage their investments’ biodiversity impacts.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2