In Kilpisjärvi, passerine nesting is monitored annually, encompassing the European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), the great tit (Parus major), the Siberian tit (Poecile cinctus) and the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus). A couple of hundred nesting boxes have been installed in the area to survey the nesting success of cavity-nesting birds. The monitoring is carried out in accordance with the nest record scheme of the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus.
The phenology, annual productivity variation and seed production of tundra plants have been monitored in Kilpisjärvi since the 1960s. The mountain birch (Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii), the dwarf birch (Betula nana), the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and the globeflower (Trollius europaeus) continue to be monitored annually. The research sites are located in the surroundings of the Saana, Pikku-Malla and Korkea-Jehkas fells.
One of the world’s longest-standing rodent monitoring schemes, launched in Kilpisjärvi in 1946, still continues annually. One key goal is to investigate the causes of variation in vole and lemming populations.
Voles and lemmings are an integral part of the northern biotic community. They are vital food for many predators and play a significant role in shaping vegetation. Northern vole populations vary roughly in four- to five-year cycles due, among other things, to predation and the lack of food in winter. The strongest vole cycles occur in areas where winters are long and snowy.
The typical vole cycle includes crash and low phases following the increase and peak years. The intensity of population variation fluctuates both temporally and geographically. A well-known example of peaks in population variation are the lemming migrations, during which their range can expand far into the forested southern Lapland. These migrations are based on the seasonal habitat change of lemmings, which at high frequencies leads to visible migration.
Principal investigator:
The Finnish national moth monitoring scheme is a part of the Finnish Biodiversity Research Programme. By monitoring moth numbers, researchers can quickly gain information about environmental change. Significant changes have already been observed in the moth species occurring in Finland, such as the spread of new species further north and declines among northern species.
The monitoring is coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute.
The National Butterfly survey of Finland (NAFI) is a research project coordinated by the Finnish Lepidopterological Society. The monitoring observations are recorded in the database of the Finnish Museum of Natural History. A report of the results is annually published in the Baptria journal of the Finnish Lepidopterological Society.
Every year, birds are being counted along four line transects that have been constant since 1979.
The purpose is to investigate any changes in the bird population and to reveal the underlying factors. Such surveying often plays an important role in protection decisions.
In a collaborative study, coordinated by the University of Turku and involving Finnish university research stations, the occurence of ticks is monitored annually. The study was sparked by observations about the growing abundance of ticks and concerns about the increase in tick-borne diseases.
No ticks have yet been found at the Kilpisjärvi survey site.