Citizens’ Panel Supported Drafting Finland’s National Restoration Plan

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Submitted by Lonkila Kirsi-Marja on

Citizens’ Panel Supported Drafting Finland’s National Restoration Plan

Citizens’ panel representatives delivering the Statement to the commissioning ministries.
What is large, demanding and, at its best, capable of improving both people’s living environment and nature? One answer is the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. The regulation sets ambitious targets for Finland and has sparked intense public debate for years. The public discussion on the regulation – and its effects on Finland – has often been highly politicised and, at times, facts have been overshadowed by strong opinions. Yet for many citizens, the details of nature restoration policy are not necessarily familiar, even though nature itself is deeply important.

Nature is an integral part of everyday life for Finns. According to surveys, nearly 90% consider nature very or fairly important, and almost everyone spends time outdoors in natural environments. Four out of five Finns visit nature at least once a week. When Finland started preparing its National Restoration Plan under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the Ministry of the Environment wanted to ensure that citizens’ views could genuinely support the process. The objective was to create an opportunity for informed discussion based on facts and shared learning. 

A citizens’ panel on improving the state of nature 

A deliberative citizens’ panel soon emerged as the most suitable method. Citizens’ panels combine random selection with structured learning and discussion, allowing participants to engage with complex topics after receiving balanced background information. Because organising such panels requires significant resources, we also wanted to test whether the entire process could be conducted online. A virtual format made participation possible regardless of where people lived and eliminated the need for long-distance travel. For this specific topic, we did want to reach people from all around the country.

Invitations were sent to 8,000 randomly selected Finns, of whom 271 expressed an interest in participating. From this group, a panel of 50 citizens was assembled through random selection and quota sampling to ensure diversity in age, gender, educational background and region. The panel met online on four evenings in spring 2025.

The panel had a twofold task. First, to identify what citizens consider most important when improving the state of nature, and second, to examine how the Nature Restoration Regulation could be implemented in Finland in a way that is both acceptable and fair. The role of the panel was advisory.

Citizens’ panel: Further deterioration of nature must be prevented

The panel’s declaration was published in August 2025 and presented to leading officials from the two ministries responsible for preparing the National Restoration Plan. One of its main messages was clear: improving the state of nature requires a spirit of shared responsibility and, above all, preventing further deterioration of nature. The panel also highlighted the importance of prioritising specific habitat types and areas in restoration measures.

Participants considered it important that nature restoration should rely on both voluntary and, where necessary, binding measures. At the same time, they emphasised that restoration efforts should not weaken Finland’s food production or security of supply. The declaration also called on national and local authorities to take a leading role by launching a broad national effort and setting an example for private actors. Questions of fairness and justice featured prominently throughout the recommendations.

Feeding the outcomes into the policy process

A key objective from the outset was to ensure that the citizens’ panel was directly connected to the policy process. The timing and mandate of the panel were carefully aligned with the preparation of the National Restoration Plan, allowing its recommendations to be discussed in all of the plan’s preparation groups. 

To ensure timeliness and the suitability of the assignment of the panel, the commissioning ministries participated closely in the planning and implementation of the panel. 

When writing this, the draft National Restoration Plan is still in preparation. In the end of August 2026, the draft was circulated for public consultation. Currently, feedback from the consultation is being reviewed. Finland will submit the draft restoration plan to the European Commission in the autumn 2026, after the Government has made the decision to submit the plan.

Would do it again 

Looking back, our experiences were overwhelmingly positive, and participant feedback was equally encouraging. More than 90 per cent of participants said they would recommend taking part in a citizens’ panel. The process demonstrated that citizens’ panels are especially useful when dealing with complex and politically sensitive issues.

Compared with many other forms of citizen participation, the method offers several clear advantages. Random and quota-based selection improves representativeness and diversity, participants have time to familiarise themselves with the topic through background materials and expert presentations, and facilitated discussions ensure that everyone is heard while working towards shared conclusions. The online format also received largely positive feedback. Additional support sessions were organised to help participants use Microsoft Teams, making participation accessible for people regardless of their digital skills. 

In our experience at the Ministry of the Environment, we see that as a resource-intensive method, using citizens’ panels, assemblies or other deliberative methods in enriching participation in policy process should be focused on the most strategic projects that carry special weight.

For us, perhaps the most important lesson was that when lay people are given time, information and an opportunity to deliberate together, they are able to produce thoughtful and practical recommendations that can genuinely enrich policymaking, even – or especially – in complex and politicised issues.

The citizens’ panel on improving the state of nature was supported by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. 

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Photo: Ministry of the Environment. Citizens’ panel representatives delivering the Statement to the commissioning ministries.

About the Author
Kirsi-Marja Lonkila is a Senior Specialist in the Biodiversity and Nature Value Finance Unit at Finland’s Ministry of the Environment. She holds a Master of Social Sciences degree from the University of Turku. Her work focuses on biodiversity policy, science-policy cooperation, research and development (R&D) activities and following R&D policy nationally and the EU level. She serves as Finland’s National Focal Point to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

For more than a decade, Kirsi-Marja has worked at the interface of science and policy, supporting evidence-based environmental governance. In recent years, she has been actively involved in developing and applying deliberative public participation methods, including citizens’ panels, to strengthen the quality, legitimacy and inclusiveness of policy processes.