Kevo Subarctic Research Institute (Kevo LTER) - Finland

Kevo Subarctic Research Institute of the University of Turku is a modern research institute (strict nature reserve in the immediate vicinity) with long-term ecological data-sets and field-experiments at the northernmost tip of the European Community. This facility provides excellent research possibilities for scientists interested in environmental, ecological and evolutionary work in the ecotone between northern Boreal and Subarctic/Arctic Biomes. Kevo has established a research network (in collaboration with Department of Geology, University of Turku) for a long-term on study on Northern Fennoscandic Quaternary glacial cycles and Holocene environmental change (palaeoecology and –stratigraphy, lacustrine strata), including a research programme on late Weichselian climatic variability. Kevo is famous for the long term ecosystem studies on herbivory dynamics of the mountain birch forests and the geo-referenced data-set about vascular plant distribution in over 5000 one sq-km grid cells in the northernmost Finland as well as for studies on annual and seasonal fluctuations in animal numbers (small rodents, moths, predatory mammals and birds and in plant phenology and performance). Several research projects are focused on the vegetation dynamics influenced by reindeer grazing. Kevo also provides integration with the Finnmark area in the northermost Norway and has an established collaboration with various Sámi organizations over the area.