International agreements

The Bern Convention

The Bern Convention is a general agreement on the conservation of native European flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Its primary goal is to conserve endangered species and their habitats. It particularly addresses cases where the conservation of species and natural areas requires cooperation between countries. The Convention led to such EC conservation legislation as the Natura 2000 network and the Habitats and Bird Directives. The convention was signed in 1979 and it came into force in Finland in 1986.

The Biodiversity Convention

The Convention on Biological Diversity aims to conserve the global diversity of ecosystems, species and their genetic makeup; to promote the sustainable use of this biodiversity; and to promote the equitable distribution of the benefits derived from these genetic resources. This global convention was signed in 1992 and it came into force in Finland in 1994.

The CITES Convention

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) covers the trade of endangered species and products made from these animals. It controls the import and export of endangered species across the EU's external borders as well as trade between and within individual EU member states. In Finland the convention has been implemented through EU legislation, which in some respects is even stricter than the controls set out in the CITES Convention itself. The convention was first signed in 1975 and Finland became a signatory in 1976.