FLYING SQUIRREL CASE
April 1st, 2003
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FINNISH government is being threatened with legal action at the European Court of Justice for allegedly failing to protect the vulnerable Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans). Finland is the only European Union home of this species, which lives in old forests. The European Commission alleges that forest and environmental officials fail to sufficiently protect breeding and resting sites, only banning development or logging where "they are clearly perceptible." Brussels wants expert conservation advice better fed into decision-making.
THE FINNISH government is being threatened with legal action at the European Court of Justice for allegedly failing to protect the vulnerable Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans). Finland is the only European Union home of this species, which lives in old forests. The European Commission alleges that forest and environmental officials fail to sufficiently protect breeding and resting sites, only banning development or logging where "they are clearly perceptible." Brussels wants expert conservation advice better fed into decision-making.
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