Duties
Biodiversity law, forest regulation, biodiversity offsetting
Education and academic titles
Docent of forest and biodiversity law, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland
LL.D., Faculty of Law, University of Turku
Memberships and networks
Finnish Nature Panel (national IPBES panel), 2nd vice chair (2024 - 2027)
Research and Expertise
I work as a Leading Researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) and am a specialist in biodiversity law. My research focuses on the regulation of biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.
Currently, I lead the NordForsk-funded ALAMOT research project on the effects of climate changes and growing tourism on biodiversity and the Sámi livelihoods in Northern national parks and wilderness areas. I also serve as a work package leader in two six-year Strategic Research Council (STN) consortia: the BOOST project on biodiversity offsetting, and the REBOUND project, in which Syke’s team examines the justice of the green transition in Northern Finland. Previously, I have conducted research on topics such as forest certification and the participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in natural resource use (including forestry and oil) in Finland and Russia.
In addition, I served as a member of the Finnish Biodiversity Panel from 2020 to 2023 and currently hold the position of Vice Chair (Second) for the 2024–2027 term.
Selected publications
Misa Tuomala, Juha Hiedanpää, Minna Pappila, Ecosocial values beyond market-oriented conservation: A just compensation of urban green. Cities, Vol. 170, 2026, 106592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.106592
Piiroinen T., Pappila, M., Ott, A., Conflicting interests in the standard setting process of the PEFC forest certification scheme in Finland. Forest Policy and Economics, 2025, 103641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103641
K. Korhonen-Kurki, D. D'Amato, A. Belinskij, D. Lazarevic, P. Leskinen, E.-J. Nylén, M. Pappila, O. Penttilä, S. Pitzén, N. Pykäläinen, T. Turunen, S. Vikström, Transformative governance: Exploring theory of change and the role of the law, Earth System Governance, Volume 23, 2025, 100230, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esg.2024.100230
Autto, H., Haapio, H., Pappila, M.: Artificial intelligence in contract design – biodiversity offset contracts as an example. Liikejuridiikka 2/2024, 8–36.
Hiedanpää, J., Tuomala, M., Pappila, M. et al. Ecosocial compensation of nature-based social values in Turku, South-West Finland. Socio-Ecological Practice Research (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-023-00163-9
Tulaeva, S.; Tysiachniouk, M.; Pappila, M.; Tynkkynen, M. Marine Stewardship Council Certification in Finland and Russia: Global Standards and Local Practices. Sustainability 2023, 15, 4063. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054063
Pappila, M. & Tynkkynen, M., The role of MSC marine certification in the fisheries governance in Finland. Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7178. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127178
Pappila, Minna: Biodiversity, Climate Change and Finnish Forest Regulation. In Mauerhofer et al. (Eds): Sustainability and Law. Springer Nature, 2020, 135–155.
Pappila, Minna: Summer loggings and the protection of birds – on regulation and derogations. Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law, 2019; 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12271