Lapland Forrest Jury
What is it about?
Climate change has created a need to evaluate the use of the forests in Finland including Lapland. The Regional Council of Lapland wanted to hear the views of the regions inhabitants and therefore convened the Citizens’ Jury on the fair use of the forest of Lapland. The mission of the Jury was to make recommendations to the Regional Council of Lapland on how to use the forests in a way that is both considering climate change and fair. The work of the Jury and the survey implemented at the same time are connected to the green transition program approved by the Regional Council of Lapland.
The invitation to the Jury and to answer the survey were sent in September to 6,000 randomly selected individuals living in the Lapland region. From the 240 people who volunteered to take part in the Jury, 33 people were randomly selected using quotas so that the Jury composition corresponded to the population of Lapland as well as possible. The Jury convened in two weekends in November 2022. The statement of the Jury was published and handed to the Regional Council of Lapland at the publishing event held on the 28th of November 2022.
The Citizens’ Jury followed deliberative mini-public method. In deliberative mini-public the participants familiarize themselves comprehensively with the topic under discussion for example by consulting experts and then discuss different views with people coming from different backgrounds. The principles followed in the discussions are honoring the other participants, justification and reflection of one’s own opinions and being open to the opinions of others. At the end of the discussion, the participants form a statement on the topic.
