(1) Background: In Finland, slippery snowy or icy ground surface conditions can be quite hazardous to human health during wintertime. We focused on the impacts of the variability in weather conditions on tourists’ health via documented accidents during the winter season in the Sotkamo area. We attempted to estimate the slipping hazard in a specific context of space and time focusing on the weather and other possible parameters, responsible for fluctuations in the numbers of injuries/accidents; (2) Methods: We used statistical distributions with graphical illustrations to examine the distribution of visits to Kainuu Hospital by non-local patients and their characteristics/causes; graphs to illustrate the distribution of the different characteristics of weather conditions; questionnaires and interviews conducted among health care and safety personnel in Sotkamo and Kuusamo; (3) Results: There was a clear seasonal distribution in the numbers and types of extremity injuries of non-local patients. While the risk of slipping is emphasized, other factors leading to injuries are evaluated; and (4) Conclusions: The study highlighted the clear role of wintery weather conditions as a cause of extremity injuries even though other aspects must also be considered. Future scenarios, challenges and adaptive strategies are also discussed from the viewpoint of climate change.

Sarkki, S., T. Komu, H. I. Heikkinen, N. Acosta García, É. Lépy, and V.-P. Herva. 2016. Applying a synthetic approach to the resilience of Finnish reindeer herding as a changing livelihood. Ecology and Society 21(4):14.http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08819-210414

In Finnish Lapland, reindeer herders’ activity is strongly dependent on the surrounding natural environment, which is directly exposed to environmental changes and climatic variations. By assessing whether there is any evidence of change in climate in Fell Lapland over the last 50 years, this paper attempts to link global climatic trends with local conditions and respond to the need of information at the local level. It aims at assessing the changes in temperature, precipitation and snow cover at a regional and local scale, as well as determining the climatic trends for the period 1960–2011. Statistical methods were used to conduct analyses of the regional homogeneity, the annual and seasonal variability, and the cold intensity. The results show that the regional climate is not homogeneous and differences exist between locations. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that, in general, a warming trend is discernible for the period 1960–2011, frost and thaw cycles slightly increase, and variations in mean temperatures are more important in the winter. Precipitation is more variable according to the site but, in general, precipitation is increasing with time, especially in the winter, and the snow cover does not seem to contain any discernible trend.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5, seek to attain gender equality and empower all women and girls. While rural women face multiple challenges, the innovative and entrepreneurial leadership of women in farming and rural areas can foster resilient and sustainable rural communities. Although studies on women and innovation are increasing, a clear definition of women-led innovation is missing. One objective of this paper is to outline what makes women-led innovations a distinct kind of innovation, and why that should matter for policy. Drawing on the conceptual framework devised for the EU Funded Horizon Europe FLIARA (Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas) project, we propose a context to understand women-led innovation on farms and in rural areas within the geographical scope of the European Union, while also identifying a set of distinguishing features that make women-led innovation categorically different from other types of innovations. Furthermore, another key objective is to show how a better understanding of the distinctiveness of women-led innovations can contribute to policy by using the European Commission Long-term Vision for Rural Areas as an example. We conclude by advocating for an increased focus on women-led innovations in policymaking for a number of compelling reasons. Firstly, women have significant potential to drive progress in rural development, sustainability, and equality. They have a unique perspective and approach which can offer transformative solutions to the challenges facing rural communities. Moreover, supporting women-led innovations serves as a catalyst for revitalising rural areas in an evolving rural landscape. Additionally, prioritising equal opportunities for all individuals and genders in rural areas is not only an issue of common sense, but is a moral imperative. By making sure women have the same access to education, resources, and opportunities as their male counterparts, we endorse basic principles of fairness and justice.

Matching knowledge Demand, research Funding and knowledge Supply (DFS) is important in order to enhance societally and policy relevant research, target funding appropriately and enhance the connectivity between science, policy and society. The DFS field around reindeer management in Finland offers a fertile case study to examine interconnected and complex trends as well as the relations between herders’ and policymakers’ knowledge demand, ministerial funding and independent supply of knowledge by science. We identify matches and mismatches between the DFS in a case study of reindeer management in Finland across ten inductively identified themes and in time scales of 2000–2009 and 2010–2018. The main finding was that, during the latter period, the DFS matched significantly better than in the earlier period. In order to explain this, we identify and discuss five alternative and legitimate co-creation dynamics that explain how the DFS is organizing around the reindeer management in Finland. The five dynamics represent variations in the co-creation approach, fit to varying situations, which can inform of alternative ways to better match the DFS around reindeer management, and they are also applicable in other contexts.