For the first time, the University of Helsinki has assessed the harm its operations cause to biodiversity, arising mainly from district heating, air travel, laboratory chemicals, and equipment and machinery. The findings will help guide the future development of University operations.
The University of Helsinki has been calculating its carbon footprint since 2019. It has now extended this work by assessing the adverse effects of its operations on biodiversity, known as its biodiversity footprint. The findings reveal how the University's operations, property use and procurement affect biodiversity globally.
The biodiversity footprint assessment looks at the environmental pressures generated by University operations, together with where these pressures occur geographically and how they impact biodiversity. Most of these impacts arise beyond the University's own operations, within the value chain of purchased goods and services sourced from outside Finland.
Assessment findings
In 2025 the University of Helsinki recorded a biodiversity footprint of 115 nano biodiversity equivalent (nBDe). The biodiversity equivalent (BDe) is a single measure reflecting the potential global biodiversity impact of an organisation's activities. The University's most significant negative biodiversity impacts come from district heating, electricity and water use, laboratory supplies and chemicals, equipment and machinery, and air travel.
Many other Finnish universities and organisations have used the same metric to calculate their own biodiversity footprints. However, detailed comparisons between results should be approached with caution because of possible variations in the calculation scope, baseline data and the databases used. Although calculation methods differ, the University of Helsinki's findings appear comparable, in relation to its size, to those of other Finnish universities. The sources of the University's negative biodiversity impacts stem from both its size and its multidisciplinary nature, as well as, for instance, its wide range of laboratory work.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has identified the following key drivers of biodiversity loss: land- and sea-use change, direct exploitation of natural resources, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species. Among these, the University's operations have the greatest impact on climate change, while also contributing to some extent to biodiversity loss via land use and pollution. The initial findings show that the greatest impacts fall on terrestrial ecosystems, with the University's pressures on freshwater and marine ecosystems remaining low.
"For our operations, climate change is clearly the main driver behind biodiversity loss. This means that our work to cut emissions can also help slow biodiversity loss. In other words, as long as we design our measures carefully, we can reduce both footprints at the same time. In the coming years, we can refine these findings further by continuing to develop our calculations and baseline data," says Climate and Nature Specialist Karoliina Koistila of the University of Helsinki.
Findings to guide operational development
The biodiversity footprint now published draws on a range of assumptions, mean averages and international databases, so the results should not be taken as a direct measure of biodiversity loss. As calculation methods, indicators and databases in this field continue to evolve, the results are best understood as an indicative tool.
The University of Helsinki is currently updating its , published in 2022, to incorporate biodiversity impacts alongside climate impacts. The newly completed biodiversity footprint assessment will help identify the University's most significant biodiversity impacts and target measures to reduce them. The University will also explore ways to strengthen biodiversity.
