Kosteikot

Kosteikot are wetlands characterized by prolonged water saturation of soils, creating anaerobic conditions that shape vegetation and ecosystem processes. They include a range of habitats such as bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, and the shallow margins of lakes. In boreal and temperate regions, kosteikot often form peat-forming systems where organic matter accumulates as peat.

Ecologically, kosteikot support high biodiversity and provide important breeding and feeding areas for birds, amphibians, insects, and specialized plants. They are also significant carbon stores, particularly peatlands, where slow decomposition under waterlogged conditions traps carbon for centuries. Additionally, kosteikot filter water, moderate floods, and help maintain water quality.

Many kosteikot have been altered by drainage, peat extraction, and land-use change for agriculture or forestry. Climate change further threatens hydrology and species composition. Restoration and conservation efforts aim to rewet drained areas, restore natural hydrological regimes, block drainage channels, and protect critical sites through protected areas and monitoring programs.

Policy and research in Finland and other Nordic countries treat kosteikot as key components of biodiversity, climate regulation, and landscape resilience, often integrating them into national wetland strategies and international conservation frameworks.