Arja Renell

8.-11.6. / 5.-7.7. / 22.-25.8.2021
Seili & Jungfruskär

Arja Renell returned to Seili visiting also other islands in the Archipelago Sea National Park during the summer 2021. Working closely in collaboration with the Metsähallitus Wildlife Services biologists, she followed their research on the impacts of summer grazing as part of the ongoing meadow restoration work.

In Seili, Renell observed the inventory of beetle species by conservation biologist Sampsa Malmberg and Heli Vainio during which several rare species were discovered, including Chrysolina analis (kärsämökuoriainen), which was last sighted on the island 33 years ago. She also took part on a trip to Jungfruskär with the conservation biologists Maija Mussaari, Kukka Kyrö and Jessica Rapp to monitor the meadow restoration work and inventory of plants growing on this unique remote island, where several rare biotopes co-exist and are carefully maintained.

During her stays in Seili, she also got to dive deeper into the longterm research on Baltic herring, guided by researcher Katja Mäkinen at the Archipelago Research Institute.

Renell’s field work in 2021 was part of the project Ecology of Change that revisits the exhibition Contemporary Art Archipelago, realised in the Turku 2011 European Capital of Culture programme a decade ago. The project is supported by the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.