Captains of industry to restore partridge population

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The leaders of Finland's largest companies have joined forces to restore the population of the humble partridge, which has all but disappeared from Finland. The heads of Kone ( Antti Herlin), Stora Enso ( Jukka Härmälä), Sampo ( Björn Wahlroos), and Nokia Board Chairman Jorma Ollila are all working for the cause on the board of a foundation for the preservation of nature and game. The foundation was established two weeks ago.
      "Everyone was very positive right from the start. Nature and game are important things to all of them", commented a representative of the foundation Fredrik von Limburg Stirum.
      The men on the board of the foundation represent about one half of Helsinki's stock market value. In the foundation they represent only themselves, however.
     
The foundation already has capital of about EUR 50, 000. The providers of the initial capital wish to remain anonymous. In addition to the corporate executives, the head of the Economic Information Office Jukka Koivisto and the head of Finland's Slot Machine Association Hannu Salokorpi are also on the board. The younger owner of the Koski manor house and estate and attorney Limburg Stirum are both board-members.
      "The purpose is to take part in nature and game preservation projects. The foundation conducts its own projects, or supports the projects of others", says Limburg Stirum.
     
Another foundation with a similar agenda, Suomen Riistanhoitosäätiö, already exists. "The goal of our foundation is to undertake our own projects more actively", says Limburg Stirum. The new foundation also stresses internationality.
     
The restoration of the partridge population is the first project for the new foundation. The role of the corporate executives is to get the Finnish business environment interested in the protection of the bird. The foundation will offer companies positive publicity in events and the media in return.
      Limburg Stirum has worked for a Finnish hunting association. Härmälä, Herlin, Wahlroos, and Ollila are known to be avid hunters.
     
Is the purpose of the foundation therefore just to ensure hunting opportunities for the corporate leaders? Limburg Stirum admits that the partridge would also be used as game, but that the emphasis would be on preservation.
      The partridge is regarded as Finland's only indigenous game-fowl of the pheasant family, since the pheasant itself has been introduced to the Finnish landscape artificially.
      The bird, roughly the size of a pigeon, is found in the southern half of the country and in the coastal areas to the west.
      Hunters say that the population has declined dramatically in recent years, largely through the spread of intensive farming. The season for partridge-shooting is in September and October.


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