Institute for Natural Resources, Environment and Society (LYY)

About us

We, the Institute for Natural Resources, Environment, and Society (LYY),  are a network organization based at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF).  Our network combines social and cultural research expertise for application in the analysis of the environment and natural resource uses.

Through our members, we affiliate three faculties at the University: the Philosophical Faculty, the Faculty of Science and Forestry, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. Further institutional cooperation also exists by means of our links with the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), the Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA), the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL), and the European Forest Institute (EFI), all of these organisations also have offices in Joensuu.

The cooperative work of  our researcher network spans over a hundred researchers and postgraduate students. This network involves twelve professors and represents several disciplines including: Geography; Forest economics and policy; Environmental law, history, aesthetics, and policy; Sociology; Education; and Tourism studies.

Our research activities can be divided into six areas:

  •         Bio-economy development and ecosystem services
  •         Forest management practices
  •         Mining, the environment, and social change
  •         Socio-cultural animal studies
  •         Community and housing
  •         Climate policy and adaptation

Brochure for the Institute

Slide presentation on LYY

What we do?

The objectives of the Institute are to strengthen multidisciplinary research of the environment and natural resource uses in the social and cultural sciences,  as well as to  foster international cooperation, especially through networking.

Our tasks:

  •     Multidisciplinary research and networking
  •     Researcher training
  •     Promoting internationalisation, especially international cooperation
  •     Supporting the preparation of research projects
  •     Organising seminars, workshops, and conferences
  •     Collaboration with research institutes
  •     Disseminating scientific information

The Institute can grant some slight funding to researchers or research groups for activities supporting its objectives (Guidelines).

Forests and the Environment

We at the Institute operate within one of the areas of research expertise at the University of Eastern Finland: Forests and the Environment.

The University  holds a leading national position in the field of forestry research. The extensive research conducted on forests, the climate, other natural resources, and the human habitat in the Natural, Health, and Social sciences underscores the sustainable use of natural resources and constitutes an internationally unique research cluster. The societal significance of this expertise is enhanced by research pertaining to environmental law, operating environments, and the development of society.