University of Oulu Botanical Museum
The basic tasks of the Botanical Museum are to maintain and increase the university's scientific plant and fungus collections as well as study collections of the University of Oulu. The scientific collections comprise about 0.5 million samples. They consist mainly of dried, determined and documented herbarium samples. The collections are freely available to researchers around the world.
Collections, archives and data storage and distribution systems (laji.fi, Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility) serve not only research and teaching but also society's information needs, such as zoning, nature conservation and environmental monitoring and research.
The collections contain about 10,000 sample data on endangered and risk species. The museum's collections are an essential resource in the development of DNA tags for species. The museum has recently promoted the digitization of collections and other storage and use of historical diversity information in research.
The Botanical Museum is responsible for species information in a large part of Northern Finland and acts as an expert in its field. The activities of the museum are coordinated with the Central Museum of Natural History.
The museum's research is profiled in the northern regions and covers a wide range of biodiversity issues.
