Pinja Leino

Pinja Leino is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland's Business School, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. Her research focuses on the interplay between tourism firms and environmental conservation, particularly exploring how tourism stakeholders engage in payments for ecosystem services (PES). She has contributed to studies analyzing tourism firms' attitudes toward maintaining cultural ecosystem services in destinations like the Ruka-Kuusamo area in Finland.

Her work investigates the Landscape and Recreation Value Trade (LRVT) model, examining how tourism businesses perceive their roles in preserving natural landscapes and biodiversity. Key themes in her research include stakeholder collaboration, sustainability practices, and the economic implications of voluntary conservation efforts.

Leino's research highlights the importance of balancing tourism development with environmental stewardship, emphasizing the need for innovative models like LRVT to foster sustainable destination management. Her insights contribute to policy discussions on integrating tourism and environmental conservation.