Abstract The protection of endangered species requires knowledge about the habitat requirements and the genetic issues related to the population viability. In this doctoral thesis, I defined the breeding habitat features of the Finnish populations of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) by applying habitat suitability modelling. Secondly, I studied the conservation genetic issues of the Finnish population of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the two Reed Bunting subspecies Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyi and E.s. lusitanica met in the Iberian Peninsula. All study populations are classified as threatened according to IUCN classification and they have experienced declines in population sizes in recent history. My results from habitat suitability models showed that human-induced changes in habitat threaten the Golden Eagle in Finland. The relative suitability for the species presence dropped to zero when the proportion of human altered landscape (agricultural or urbanized areas) in the core of the breeding habitat (4 km2) was more than 5%. Models further showed that habitat structure influences breeding habitat selection of the Peregrine Falcon, as it favours well-connected areas of open peatlands. Therefore, fragmentation (i.e., decreasing the connectivity) of open peatlands decreases the habitat quality for the species. The White-tailed Eagle has recovered mainly through local growth, but my results suggest that gene flow from neighbouring populations has had an impact as well, and has enhanced the genetic viability of the Finnish population. The current structure of the two subpopulations (one along the Baltic Sea coast line and another inland in Northern Finland) results mainly from the species’ ecology (i.e., philopatric behaviour), not from the recent population bottlenecks. The effective population size estimate of the coastal subpopulation of White-tailed Eagle was below the critical size needed to maintain evolutionary potential. The estimates of the effective population sizes for E.s. lusitanica and E.s. witherbyi and inland subpopulation of White-tailed Eagle were close or below the critical level of 50, which makes them prone to losing fitness due to inbreeding depression in the short term. Therefore, these study populations need to increase in size in order to secure population viability in the future. / Tiivistelmä Ihmisen aiheuttamat elinympäristöjen muutokset uhkaavat biodiversiteettiä kasvattamalla yhä useampien eliölajien sukupuuttoriskiä. Tehokkaat suojelutoimenpiteet edellyttävät tietoa uhanalaisten lajien elinympäristövaatimuksista sekä populaation elinkyvylle keskeisistä geneettisistä tekijöistä. Tarkastelen väitöskirjatyössäni maakotkan (Aquila chrysaetos) sekä muuttohaukan (Falco peregrinus) Suomen populaatioiden pesimäympäristön piirteitä maisemaekologisen mallinnuksen avulla. Toiseksi tarkastelen Suomen merikotkapopulaation (Haliaeetus albicilla) sekä Iberian niemimaalla esiintyvien pajusirkun alalajien Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyin ja E.s. lusitanican suojelun kannalta tärkeitä geneettisiä tekijöitä. Kaikki tutkimuspopulaatiot ovat uhanalaisia ja ne ovat kärsineet voimakkaista kannan pienenemisistä. Maisemaekologiset mallit osoittivat maakotkan välttävän ihmisen muokkaamaa ympäristöä (maatalousalueet ja rakennetut alueet). Lajin esiintymistodennäköisyys laski nopeasti nollaan, kun ihmisen muokkaaman ympäristön osuus nousi yli 5 prosenttiin pesimäympäristön ydinalueella (4 km2). Mallit osoittivat maiseman rakenteen vaikuttavan muuttohaukan habitaatinvalintaan, sillä se suosi pesimäympäristönään kytkeytyneitä avosoita. Avosoiden pirstoutuminen (l. kytkeytyneisyyden väheneminen) vähentää näin ollen muuttohaukan pesimäympäristön laatua. Merikotkapopulaatio on toipunut pääosin paikallisen kasvun myötä, mutta tulokseni viittaavat myös siihen, että geenivirta naapurimaiden populaatioista on lisännyt Suomen populaation geneettistä muuntelua. Nykyinen rakenne (rannikon ja Lapin alapopulaatiot) on seurausta lajin synnyinpaikkauskollisuudesta, ei niinkään populaatiokoon romahduksista. Rannikon merikotkapopulaation efektiivinen koko jäi alle kriittisen rajan, joka tarvitaan evolutiivisen potentiaalin säilymiselle. Pajusirkun alalajien sekä Lapin merikotkapopulaation efektiiviset populaatiokoot olivat lähellä kriittisenä pidettyä 50:tä tai jäivät alle, joten ne ovat vaarassa menettää kelpoisuutta sukusiitosdepression seurauksena lyhyellä aikavälillä. Sekä pajusirkun alalajien että merikotkapopulaatioiden tulee sen vuoksi kasvaa säilyäkseen elinvoimaisina tulevaisuudessa.

L’interesse a realizzare un approfondimento delle responsabilità penali connesse al fallimento delle attività di protezione civile sorge in connessione all’incremento di procedimenti penali a carico di operatori della Protezione Civile. Collocato l’obiettivo primario nella individuazione delle condizioni di dichiarazione della responsabilità, inquadrato il fenomeno di flessibilizzazione delle categorie penalistiche emerso nella prassi giudiziaria in risposta al bisogno sociale di sicurezza, l’indagine si snoda attraverso due aree tematiche idealmente suddivise, volte alla ricostruzione della disciplina dedicata alla P.C. e alla descrizione dei criteri di affermazione della responsabilità, secondo un approccio per problematiche che segue l’incedere dell’accertamento. Quale trait d’union il rischio, elemento trasversale dell’intera analisi, è oggetto delle attività di protezione civile da un lato, fattore di distorsione delle categorie penalistiche in funzione espansiva della responsabilità dall’altro, manifestazione della necessità di scindere la visuale prospettica della funzione di valutazione e gestione del rischio da quella di giudizio sul fallimento dell’attività previsionale. Le soluzioni prospettate, calate nella realtà giudiziaria attraverso l’analisi critica del procedimento sul terremoto dell’Aquila, si muovono in un’ottica di equilibrio tra opposti valori di sicurezza e libertà, in vista di una tutela penale che, se non può a priori essere esclusa, deve situarsi entro confini imposti dalle garanzie penalistiche. / The interest in realizing an in-depth analysis of the criminal responsibilities related to the failure of the activities of civil defence arises from the increase in criminal proceedings against workers of the Civil Defence. Given the phenomenon of versatility of the elements of crime risen from the social need for safety, the main purpose of the investigation is the identification of the conditions of statement of responsibility. The investigation is divided in two thematic areas intended to remodel the legislation of Civil Defence and describe the criteria of statement of responsibility. As a joining link, the risk, cross element of the whole analysis, is both the subject of the activities of civil defence and a factor of distorsion of the elements of crime and expression of the necessity to distinguish the perspectival view of the management of risk from that of judgement on the failure of previsional activity. The proposed solutions, placed in the legal reality of the criminal procedure of Aquila earthquake, have a perfect balance between the opposite values of safety and freedom, in order to grant a legal protection which cannot be excluded and must be placed within the borders of the guarantees of the criminal procedure.