forests. In this connection, it points to a report prepared for the Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry by a professor of the University of Joensuu, who supports the view that timber production, reindeer husbandry, collection of mushrooms and berries and other economic activities may sustainably coexist and thrive in the environment of Finnish Lapland. This report states that no single forest or land use can, on its own, fulfil the income and welfare needs of the population; forest management of the whole area, and particularly Northern Lapland, must accordingly be implemented pursuant to schemes of multiple use and "strict sustainability". logging by the summer of 1991, or at the latest by early 1992, around the road under construction and therefore within the confines of their herding areas, the authors requested the adoption of interim measures of protection, pursuant to rule 86 of the Committee's rules of procedure. The State party's observations 4.1 In its submission under rule 91 of the rules of procedure, the State party does not raise objections to the admissibility of the communication under article 5, paragraph 2 (b), of the Optional Protocol, and concedes that in the present situation there are no domestic remedies which the authors should still pursue. 4.5 The State party submits that the authors cannot be considered "victims" of a violation of the Covenant, and that their communication should be declared inadmissible on that account. In this context, the State party contends that the ratio legis of the Wilderness Act is the very opposite from that identified by the authors: its intention was to upgrade and enhance the protection of the Sami culture and traditional nature-based means of livelihood. Secondly, the State party submits that the authors have failed to demonstrate how their concerns about "irreparable damage" purportedly resulting from logging in the area designated by them translate into actual violations of their rights; they are merely afraid of what might occur in the future. While they might legitimately fear for the future of the Sami culture, the "desired feeling of certainty is not, as such, protected under the Covenant. There must be a concrete executive decision or measure taken under the Wilderness Act", before anyone may claim to be the victim of a violation of his Covenant rights. 4.2 The State party indicated that for the Hammastunturi Wilderness, plans for maintenance and use currently in preparation in the Ministry of the Environment would not be finalized and approved until the spring of 1992; nor are there any logging projects under way in the residual area designated by the authors, which does not overlap with the Hammastunturi Wilderness. North of the Wilderness, however, minor "silvicultural felling" (to study the effect of logging on the environment) began in 1990 and would be stopped by the end of the spring of 1991. According to the Central Forestry Board, this particular forest does not overlap with the area designated in the communication. The State party added that south of the wilderness, the gravelling of an existing roadbed would proceed in the summer of 1991, following the entry into force of the Wilderness Act. 4.3 The State party contends that the communication is inadmissible under article 3 of the Optional Protocol, as incompatible with the provisions of the Covenant. In particular, it argues that the plans of the Central Forestry Board for silvicultural logging in the residual area outside the Hammastunturi Wilderness are not related to the passage of the Wilderness Act, because the latter only applies to areas specifically designated as such. The authority of the Central Forestry Board to approve logging activities in areas other than those designated as protected wilderness is not derived from the Wilderness Act. Accordingly, the State party denies that there is a causal link between the measures of protection requested by the authors and the object of the communication itself, which only concerns enactment and implementation of the Wilderness Act. 4.6 The State party further argues that passage of the Wilderness Act must be seen as an improvement rather than a setback for protection of the rights protected by article 27. If the authors are dissatisfied with the amount of land protected as wilderness, they overlook the fact that the Wilderness Act is based on a philosophy of coexistence between reindeer herding and forest economy. This is not only an old tradition in Finnish Lapland but also a practical necessity, as unemployment figures are exceptionally high in Finnish Lapland. The Act embodies a legislative compromise trying to balance opposite interests in a fair and democratic manner. While the Government fully took into account the requirements of article 27 of the Covenant, it could not ignore the economic and social rights of that part of the population whose subsistence depends on logging activities: "one cannot do without compromises in a democratic society, even if they fail to satisfy all the parties concerned". 4.4 The State party further contends that the envisaged forestry operations, consisting merely of "silvicultural logging" and construction of roads for that purpose, will not render the areas used by the authors irreparably inhospitable for reindeer husbandry. On the contrary, the State party expects them to contribute to the natural development of the 4.7 Finally, the State party notes that the Covenant has been incorporated into domestic law, 6