In Finland, five environmental NGOs have compiled a protection proposal for valuable state-owned forests and mires. WWF, Nature League, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC), Greenpeace and BirdLife have listed 500 unprotected key areas that are vital for both biodiversity conservation and connectivity of protected area network. The target areas have been evaluated according to expedition materials or other reports.

Protection proposal for the state-owned lands

The report proposes:

• to start additional measures to protect state-owned forest and mires
• to examine more accurately the natural values of areas designated as potentially valuable
• to improve transparency and transfer information on natural values of the state-owned areas for the wider public

Currently, loggings and logging plans have been made in the proposed areas. Thus, protection potential of Finland’s state-owned lands is constantly decreasing. NGOs suggest to secure the natural values of presented areas from forestry and other exploitation, and, preferably, to designate them under official protection.

Read more

in Finnish
WWF press release
FANC press release

in English
Save the national heritage (pdf, presentation by Olli Manninen)