Threatened Cultural Environments Need Conservation
There are many important heritage sites managed by Metsähallitus ranging from national landscapes at Aavasaksa and Aulanko to logging cabins and the grounds of small estates. Cultural sites which have stood for hundreds of years are in danger of disappearing, if they are not used and cared for.
Traditional agricultural landscapes are in even greater danger, as farming becomes more technological and as people move to towns. There are only 40,000 hectares of meadows, pastures and slash-and-burn forests left in Finland and they are spread in small patches. Without continuous care they would disappear altogether. We want to preserve traditional landscapes, however, as they are Finland’s most diverse biotopes as concerns flora and fauna. They are a part of our history reaching back decades and even centuries.
Traditional Landscapes Maintained by Metsähallitus and Volunteers
Metsähallitus manages 2,600 hectares of traditional landscapes on state-owned lands. For the most part they are located in the Ostrobothnia-Kainuu area and in Southern Finland. The most important traditional landscapes to preserve are river bank flood meadows in the north, slash-and-burn agriculture sites in the east and clearings, fields and rare wooded meadows.
Metsähallitus manages and restores traditional landscapes, according to management plans under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment, and built cultural environments and ancient sites in cooperation with the National Board of Antiquities. Before an area or site is managed and restored a natural and historical evaluation is carried out. Meadows have been mowed open, saplings cleared and buildings and fences fixed up with the guidance of experts.
Metsähallitus is in charge of this work. Metsähallitus rents horses, cattle and sheep, needed for landscaping, from local farmers. Many volunteers have also had a chance to help restore cultural landscapes and preserve the species in them. Volunteers are needed as government funding is limited.
Heritage farms, which are managed by Metsähallitus, combine the preservation of nature and heritage. Old vegetation species are conserved, old buildings maintained and old skills of the hand practised.
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