Forest Lapland
Greenpeace, The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and The Finnish Nature League released a leaflet in May 2006 on Forest Lapland’s unprotected wilderness forests (“Metsä-Lapin suojelemattomat metsäerämaat”). Eight forest areas referred to as natural forest areas are singled out in the leaflet. They are described as “Finland’s last big forest complexes south of Inari located outside protected areas that are spared from industrial fellings.”
In December 2006, Metsähallitus published a report on the state of forest protection in the Forest Lapland vegetation zone. The report showed that the amount and quality of protected areas is extensive. In Forest Lapland, 51 per cent of the forestland on state lands is protected and more than 43 per cent of all productive forestland is protected, regardless of who owns the land. The protected forests are representative in terms of their habitat types and other conservation factors.
Agreement reached in Forest Lapland dispute
An agreement was reached in October 2009 between regional actors and Greenpeace in a dispute of several years concerning old wilderness-like forests in the forest areas of Central Lapland.
Discussions have been going on between the local municipalities, reindeer owners’ co-operatives, Metsähallitus, local sawmills and Greenpeace concerning the future land use in so-called Forest Lapland map areas presented by environmental organisations in 2006. The negotiations are a part of Metsähallitus’s interim review on natural resource planning in Eastern and Western Lapland, which has just started.
The sections in most natural state in these areas will be permanently excluded from forestry by Metsähallitus’s own decision. The process will not convert them into protected areas, however, nor will any other new usage restrictions be applied.
Read more: Press release published 27.10.2009