State-owned Protected Areas in Finland
Nature reserves, wilderness areas and hiking areas established on state-owned lands are the central parts of the protected area system in Finland. Almost all of these are included in the European Union’s network of Natura 2000 areas. Privately-owned protected lands further expand on the state-owned network of protected areas.
- Nature reserves are established on state-owned lands by law or by a government regulation or on privately-owned lands by the decision of Finland's environmental administration.
- Wilderness areas are established in accordance to the Wilderness Act on state lands in Lapland.
- National hiking areas are established in accordance to the “Outdoor Recreation Act” on state land in different parts of Finland.
Most protected areas are situated on state-owned land. State-owned protected areas are managed by Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland.
Publication: The Principles of Protected Area Management in Finland
describes the role of protected areas in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, defines protected areas in Finland and explains the basis of their adaptive planning and management.
It also covers the practices and principles of conservation and management of habitats, species and cultural heritage as well as those of securing sustainable protected area use.
The protected area management principles are partly determined directly by national legislation and partly by Parks & Wildlife Finland (P&WF) as the site manager.
Photo: Herding cows keep the shores open at Laajalahti Nature Reserve. Photo by Jaakko Vähämäki / Vastavalo.