Nature Reserves in Finland

The nature reserves of Finland vary in character and conservation objectives. National parks are over 1,000-hectare protected areas that highlight the natural features of Finland. The other nature reserves have been established to protect special types of nature, e.g. mires or herb-rich forests. Some of these areas are kept untouched in their natural state while others are cared for in different ways.

The majority of new protected areas established under the Nature Conservation Act are classified as other state nature reserves. Metsähallitus manages c. 3,000 sites reserved for nature conservation that are still awaiting enactment.

Protecetd areas on state-owned land are managed by Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland.

Privately-owned protected areas

Protected areas can be established on lands owned by municipalities, organisations or individuals when the land owner applies for permission from Finland’s environmental administration. There is a very diverse range of private protected areas from strict bird reserves to valuable estate parks. Sometimes these areas are directly connected to state-owned protected areas and share services with them.

The privately-owned protected areas are mainly located in the southern part of the country.

Parks & Wildlife Finland may also manage privately-owned nature reserves – with the landowner´s permission.