The wild forest reindeer has been part of North Karelia’s resident fauna until relatively recently. In Lieksa, a population of a couple of hundred individuals still lived in the 1970s and 1980s, but today only occasional observations are made in the region. However, North Karelia still offers suitable habitats for the WFR, especially in the Koitere area, and the region was therefore considered as a potential reintroduction site during the MetsäpeuraLIFE project (2016–2023). At that time, the reintroduction was directed elsewhere due to the high density of large carnivores in North Karelia and poaching risk across the Russian border.

Thanks to its good habitats, North Karelia could be a potential WFR reintroduction area in the future. It is also possible that the WFR could return to the region on its own. At present, however, a natural return seems unlikely, as it would in practice require the Kainuu subpopulation – or the subpopulation on the Russian side – to grow and expand over a wider area than it currently occupies.

The purpose of this part of the project is to lay the groundwork for a possible future reintroduction of the WFR to North Karelia. We will compile historical and recent WFR observations from various sources and intensify the collection of new observations, particularly in the eastern parts of the Pielinen catchment area. In addition, we will carry out a more detailed assessment of habitat quality in the Koitajoki area. As the key action, we will restore 1,000 hectares of habitats suitable for WFR in North Karelia, especially in the Koitajoki basement. These actions will be implemented by the Snowchange Cooperative.

In the final year of the project, we will carry out a systematic decision-making process aimed at identifying the most effective tools for WFR conservation in North Karelia. This component is led by Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland.