Emergence of Species Conservation in Finland: Development of Wildlife Attitudes in 1894-1928

Abstract

Finnish hunters, animal welfarists, and scientists started getting organised in the later half of the nineteenth century. In doing so, they became interest groups in wildlife conservation issues, as they began to express their views in public media. Wildlife related coverage published in relevant journals around the turn of the twentieth century shows the emergence of conservation thinking in these groups. The most profound effort was put in protection of 'small birds'; this happened due to not only their usefulness in farming but also their sheer aesthetic value. The data further showed that the dichotomising of wildlife into 'useful' and 'pest' in the contemporary law texts was not fully consistent with the public opinion at the time. During the 1890s, all examined groups emphasised the importance of protecting certain rodent-eating raptors, but this view did not take any shape in the law reform of 1898. The emerging conservation-mindedness of these groups did not, however, apply to the most 'harmful' pests; the attitudes of, not only hunters, but also average animal welfarists, naturalists or professional zoologists towards many species in the pest category were not yet particularly positive at the turn of the century.