Some features of nature and conservation in Finland

Abstract

The general features of the tasks and problems involved in nature conservation in Finland are considered. The main elements of the Finnish landscape are forests, peatlands, and lakes. Simultaneously, the forests are also the foundation of the economy of the country. Despite their large extent (71 per cent of the total land area), the forests have been forced into the sphere of economic activity over the whole country. To meet the greatly increased demand for raw wood for industrial use, artificial drainage of peatlands for forestry purposes has been widely increased (about 300,000 ha are currently being drained annually). The continuous expansion of the industries, too, has become a factor threatening the virgin state of the lakes, about 10 per cent of which have already become polluted. The Finnish Nature Protection Act was enacted already in 1923, and the network of nature reserves may be considered quite representative.