Protected areas in Finland
Finland has an extensive network of protected areas, formed mainly by National Parks and Nature Reserves. Their purpose is to preserve representative biotopes and ecosystems for the present and future generations.
National Parks are protected areas exemplifying the country's most valuable and characteristic habitats and landscapes; their primary objective is nature protection, but they also play an important role in providing opportunities for recreation, hiking and other outdoor activities.
The 37 Finnish national parks are managed by the State authority Metsähallitus. The total surface area of Finland's national parks is 9,789 square km.
Besides National Parks, 19 Strict Nature Reserves have been established for scientific purposes. Regulations applying to these reserves are stricter than those for national parks: some strict nature reserves have nature trails open to the public, but permission to visit places off the hiking trails is given only for scientific purposes.
The protected area network also includes 173 Mire reserves, 52 herb-rich forest areas, 92 old-growth forest areas, Grey seal protection areas and Wilderness reserves. Most of these areas are included in European Union's Natura 2000 network.
Source: Metsähallitus
