Metsähallitus safeguards biodiversity in state-owned land and water areas. We regard state-owned lands as a whole in which protected areas and the most valuable ecological sites in multiple-use forests constitute a nationwide ecological network. In terms of species and landscapes, the sites of the network are vital for the preservation of biodiversity in Finland.
Our ecological management measures in protected areas focus on the most vulnerable biotopes and habitats, such as various mire types, sunlit and coastal environments and traditional rural biotopes.
The most effective actions for biodiversity in multiple-use forests are saving ecologically valuable sites and preserving retention trees.
The objectives of protecting and using water areas often are complex, and we promote water protection in a number of projects whose measures include not only concrete restoration work but also guidance and supervision.
We are responsible for protecting endangered species in state-owned areas. Metsähallitus carries the responsibility for the national protection of such mammals as the Saimaa ringed seal and Arctic fox, and bird species including the golden eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon and white-backed woodpecker. We also monitor the status of the white-tailed eagle and lesser white-fronted goose in parts of Finland.
We safeguard the preservation and growth of natural fish populations and take the habitat requirements of game animals into account in our work, for example by restoring spruce mires and building wetlands with open water areas.
We promote ecological networks and corridors which connect protected areas and help species survive and move to safety, for example when threatened by climate change.
