Finland

Europa

477

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Finland is water and forest in almost equal measure: close to 188,000 lakes and more than seventy per cent forest cover make it the most wooded country in Europe. The eastern taiga, in Kainuu and North Karelia, next to the Russian border, is the best place on the continent to watch brown bear, wolf and wolverine from fixed hides. In Lapland, pine forest gives way to dwarf birch tundra and aapa mires, the habitat of birds such as the snowy owl and of herds of semi-domesticated reindeer. The southwestern archipelago, with tens of thousands of islands and skerries in the Baltic, holds seabird colonies and grey seals. The great wetlands of the north, between Liminka and Lapland, work as a migratory corridor for cranes, swans and geese heading towards the Arctic every spring.

The nature of Finland

National animal: The brown bear is the national animal; the whooper swan is the national bird

Did you know?

The Saimaa ringed seal was trapped in the Finnish lake system at the end of the last glaciation, some 9,000 years ago, and evolved in isolation in fresh water into one of the rarest seals in the world, with barely a few hundred animals. Because it needs snowdrifts to give birth and the winters are ever milder, volunteers pile up snow by hand along the shores to build it artificial lairs.

Biodiversity profile

Europa del Norte (Escandinavia/Fenoscandia)Aprox. 9% del territorio finlandes protegido, cifra superior a la de Suecia (5,5%) pero relativamente baja para un pais mayoritariamente boreal

Climate

•Continental subartico (Dfc) en la mayor parte del territorio
•Continental humedo (Dfb) en el sur
•Tundra en el extremo norte (Laponia)

Main biomes

•Taiga (bosque boreal de pino, abeto y abedul, uno de los paises mas forestados del mundo)
•Tundra alpina y bosque de abedul de montaña en Laponia (norte)
•Miles de lagos y humedales/turberas (algunas de las mayores de Europa)
•Taiga boreal
•Lago boreal
•Turbera de aapa
•Tundra de abedul
•Archipiélago báltico
•Bosque virgen de coníferas
•Río salmonero

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Costa del Mar Baltico y el Golfo de Botnia, con archipielagos de miles de islas

Flagship wildlife

•Reno (semidomesticado, cultura sami de Laponia)
•Oso pardo (animal nacional)
•Lobo, lince y glotón
•Foca anillada del Saimaa (subespecie endemica de agua dulce, en Peligro Critico)
•Lobo gris
•Glotón
•Lince boreal
•Cisne cantor
•Grulla común
•Búho lapón
•Alce
•Águila pescadora

Notable endemic species

•Foca anillada del Saimaa, subespecie endemica exclusiva del Lago Saimaa, aislada del mar hace mas de 9.000 años, entre las focas mas amenazadas del mundo (menos de 500 individuos)
•Comparte endemismo floristico de tundra con Noruega y Suecia
•Foca anillada de Saimaa

Notable threatened species

•Foca anillada del Saimaa (En Peligro Critico, poblacion muy reducida y aislada)
•Solo 5% de los bosques primarios de Finlandia permanecen intactos, conocidos como la "Amazonia del Norte" por su valor de carbono y biodiversidad

Notable protected areas

•Parque Nacional Urho Kekkonen (2.550 km2, Laponia, tundra y bosque boreal antiguo)
•Parque Nacional Helvetinjärvi
•Parque Nacional de Oulanka
•Parque Nacional de Lemmenjoki
•Parque Nacional del Archipiélago
•Parque Nacional de Nuuksio
•Parque Nacional de Urho Kekkonen
•Lago Saimaa

Main conservation threats

•Perdida historica severa de bosque primario (solo 5% remanente), con la industria forestal como principal motor de transformacion del paisaje
•Drenaje de turberas para silvicultura y agricultura
•Fragmentacion del habitat de la foca del Saimaa por trafico en redes de pesca

Notable natural phenomena

•Finlandia alberga el mayor numero de lagos de Europa, con turberas que pueden cubrir hasta el 50% de la superficie del suelo en el norte del pais

Conservation

The Saimaa seal depends directly on a winter with enough snow, which makes it one of the European species most exposed to climate change. Restoring drained peatlands is a national priority because of their role as a carbon sink.

Where and when to watch wildlife

The hides at Kuhmo and Kuusamo between May and August for brown bear and wolverine. The Liminka wetland in May for cranes and geese. Lake Saimaa in June, when the seals bask on the rocks.

Sources: One Earth - Protecting Critical Climate Stabilization Boreal Forest Finland | Britannica - Taiga Boreal Forest | One Earth - Scandinavian and Russian Taiga

Temperate forest Mountain Tundra Islands Freshwater