Finland

Finland is a country characterised by vast forests, with over 187,000 lakes and ponds, as well as a similar count of islands and islets. It has a terrestrial area exceeding 33,000km² and a marine area spanning over 81,000km². Finland shares its borders with 3 neighbouring countries. The highest point in Finland is Halti, reaching a height of 1,324m. With a population of 5.5 million people, Finland has a relatively low population density of 16.4 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Finland cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of terrestrial area of Finland is designated as protected areas, which is below the EU value of 26.4% with the target of 30% to be reached at the EU level by 2030 as set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. In the marine waters of Finland, protected areas coverage is currently at , just below the EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

Finland has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Finland, the majority ( ) of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are those areas where nationally designated and Natura 2000 sites overlap. Additionally, is covered solely by nationally designated areas, and solely by sites designated under national laws. The marine protected areas network in Finland largely consists of Natura 2000 sites, with a small portion covered by areas where these overlap with national designations and a smaller portion covered solely by nationally designated areas.

Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The majority (89%) of terrestrial protected areas in Finland are smaller than 1km² in size, which is significantly higher than the average proportion of small protected areas across the EU.

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Finland cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Finland under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Finland hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 9% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 54% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Finland, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Finland, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 65.7%. They are followed by arthropods, accounting for 9.7% of protected species, and vascular plants, representing 8.4%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Finland, the assessment of species groups reveals that fish have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 81.2%. Following closely behind are amphibians (75%) and mammals (58%). On the other hand, molluscs exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 25%, while the assessments for reptiles report 100% of species in poor conservation status. All other invertebrates have unknown conservation status.

Habitats protected in Finland under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Finland hosts habitat types, which is approximately 29.2% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Finland

Conservation status of habitats

In Finland, 31.9% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. On the other hand, the proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 31.9%, slightly below the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Finland the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, accounting for 19.1% of the total. Following closely behind are forests, encompassing 17.65% of the protected habitats. Grasslands, as well as bogs, mires and fens count the 14.7%.

Conservation status by group

In Finland the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 85.7%. Following behind are bogs, mires and fens, with 43.7% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, grasslands exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 66.6%, while dune habitats have a proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 38.4%.

Finland is predominantly characterised by forests ecosystems, which cover 73.6% of the country. Rivers and Lakes occupy 9.9% of the land area, while agroecosystems account for 8.05% and wetlands cover 5.01%. Finland however, has also relatively smaller proportions of heathlands (1.9%), and urban areas (1.5%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 53.5% of the protected areas. Wetlands make up 15.7% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Rivers and Lakes account for 14.4% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within aquatic environments. Heathlands contribute to 14.3% of the protected areas, while agroecosystems represent 2.1%, and urban areas comprise 0.03%.