Quartzite rock with slab fracturing in Southwest Lapland on Luppovaara in Tervola by Jukka Husa
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A thorough and diverse compendium on Finland’s rocky natural landscapes, crucial for the nation’s nature and landscape conservation, has been compiled into a comprehensive publication. The inventory includes over a thousand rocky areas of various sizes, with 1,286 of them identified as nationally significant due to their unique geological, biological, and landscape features. These areas are predominantly found in regions such as Pirkanmaa, Southwest Finland, Uusimaa, South Savo, Central Finland, and Lapland.
The two-part final report on the inventory of rocky areas important for nature and landscape conservation was commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment. The survey, excluding the Åland Islands, most archipelagos, and Upper Lapland, did not extend to existing protected areas like national parks, nature parks, and other special conservation areas.
This final report on nationally significant rocky areas supersedes previously published regional reports, which have served as a foundation and background material for land use planning and municipal permit processes under the Land Extraction Act.
The classification helped in identifying valuable areas, covering a total of 1,286 rocky regions with a combined area of about 137,000 hectares. The most valuable segments of the inventory fall into categories 1 and 2, comprising 186 locations, which represent about 15% of the total number of nationally significant rocky areas.
These classified regions vary greatly due to their geological, biological, and landscape features, including geologically interesting sites significant for science and research, biologically diverse areas with endangered and rare species, and a vast array of rock formations and soil deposits of notable landscape value or as natural attractions.
The report highlights the regional characteristics and differences of nationally significant rocky areas, with the highest occurrences in Pirkanmaa, Southwest Finland, Uusimaa, South Savo, Central Finland, and Lapland, and the least in the less rocky western coast from Satakunta to North Ostrobothnia.
A massive mapping effort has been compiled into one, with fieldwork conducted from 1992 to 2004 and partial results published from 1992 to 2015 in regional reports. Now replaced by this final report, the extensive data is available only digitally, forming a 5,447-page document.
The inventory’s significant societal and conservation impacts are now evident in regional plans. Approximately 20% of the area of nationally significant rocky regions is currently protected as state or private conservation areas or within the Natura 2000 network.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
