Forest owners are interested in the voluntary protection of their forests, offering more than 1,000 hectares for the first application round organised by Metsä Conservation Foundation. These 85 sites represent diverse forests from all over Finland.
“I’m very pleased with the number of applications. Information about Metsä Conservation Foundation has reached forest owners well. The interest shows there’s demand for voluntary forest conservation,” says Shaheena Turak, manager of Metsä Conservation Foundation.
Metsä Conservation Foundation provides funding for the permanent protection of forest sites with high biodiversity value in Finland. The goal is that the protected area remains in the ownership of the forest owner. The forest owner initiates the conservation process.
Metsä Conservation Foundation’s first application round received the most applications from Lapland, North Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and South Savo. In terms of area (hectares), the largest share was offered from Lapland. The sites offered for conservation vary in size from one hectare to more than 100 hectares.
Next, Metsä Conservation Foundation’s Conservation Committee will evaluate the sites. Forest owners who have submitted an application will be notified from June onwards whether their site will be conserved through Metsä Conservation Foundation.
The Conservation Committee will visit the best sites, after which the Foundation’s Board will confirm the conservation decisions. Forest owners will be notified during autumn if the Metsä Conservation Foundation wants to protect their site. Based on current estimates, the first conservation decisions are expected to be made public around the turn of the year.
“It’s clear that, unfortunately, we’ll not be able to protect all valuable offered sites, which means that even some good sites will not receive funding. Our goal is that in the coming years, the volume of conservation increases, and the foundation attracts more partners,” Turak says.
Metsä Group’s parent company Metsäliitto Cooperative founded Metsä Conservation Foundation in 2025 to meet the need for additional protection of forests with significant nature value in Finland. The foundation aims to complement both the existing conservation networks of valuable forests and the variety of protection methods. The foundation also wants to inspire new operators to join conservation work. More information about the foundation, its conservation principles and the conservation process can be found at metsansuojelusaatio.fi/en.
For further information:
Shaheena Turak, Manager, Metsä Conservation Foundation, tel. +358 (40) 672 8914
Metsä Conservation Foundation
www.metsansuojelusaatio.fi/en/
The Metsä Conservation Foundation strengthens the state of Finnish nature and permanently protects forests of significant biodiversity as well as other valuable sites associated with them in Finland. The foundation pays compensation to the forest owner for conservation.
The foundation was established in 2025 by Metsäliitto Cooperative, owned by approximately 90,000 forest owners.