Biodiversity conservation in the north: history of habitat and species protection in Finland

Biodiversity conservation in Finland has developed from old hunting and for est-use regulations towards habitat conservation based on ecological resear ch and international agreements on protection of wildlife. Hunting of game animals and persecution of species considered as pests have been legally re gulated in Finland since the Middle Ages. The first attempts to control for est destruction date back to the 1600s. Banning of spring hunting of waterf owl was suggested already in 1769. The rise of "modern" nature conservation in the late 1800s was apparently influenced by the European bird conservat ion movement (introduced to Finland in 1870 by Z. Topelius), the widespread criticism towards the 1898 Hunting Decree, and the growing interest toward s conservation issues among biology and forestry professionals, inspired by an article published by A. E. Nordenskiold. Already in the 1800s both hunt ing/persecution and habitat changes were perceived as threats to wildlife. The Nature Conservation Act, which became the cornerstone for Finnish conse rvation policy, was enacted in 1923. In the 20th century the numbers of pro tected species and conservation areas have increased. For more than a centu ry Finnish conservationists have participated in international conservation efforts, in which Finland now participates as a member of the European Com munity.