New service maps Finland’s protected areas by municipality

Finland’s state forest agency Metsähallitus has launched an online service that displays all protected areas by municipality, Yle reports.

The Suojelualuetilanne service covers nearly 15,000 private protected sites, showing their type, size, and location on a map. Users can select a municipality to see a list of its protected areas, including nature reserves, wilderness areas, state-designated conservation lands, and private conservation sites.

Lapland has the largest total protected area, exceeding 3 million hectares, and hosts the most national parks (9), nature parks (7), and wilderness areas (12). By number, North Ostrobothnia leads with over 2,300 protected sites. The largest private protected areas by size are located in the coastal municipalities of Mustasaari and Maalahti.

Elisa Pääkkö, Metsähallitus service owner, said the tool reflects a strategic push to make the agency’s data openly accessible to the public, municipalities, and consultants conducting environmental surveys. She noted that while transparency is the goal, some sensitive data—such as exact nesting sites for vulnerable species or military areas—remains restricted to prevent misuse.

The service draws from the agency’s real-time protected area database, updating automatically as new information is added. Metsähallitus has recently developed several similar tools, including a service tracking the Saimaa ringed seal population and another showing visitor numbers at hiking destinations and national parks.

Feedback and development ideas are being solicited via social media channels.