Natural complexes, flora and fauna of the proposed Kalevala National Park

The aim of this study is to analyse the present condition of natural ecosystems, in particular, the biodiversity of forests, mires and lakes in an area to the north of the town of Kostamus in the northwest part of Russian Karelia, close to the Finnish border.

The boreal taiga forest area consists of old growth forests with large quantities of naturally decaying wood material and a multi-layered forest canopy. Mires, lakes and rivers thousands of years in age lend the landscape its mosaic pattern. The flora and fauna of the area are also typical of boreal ecosystems. Indeed, many of the species found here are specialists of old growth forests and are unable to survive in managed forests. The survival of these species is thus totally dependent on the establishment of nature conservation areas such as this. After inventories and analyses were performed the area was put forward as a potential national park and the name suggested for it was Kalevala National Park. The Park is named in honour of the Finnish national epic poem, the Kalevala, which was assembled in the first half of the 19th century by the scholar Elias Lönnrot from oral poetry he had collected from people living in the villages of the area.

The present study and publication are the results of Finnish-Russian cooperation between the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and the nature conservation authorities of Karelia. The study was undertaken by scientists of the Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences and of the Biodiversity Conservation department of the ‘Sustainable Forest Management and Conservation of Biological Diversity in Northwest Russia’ development programme managed by the Finnish Environment Institute.

The editing of this publication was almost complete when in August 2002 the government of the Republic of Karelia took the decision to establish Kalevala National Park over an area of 74 400 hectares. This official decision indicates that the long-term Finnish-Russian cooperative effort has borne fruit and that the detailed information contained within this publication is of real significance.

Gromtsev, Andrey N. (ed.), Natural Complexes, flora and fauna of the proposed Kalevala National Park, 2002. Finnish Environment Institute and Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Series "Suomen ympäristö 577" (The Finnish Environment 577). Edita Prima Ltd, Helsinki 2002.

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