For ecologists restoring the vast bogs of remote Karelia wild reindeer are not just part of the environment but entwined with the ancient culture of the boreal forests Matveinen sings about a humble hunter going into the woods to find reindeer The song tells us how they were “honoured” providers of food who is recognised as a doyenne of Finnish folk music Singing takes Matveinen back to a vanished world of hunting and fishing in the Finnish and Russian region of Karelia a place covered in vast peatlands and rivers where the oral poetry tradition stretches back 3,000 years The last wild forest reindeer was shot in the Koitajoki area in 1919 Its horns are on display in a local restaurant a plan is being hatched to reintroduce them The peatland has been restored and the first wild reindeer will be released here in 2028 The aim is to eventually have a herd of 300 Scouting animals – known as “ghost reindeer” – are already coming back down from their range farther north to look at these peatlands suggesting the habitat could be suitable for them is only one part of this rewilding project The other components are part of an approach called “deep mapping” which includes rejuvenating the culture and folklore associated with these animals to rebuild people’s connection to the land around them “Deep mapping appreciates an understanding of linguistic cultural and biological diversity as all being important,” says Tero Mustonen He is a professional fisher and a lead climate scientist on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report “We are the guardians of the reindeer and they are the symbol of the boreal forest,” says Mustonen The hope of the project is that once reindeer are reintroduced and understand why they are important animals culturally and ecologically The Finnish climate scientist Tero Mustonen has been leading efforts to reintroduce wild reindeer to Karelia Photograph: Salla Seeslahti/The GuardianFor more than 24 years the Finnish environmental non-profit organisation Snowchange has been carrying out research on oral histories among reindeer-hunting communities The way people think about their responsibility to animals is important who would want people to hunt the reintroduced reindeer once again – provided it is done in the traditional way “Oral poems represent hundreds of years of knowledge,” says Mustonen We’re trying to rebuild culture and ecosystems as best as we can.” Close to 3,500 hectares (9,000 acres) of boreal peatlands are being restored by Snowchange thanks to funding from the University of Cambridge’s Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme Restoration of this peatland in Rahesuo landscape will help the wild reindeer population as they need the open spaces to give birth safely Photograph: Salla Seeslahti/The GuardianOne of these landscapes is the peatland in Rahesuo 160 hectares of this land began to be restored and ditches were filled in to raise the water level Sphagnum moss is now starting to proliferate – a sign that this site is in recovery northern lapwings and ptarmigans are among the bird species that bred on this bog last year “The birds tell us it is recovering,” says Tero Mustonen Reindeer can give birth on these peatlands which should be relatively devoid of trees so they can see and smell predators It will be 15 or 20 years before this peatland is fully restored (quicker than usual because the damage was only done in the 1970s) Peatland in Rahesuo whose organisation Snowchange has been leading restoration efforts Photograph: Salla Seeslahti/The GuardianReindeer are not the only ghosts of this landscapes Old societies would have taken advantage of the birthing grounds and used this area to hunt who describes peatlands as “our cultural memory” Making people care about landscapes – and understanding their connection to them – could also help protect them in the future carbon-rich places have been destroyed for forestry plantations Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus) vanished from southern Finland as old-growth forests were felled Photograph: AlamyIn the early 1900s industrial logging and pulp companies saw these landscapes as empty spaces and so they took them over peatlands and wetlands were lost as commercial forestry spread Kesonsuo bog is one of the largest intact mires. You can see for a couple of miles in every direction: a flat landscape covered in brownish grasses, small trees and little ponds that glisten blue under a big sky. It is late September and the boreal winter is approaching. A flock of 200 geese fly clumsily in to land on their journey down from the Arctic tundra. Much of the Koitajoki region would have looked like this before industrial forestry was introduced, but now only 20% of the original peatland is left. Read more“It’s a big symphony to live in the boreal with these dark forces and dramatic seasonal changes. Now we have this last burst of light before the boreal winter,” says Mustonen. Despite providing such inspiration for painters, musicians and writers, this landscape is vulnerable to extractive industries, he says. Adding meaning and revitalising people’s connection to the land is another way to protect it in the future. Mustonen does not want the past to repeat itself: “Without people, nature and culture, this land is empty for the taking.” editing by Terje Solsvik and Barbara Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved A five-day search for human remains from a battle in the area in 1944 was carried out by an Ilomantsi-based military history group Russia’s Petrozavodsk State University the Eastern Finland Police Department and the North Karelia Border Guard District Soviet forces carried out searches for fallen comrades in Ilomantsi immediately following the Winter War of 1939-1940 was also the scene of a fierce battle between Finnish and Soviet troops on July 31 “There is actually a plethora of grave sites There are casualties of both the Winter War and the Continuation war in the ground here,” says Otso Nygren of the Ilomantsi chapter of the Association for Military History in Finland dozens of Red Army soldiers fell in the fighting at Polvikoski on the final day of July in 1944 The project now underway is the first major peacetime attempt to locate and recover the remains of Soviet soldiers in Finland The remains of Finnish soldiers who died in battle in the area during the war have previously been sought and located “We’ve gathered information from various sources war journals and from interviewing veterans ourselves about graves and so found sites,” Nygren explains but it is as of yet impossible to say how many soldiers they represent Probably we will find more of these fallen soldiers,” Otso Nygren believes Human bone has previously been recovered in the area of the search there has been no designated spot for reburial preliminary plans exist to establish a grave site and a small memorial none of the remains will be transferred to Russia They will stay here forever,” Nygren says even though he concedes that families in Russia may want them returned “This would be such a complex process Our view is to relatives of those who fell in the Ilomantsi area They could come here to see the battle fields and play respects to the memory of a fallen family member at the memorial,” Nygren adds Only a small portion of the battle fields in the area were covered during the project’s initial five-day search operation Canada: The discovery of an Arctic shipwreck Finland: Heritage hunting in Finnish forests Norway:  History revealed by WW2 wrecks in Norway’s Arctic fjords Russia: Parallels drawn between space race and Arctic offshore United States: Searchers return to Alaska glacier to recover remains from 1952 military plane crash For more news from Finland visit Yle News and website in this browser for the next time I comment In 2000 the European Union ratified Natura 2000 that sought to protect natural environments and threatened species The European Union has the largest and most coordinated network of protected areas in the world covering approximately 18% of the landmass and 6% of the marine territory Although not a member of the European Union Russia has the highest number of national parks in Europe but the parks only occupy a small percentage of the country This article discusses some of the countries in Europe with the highest number of the parks Russia is the largest country in Europe and has the largest number of national parks The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible for the 48 parks in the country that cover approximately 60,105 sq miles Sochinsky and Losiny Ostrov National Parks established in 1983 are the oldest parks in the country while the Beringia National Park is the largest encompassing 11,788.6 square miles Although the country has the highest number of parks There are 40 national parks in Turkey covering approximately 1% of the country Mount Ararat National Park located in eastern Turkey is the largest park encompassing approximately 340 sq miles while Yozgat Pine Grove National Park that was established in 1958 and covering 267 square miles in the oldest and smallest national park The Köprülü Canyon National Park is home to the Cupressus sempervirens forests that is only found in Turkey The park is also home to endemic plants and some rare species of animals Although a large number of parks in the country are located in areas covered by forest and Nemrut Mountain are located in areas where steppe-type vegetation predominates Finland is home to 39 national parks that cover approximately 3,426 sq mi representing 2.95% of the country’s landmass The parks are managed by the Metsähallitus who are also responsible for other protected areas of the country including forests and water catchment areas Lemmenjoki National Park that was founded in 1956 and covers an area of approximately 1,100 sq mi is the largest park and oldest park while Southern Konnevesi was founded in 2014 2,286,500 visitors visited the parks of Finland earning the country 125.8 million euros There are 36 national parks in Norway covering approximately 9289 sq miles which represent 6.3% of the entire landmass of the state Norway is known to be strict in preserving its natural habitats and the country does not allow motor vehicles into the national parks although visitors are allowed to use bikes The national parks are managed by the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management and the local county governor The sør-spitsbergen national park which was founded in 1973 and covering an area of approximately 5,130 sq mi The natural protection act that was enacted in 1954 established the national parks of the country although the first park was established in 1962 photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com ShareFinland is closing four of its main border crossings with Russia after concluding that Moscow was deliberately allowing undocumented asylum seekers to cross the frontier, threatening the Nato member’s security. 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Open image viewerThe Möykynselkä estate in Ilomantsi is one of about a hundred rural properties that are currently looking for new residents Image: Heikki Haapalainen / YleYle News22.5.2023 13:49Northern red oak bur oak – these and 347 other tree species can be found growing in a private arboretum in Ilomantsi The arboretum is part of the Möykynselkä estate whose owner is currently looking for new residents to move in "Selling is the first thing that comes to mind but now the idea of other options has also come up," says Heikki Hamunen The Möykynselkä estate is among the properties featured by the Talo maaltaOpens an external website (roughly translated as "A House in the Country") Finnish-language online service which kicked off in April started his private arboretum in the 1990s Image: Heikki Haapalainen / YleDreams and realityThe online service is part of a venture by the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) aimed at connecting the owners of vacant properties in rural areas with people who dream of moving to the countryside up to a million city dwellers dream of moving to the countryside," says project manager Janne Tyynismaa empty houses among the fields and forests of Finland Tyynismaa notes that many of these proprieties are owned by people who have inherited them The owners often have an emotional attachment to these homes Open image viewerAccording to Janne Tyynismaa many people like the idea of renovating old farms Image: Talo maalta -hankeA green heartTyynismaa describes the operating principle of the online service as being much like the Tinder dating app People interested in moving to the countryside can post a profile in which they describe as precisely as possible what sort of place they are looking for and what they want to use it for and owners can show interest in people wanting to make a move who they would like to have talks with," Tyynismaa explains The parties receive each other's contact information only after both have "liked" each other Open image viewerThe 240-square-metre main building of the Möykynselkä estate is currently occupied by an elderly couple Image: Heikki Haapalainen / YleCaretaker contractsIn addition to traditional real estate transactions and lease contracts the Talo maalta service offers the possibility to enter into right-of-use agreements rather housing is made available in exchange for maintenance of the property Heikki Hamunen has this kind of an arrangement in mind for the future of the Möykynselkä estate he points out that it would include a lot of responsibility "Taking care of the snow is the first thing that comes to mind electricity bills and household appliances?" he enumerates responsibilities would naturally also include taking care of the arboretum Hamunen hopes that a new resident would also take care of his elderly father Paavo and his spouse Raili The idea is that they could continue living in their home as long as possible "A new resident could provide help and security sort of acting as an overseer or a caretaker," is how Heikki Hamunen envisions a possible arrangement Open image viewerMore than a thousand people who dream of moving to the countryside have already submitted applications to the new service Image: Heikki Haapalainen / YleMore interest than supplyThe Talo maalta service has only been in use for a few weeks so far more than a thousand people who dream of moving to the countryside have already submitted applications "Very often people are looking for an old farm that needs fixing up but are also ready to renovate older properties," Tyynismaa explains Eastern parts of the country are further down the list only 12 people have expressed interest in rural residence in the Åland islands there are considerably fewer properties on offer nationwide "We hope that property owners will also get excited about this somewhat different opportunity," Tyynismaa says Would you like a roundup of the week's top stories in your inbox every Thursday? Then sign up to receive our weekly email Information from the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s observations stations says the cities of Mikkeli Kuopio and Ilomantsi were hardest hit by the deluge it rained more in 24 hours than the average monthly total for May According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute with a measurement of 62.5 mm by eight am Wednesday Kuopio and Ilomantsi in addition to Varkaus there is no danger of flooding in these areas “There may be some drainage water flooding in urban areas but the Finnish Environment Institute announced earlier that lake levels are quite low so there is room for water in the lakes,” says Hellinen The weather cleared up in the East by Wednesday afternoon with the last rains falling in North Karelia in the evening Canada:  Wildlife endangered by Yukon warm weather Finland: Cold weather causes dazzling light displays in Finland Sweden: Warm weather threatens Sweden’s Vasaloppet ski race United States:  Weather takes a toll on wildlife, environment in Alaska For more news from Finland visit Yle News. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. “German Christmas markets traditionally serve glühwein made from grapes So this berry glögi is something special for them,” says Turunen Finns prefer red wine at ChristmasPublished 20112011Liquor Sales Peak Before ChristmasPublished 20072007Sources: Yle