Helvetinjärvi National Park

HELVETINJÄRVI NATIONAL PARK

I have decided to discuss conservation in Helvetinjärvi National Park, in Finland's west for two reasons. Firstly I am interested in learning about Helvetinjärvis geological past, the ancient rocks that are millions of years old tell much about Finlands pre-history. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly for now, I am a new comer to Finland and have not yet seen so much of the country. One of my first weekend trips away was an adventurous mission to ride a bike to Helvetinjärvi for a couple of nights and explore the area. The trip was successful in the sense that I learned quite a lot about the area, and not so successful as my borrowed bike took a turn for the worst (in both tires) and I had a long walk home! I was incredibly impressed with the cliff sites and various gorges consequently I wondered what was being done to preserve this area. The park also gave me the feeling of being far from anywhere.

What's the Purpose of National Parks in Finland?!

Primarily National Parks are created to safeguard the diversity of Finnish nature. When national parks are established attention is given to the ecosystems of the area and also to the protection of natural sights and Finnish history. They have a set of regulations based on the Nature Conservation Act. Each parks regulations are adapted to its special circumstances.

Why conserve Helvetinjärvi?

Helvetinjärvi National Park is an area which represents the southern boreal forests of Finland this is why it has been chosen as a national park, to preserve such an area in its original state. It is one of the most rugged forests in Finland, and there are not so many places so remote in the western region. Nine other national parks share Finland's west - all over Finland National Parks preserve a specific type of ecosystem.

Helvetinjärvi was established in 1982 and covers an area of 30 kilometres squared. Before this, in the 1950's, the Helvetinkolu cleft was the first landmark to be protected in the area. Shifts in the earths crust 200 million years ago formed deep gorges the deepest of these contains Lakes Helvetinjärvi (Hells Lake), Loumajärvi and Kovero Lakes. In some places the sheer cliff walls rise directly from lakes and can be tens of metres high. There are inaccessible jumbles of boulders and slopes covered with trees. The most famous site in the park is the Helvetinkolu a cleft at the southeastern end of Lake Iso Helvetinjärvi.

It is very rare to see untouched forest in southern Finland, however Helvetinjärvi houses some of the one percent of old growth forest that still exists in this south region. In the more central part of this park the forests are untouched however, due to forestry much of the rest of the park was logged upto 100 years ago. The old growth forest houses such species as the red-breasted flycatcher, wren and forest mires. There is a rich population of gallinaceaus birds. Because a large part of this park was previously commercially forested, the bird life is somewhat typical of commercial forests. The forests of Helvetinjärvi are mostly lingonberry and bilberry groves. Ostrich fern, herb Christopher and linden can be found on the stream banks. The cliffs are distinctive for their flora, with many types of moss, reindeer moss and meadowsweet grass. Catchfly and fern thrive on rocks. Flying squirrels, pine martin, European beaver and common otter and even brown bears and lynx can be seen.

Some of the parks threatened species are the Eagle Owl, black-throated diver and red-throated diver. Hiking in the area of Haukkajärvi Lake during the bird-breeding season (April 15^th July 31) is restricted. The area doesnt act as a habitat for so many endangered species as elsewhere in Finland, but will serve as an important haven for the flora and fauna it now olds as forestry continues around the country. The area houses such a variety of species in its 12 different environments from lakes to rock screes to gorge bases.

The first thing that drew my attention about Helvetinjärvi was the abundance of cliffs in the area. These rocks are millions of years old, and form the gorges and narrow lakes. Cliff environments house an individual ecosystem with its own types of flora and nesting sites for birds. The area beneath cliffs interestingly holds its own ecosystem, created by the high concentration of nutrients eroded down from the cliff face as water runs over the area. One of the focuses of the national park is to protect such landmarks. Paths direct people away from these cliff bases, and wooden walkways stop erosion from the top of the cliffs. There are many areas suitable for rock climbing in the area, as a rock climber I was eyeing them off but thank goodness they are protected from tempted climbers such as myself! There is one site available for rock climbing and abseiling, and when I was there it was in use by a scout group. The area was quite substantially eroded, and the rocks were quite polished from heavy use. Metsähallitus had the foresight to protect other cliff faces in the park.

The entire infrastructure of the park is channelled towards keeping tourists on the well-developed paths. These paths are most often covered with gravel, and often made into wooden walkways. When I was there, work was being done on a downhill section, creating over 100 wooden steps. This type of maintenance controls erosion in the area. Importantly it also encourages people to stay on the paths, rather then wandering off into other areas of the park. Martti Malinen, designer of the pathways, said that the paths were designed as 'one way' walkways.

'Helvetinjärvi's paths are designed so that people walk in one way, and return the same way. There are no neat circular paths. This discourages people from purely going to Helvetinjärvi for recreational use they would prefer to go to nearby Seitseminen, which has been developed more for a recreational purpose.'

The usual rules of all national parks apply in Helvetinjärvi people may only camp and light fires in specified areas. They cannot drive off-road or let animals off their leashes. There is no hunting in the park.

Currently, the Metsä Program is taking place in Helvetinjärvi a project to continue until 2007. The aims of this program is to increase the quality of forest in 3000 hectares of state owned land, upping the biodiversity of tree species and various other fauna. Some parts of the forest are being burned to increase the amount of deciduous and decayed trees. Filling the ditches in the park will cause the hydrology of the bog to be restored in order for the restart of peat development.

The education of the public plays an important role in conservation of any area. Signs erected in Helvetinjärvi teach people about the flora and fauna of the area, and what they can do to make as little impact as possible on their visit.