Green Belt of Fennoscandia

The Green Belt is a site that has been nominated for inclusion onto the World Heritage List and is comprised of a multitude of sections stretching on both sides of the shared Russian, Finnish and Norwegian borders (total length is 1,000 km, with an average width of 20 to 30 km). A number of ecosystems ranging from Arctic tundra at the Barents Sea coast to mixed coniferous and broad-leaf forests covering the islands of the Gulf of Finland are represented.

The high degree of conservation of these taiga ecosystems in the past was conditioned by strictness of the national security belt along the borders. In recent years these areas have been constantly claimed by lumber industries on both sides of the border and now need urgent measures aimed at their conservation.

Aside from the unique for European forests preservation of the last massifs of old-growth taiga, this area has interesting geological structure and relief. On the one hand, the area is

a part of the ancient Baltic crystalline shield. Fragments of the shield appear as large and small ridges and individual erratic massifs. On the other hand, the surface has been intricately transformed by glaciation, which resulted in the undulating hill and moraine relief and unusual shapes of various moraine features such as kames, eskers, outwash plains, drumlins created here by the water of melting glaciers. The last glacier receded 10,000 years ago and this region's landforms are among the youngest in the world. The formation of its ecosystems is still underway and they are yet fairly unstable. Dissection of terrain, tectonic depressions and abundant precipitation resulted in formation of a multitude of picturesque lakes, appearing as the most fascinating traits of the local landscapes. A large number of rapids and waterfalls on small rivers add to the spectacular natural beauty of the area.

Geographical position, climatic and geological features found their reflection in the remarkable mosaic of picturesque landscapes (frequent alteration of spectacular natural complexes). Location of the region in the taiga zone with predominantly light coniferous pine forests, combined with its remarkable terrain and multitude of lakes created its unique Lapland-Karelian coloration.

The main danger comes from ongoing extensive forest logging, particularly in the Republic of Karelia. Should the existing tendencies continue over the next few years, more than a half of the unique natural areas constituting "The Green Belt of Fennoscandia" are likely to be destroyed or degraded to the level when they are deprived of their unique natural value. The greatest concern is raised by existing plans for logging in the designed protection zone of the Kostomuksha State Preserve within the limits of the Muerzersky district and in an area situated north of the "Paanaiarvi" National Park.

Potential danger also comes from geological reconnaissance in the North of Karelia and in Murmansk region.

In 1999 one of the most valuable pieces of the "The Green Belt of Fennoscandia" - the area adjacent to the north side of the National Park "Paanaiarvi" - was put out for geological exploration tender as a potential diamond bearing field.