‘Urho Kekkonen is the second most popular, the second largest and the second northernmost national park in Finland,’ explains Kristiina Aikio, an employee of the Finnish National Park Administration, which is part of the state forestry authority ‘Metsähallitus’. Urho Kekkonen is located between the main E75 road from Norway to Greece and the border with Russia. This wilderness landscape is therefore part of the European Green Belt.
The national park, which covers an area 2550 square kilometres, is known for its rugged landscape with ancient forests and moors, repeatedly interspersed with fjells, the typical Scandinavian hilly mountain landscapes. The region and today's national park are Kristiina's home. She comes from a Sami family who have lived, worked and herded reindeer there for generations. The land belongs to the Finnish state, but the local people have certain land rights in the area.
‘When the national park was established in 1986, they wanted to involve the local population in the work,’ explains the 63-year-old. ‘That was my good fortune,’ she says happily to this day. " The main mission of the national park is to protect the northern nature; in addition, it safeguards traditional livelihoods such as reindeer herding. I don't have a high level of formal education, but I've known this region since I was a child, so I was able to start working for the national park as a local in 1986 and look after our reindeer at the same time." She talks enthusiastically about her animals. "We all have reindeer - my husband and children too. And we all work together."
In winter, the reindeer mainly graze in the national park. Under the snow cover they find lichens. In summer, the herds usually head to riverbanks and wetlands in search of green food – leaves, grass, and flowers.
Kristiina is mainly responsible for customer service, public relations and information in the national park. She explains that this open landscape is very popular with hikers. ‘It's easy to hike as there are no high mountains.’ The highest elevation is just over 700 metres. There are many marked hiking trails in the western part. But most of the park is a wilderness landscape with many opportunities for multi-day hiking or skiing tours. For overnight stays, there are some huts available. There are no roads, and motorised vehicles are only permitted for employees of the national park and the border troops as well as reindeer herders. Kriistina raves about the landscape and the unique wilderness.
The national park extends right up to the border with Russia. The border zone is also part of the national park. The width of the border zone varies; at its widest, it is four kilometers. “If you don't have a permit, you are not allowed to enter the border zone. However, hikers can apply for a permit and can then walk to the Russian border," explains Kristiina. ‘Soon there will even be a day hut for hikers and all others, who are allowed to visit there and need a place to rest in this area.’
The fjell area stretches across the border, but on the Russian side, the protected area is located farther from the border. "However, there has been cooperation with a slightly larger nature reserve on the Russian side for decades. The focus was on sharing knowledge and experience," says Kristiina. They also worked together on educational programmes and materials. Since February 2022, this cooperation no longer exists. The national park employee regrets this very much, as these collaborations are important because nature knows no borders.
Photos:
- Luirojärvi-lake in August morning. Photo: Pirjo Rautiainen
- Fell scenery in autumn. Photo: Pasi Nivasalo.
- The reindeer calves are marked at night.The sun not setting brings light. Photo: Konsta Verta
