The City of Helsinki and Metsähallitus are currently investigating whether the recreation areas owned by the City of Helsinki near Nuuksio National Park, or parts thereof, could be annexed to the National Park. The investigation will take the needs of the different users of the area into account. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
The Luukki, Vaakkoi, Salmi, Karjakaivo and Pirttimäki recreation areas owned by the City of Helsinki are located in Espoo and Vihti, in the immediate vicinity of Nuuksio National Park. Together with the National Park, these areas form a unified whole that is significant in terms of its nature and recreation values.
The total area of the current Nuuksio National Park is 5,518 hectares. The investigation covers a total of up to approximately 3,000 hectares of recreation areas owned by the City of Helsinki, if all the areas are to be annexed in their entirety.
National parks playing a key role in Finnish nature conservation
Nuuksio National Park and the lake uplands of Nuuksio form the most significant recreation location and local wilderness in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The key attraction factors of the area include its diverse nature, location and services.
Nuuksio National Park has more than 300,000 annual visitors, while the number of visitors in the recreation areas owned by the City of Helsinki varies between 50,000 and 200,000, with Luukki being the most actively used area. If the expansion is implemented, the pressure of visitors to Nuuksio can be dispersed over a larger area, the recreational use of the area can be managed in a more sustainable manner, the delicate nature values can be secured, and the rules of use can be unified.
National parks that preserve and maintain biodiversity are a key part of Finnish nature conservation and the conservation area network. The recreational and outdoor activity opportunities they offer also provide citizens with an important source of respite.
The expansion of Nuuksio National Park is supported by the City of Helsinki’s Real Estate Strategy, an objective of which is to relinquish land ownership outside the city borders.
The investigation on expanding Nuuksio National Park will be completed at the turn of the year. If the land deal concerning the expansion of the National Park is executed, the City Board will make a decision on the matter for the City of Helsinki. A national park can only be established on state-owned land.
