Association
was established in early 2003 in orderto develop conservation
and management of cultural and semi-natural landscapes.
The landscapes (meadows, wooded pastures, grazed forests
etc.) are classified in the recent evaluation of endangered
habitats as the most threatened habitats in Finland. Training,
education and arranging courses, seminars and working
camps are also the main objectives of the Association.
Our long term aim is also to establish a foundation which
could promote the employment in the management of cultural
landscapes and traditional rural biotopes.
Regional
level authorities of Southwest Finland are widely represented
in the Association Board including members or Regional Environment
Centre, Finnish Metsähallitus (Finnish Forest and Nature
Heritage Services), National Board of Antiquities and by
one farmer who keeps native breed sheep.
Association
has strong network contacts with national and international
organisations and NGOs. We are in the Council of Eurosite
(www.eurosite.org) and members of our Board are participating
in several Finnish influential working groups connected
with landscape management.
Association
has arranged Nordic-Baltic international seminar on the
management of reed beds (August 2003). Nordic NaBo -project
ManTra (MANagement and conservation of TRAditional landscapes
in the Nordic and Baltic countries and in the Republic of
Karelia) was coordinated by the Association. Project was
financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and was carried
out during years 2004-2007. In the frame of ManTra web-pages
www.landscape.fi were established. Go and see our nice Nordic-Baltic-Karelian
network active members !
Association
has also utilized new possibilities of Rural Development
Program for Mainland Finland 2007-2013 (RDP). NGOs have
been recently given a possibility to apply subsidies for
management of valuable semi-natural pastures and meadows
within RDP in Finland. Our association is the first NGO
in Finland who has applied 5-year special subsidy for both
restoration and management of traditional rural landscapes
for a valuable meadow in Salo town. Threatened species such
as Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) are flying on our
managed site every June.
Thus
marketing of the new possibilities of RDP to other NGOs
by showing our own example is one of our goals. We would
also like to bring concept "meadow meat" to Finland
and we advertise Finnish meat producers in our website.
We
are youthful Association, always ready for good adventures
and fight for our common cultural heritage with all of our
hearts !
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