Parliament approved a law on the extension of Lake Tiilikkajärvi National Park. The area of the national park will more than double with the addition of some 3 768 hectares.
Parliament has today approved a law on the extension of the Lake Tiilikkajärvi National Park in the municipalities of Rautavaara and Sotkamo. The Act will enter into force on 1 June.
A total of approximately 3 768 hectares of state-owned land in the Tiilikkajärvi National Park in the municipality of Rautavaara will be included in the Natura 2000 areas of Tiilikka, Pumpulikirko, Löytynsuo-Maamonsuo and Haravalehdo, as well as in the northern part of Lake Upper Keyritty.
Established in 1982, the national park currently covers an area of around 3 452 hectares.
According to the Northern Savo Association, the new areas complement Tiilikkajärvi National Park with representative marsh and forest nature and impressive geological deposits.
“Really, really great news”
– This is really, really wonderful news and I don’t think we have even properly understood its meaning yet.
The national park will expand to the Youth Center Metsäkartano, which according to Ruotslainen will receive the status of a nature center.
– The forest mansion will become a gateway to the national park. It can function as a guidance center and also in cooperation with other operators who offer, for example, experience services or equipment rental, Ruotsalainen states.
According to him, the issue also has a wider impact on the entire region.
– The national park is such a really positive and well-known brand that is a really important factor in terms of tourism in Pohjois Savo as a whole.
In the corona year 2021, a total of 25,300 visits were made to Tiilikkajärvi National Park. Its total impact on the regional economy was around half a million euros. Last year there were 18,400 visitors.