We are a global initiative with the mission of involving as many people as possible in land conservation.

Like most Finns, I love nature and I'm appalled by the deforestation that is happening all around the world. Collectively we need to work harder to preserve our forest, not ruin it. Land conservation through the Helsinki Foundation's grassroots movement is a good place to start and I'm happy to be a small part of this united effort.

Tim Sparv
Former Captain of the Finnish football team.

Why this area?

We chose Green Tier Creek because it is home to many native Australian animals. Some of these are endangered due to loss of habitat. There are only 200 breeding pairs of the Tasmanian Wedgetailed eagle left in the whole world. Three nests are directly adjacent to this conservation area and the eagles overfly the land. Swift Parrots nest in hollows in old trees, and their habitat is under threat. They've been clocked flying at 88km/h but even with this speed they are critically endangered with only 2000 left in the wild. Wallabies, pademelons, Tasmanian devils and quolls have also been confirmed to live there.

Why this area?

We chose Vainio Bird reserve because migrating birds stop at Muhu every spring and autumn before they fly further to their summer and winter habitats. There are a huge amount of bird species that live in or pass through the area - well over a hundred. Species include Ural owls, white tailed eagles, peregrines and goshawks. The reserve is mostly grassland with high biodiversity. Estonia used to be home to approximately a third of the world’s calcareous alvar grasslands, which are extremely species-rich. However, there are only 8000 hectares left, down from 43000 hectares in the 1930s.

Why this area?

Lapland is a far away and mysterious place. It is one of the northernmost parts of the world with a forest cover. There is something magical about the forest to which the Finnish soul has always been linked. For this reason, the Helsinki Foundation has chosen a forest in Lapland as its first conservation area. The land is situated above the Arctic circle near Finland’s eastern border in Salla.

Why this area?

Far north as the Taiga forest transitions to tundra, there are mixed areas of peat and trees. The peat ecosystem is formed over thousands of years and is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet, storing over 10 times more CO² than trees.

It is home to roaming reindeer herds. Land in this area is often stripped of peat for fuel, or drained for pine plantations. We bought this land with money from previous Greenspaces in order to conserve it permanently.