The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation recently acquired a swampy forest area that goes around the beautiful and wild lake Vähä Särkijärvi in the form of a horseshoe in the Lassila region of Noormarkku. The middle section is made up of swamp, surrounded by the old and versatile heath forests of the mineral-rich lands higher up. The new area will be called Keidas, the name being derived from Vähäjärvenkeidas, the name found on the map.

The area has remained in peace for a long time, which is something that appears from its natural beauty and hard effort to return to its natural state. There are no roads or power lines reaching this place of silence. The grand treestand appears in a variety of ages and species; there are deciduous trees growing among the spruces and the pines, decayed wood having emerged in commendable quantities. The old ditches no longer drain the swamp because they have nearly become overgrown by moss, which means that the original water systems are restored and the amount of decayed wood is increased. The common curlew, the green sandpiper, the crossbill birds, the tits, and the cranes were heard in the region early in the spring, and goose droppings were found by the swamp.

One very significant aspect is the manner in which Keidas is connected to the rest of the region: this forest estate of approximately 52 hectares, now acquired by the foundation, is directly linked to the undrained and clearly intact Pitkäsuo area of more than 350 hectares located south of Keidas under the ownership of the state to be fully protected.

Altogether, there will be a conservation area of more than 400 hectares established, which is quite an achievement in southern Finland. The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation has co-operated with the ELY Centre of Southwest Finland in order to protect the site.

The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation has so far managed to protect almost 210 hectares in the Satakunta region, most in the provinces of southern and central Finland.

(Photo: Anneli Jussila)