On 11 March, the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation acquired a forest property of nearly 19 hectares in the village of Kuopiola in Ruokolahti. The area was sold by Tornator Oy, a company that had owned the area for about 10 years.

Mäkrämäki is a fairly tree-studded area that reaches Lake Myllylampi in the southwest. The old-growth forests are located on the hillsides and tops of Mäkrämäki and Syvämäki. There are also some hectares covered by younger, self-sown forest on the Paakosuo strip and its surroundings in the middle of the area.

Timo Tikka, an experienced nature conservationist from Ruokolahti, describes the importance of the area as follows:

Mäkrämäki is one of the best-preserved old-growth forests in South Karelia. Its mythical features include not only the abundant amount of decayed wood and the endangered set of living organisms, but also the considerable differences in altitude as well as the geological specialities such as large erratic boulders and cavities. The value of Mäkrämäki is emphasized by its location in South Karelia, the province that has conservation areas less than any other province in Finland. It is located in the zone of forested grounds characterized by countless lakes between the future national park called “Laatokan luodot” and the conservation areas located on the state-owned land of the Lohikoski region in the municipality of Sulkava. The conservation of Mäkrämäki is a remarkable achievement in the process of creating a string of conservation areas, little by little, from the Ladoga region of Karelia to the inland areas of Finland. At the same time, it is a testimony of the importance of the persistent work for nature conservation. 

Mäkrämäki is the 28th conservation area of the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation and the second in South Karelia. The foundation’s first conservation area, Akanvaara, was acquired from South Karelia in 2000, and it can be found in the municipality of Parikkala.