Finland’s best landscape project sought for the sixth time
The Ministry of the Environment is again searching for Finland’s best landscape project. As candidates the Ministry invites projects where landscapes have been successfully managed, protected or designed. The deadline for submitting proposals is 7 September 2018.
The competition, held every two years, is targeted to civil society organisations and local and regional authorities. The projects must already have been implemented and started at least three years ago.
Both traditional and new perspectives are welcome. The projects may concern natural or cultural landscapes, rural or urban environments, lands or waters. The sites may be valuable landscapes or cultural environments, but projects concerned with everyday environments and restoring degraded landscapes are also invited to participate.
The competition will close on 7 September 2018. The winner will be announced at the Landscape Symposium at the House of the Estates in Helsinki on 19 October 2018. Further information and how to participate:
- Finland’s best landscape project (ymparisto.fi, in Finnish)
- Landscape Award of the Council of Europe (coe.int)
The landscape project chosen as the best in Finland will be the Finnish candidate for the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe. The award is handed out every two years under the European Landscape Convention, which Finland became party to in 2006. The winning projects and all those that participate in the competition promote the objectives of the Landscape Convention and represent exemplary achievements of landscape management in Europe.
Earlier awards to Finland’s best landscape projects:
2016
Shepherd Weeks of Parks and Wildlife Finland of Metsähallitus, project where voluntary shepherds cared for sheep that were doing nature management work.
2014
Bull by the Horns, project that promoted the use of grazing animals in nature and landscape management across county borders and organised landscape management in high nature value areas.
2012
Set of landscape projects in Hyypänjokilaakso, Kauhajoki where the cultural landscape was managed as a collaborative effort of associations and public authorities.
2010
On the Way to Landscape – Naturally, a national heritage landscape management project run by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation together with the railway company VR.
2008
Set of three projects in Hämeenkyrö concerned with landscape management and developing landscape tourism.
Annika Uddström, Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute, tel. +358 295 251 715, [email protected]
Tapio Heikkilä, Senior Environmental Adviser, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 295 250 166, [email protected]