Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park (FI/NO/RU)

Northern Lights in Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park (c) Torben Kühle

Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park (FI/NO/RU)

Borders separate – Nature unites!

Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park entity was established in 2008 as a result of long-term cooperation between the nature protection authorities in Norway, Russia and Finland dating back to early 1990’s. Trilateral Park consists of five nature protection areas; three areas in Norway, one in Russia and one in Finland. The total area of Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park is 1889 km2.

Pasvik-Inari – a meeting point

The lush valley of the Pasvik river stretches from Lake Inari in the south towards the Barents Sea in the north, appearing as a vital nerve in the mosaic landscape of small lakes, mires and wet lands and virgin Taiga forests. The region comprises a unique nature system where European, Eastern and Arctic species meet. Here, some of the species reach the ultimate limits of their distribution. The area is also an important nesting and resting place for a large number of migratory birds.

The Pasvik-Inari region is a meeting point for different cultures too. Different Sámi people live in the area: the Northern, Inari and Skolt Sámi. Since the Early Middle Ages, Finns, Norwegians and Russians have also settled in the region. Although different cultures coexist in the area and have learned a lot from each other, they have each retained their distinctive traditions.

Trilateral cooperation in action

The main themes of the international cooperation are nature monitoring, environmental enlightenment and promotion of sustainable nature-based tourism. Since the mid 1990’s annual bird registrations have been carried out along the Pasvik river. The joint brown bear population in the trilateral border area is monitored every four years, since 2007. There are bird watching events arranged annually in the three countries and the results – observed species – are shared trilaterally with the participants. This concept is a friendly race between three countries, and most often either Norway or Russia wins. There is an active network of teachers and schools cooperating through ecological camps and the school network – Phenology of the North Calotte. Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park produces regularly informative products about natural and cultural heritage of the area in all the native languages and in English targeted especially for school children – games are our specialty! The partners and stakeholders of the parks work together in different projects to promote sustainable nature based tourism to support sustainable local development in the border areas. Pasvik-Inari cooperation participates actively in the development of Green Belt of Fennoscandia initiative.

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