People visit the forest more often for social reasons, with family or friends, and draw peace of mind and recovery from nature. A human connection to nature is also an important matter for nature conservation and the future of our entire environment.
The forest affects human well-being in at least three ways.
Nature itself inspires people to move, which improves physical fitness. Moving in nature is often unforced and self-paced, and can feel natural even to those who do not find traditional sports appealing.
Forests and nature also have direct health benefits. Your heart rate drops, and your mind calms down and relaxes. This helps people recover, and nature experiences can even feel empowering.
Moving in the forest can also increase social well-being: visitors to national parks, especially in the north, value the encounters they experience during hikes, for instance. Human contacts are an important and valuable addition to the nature experience. In southern Finland, people often visit national parks with family or friends to share experiences, so sociality is important there as well.
The many aspects of well-being offered by nature and forests are easily listed by Hanna Ylitalo, Development Manager at Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland. Nature has always been an important part of her life, both at work and in her free time.
Metsähallitus is a state-owned enterprise whose purpose is to look after state-owned land and water assets, i.e., to manage state-owned land and water areas to generate various forms of value. Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland focuses specifically on managing nature conservation areas using state budget funding.
– The core of our operations is safeguarding natural values, i.e., curbing biodiversity loss and promoting the recreational use and benefits of nature.
Metsähallitus has offices all over Finland; in the Turku area, operations are located at the Tiedepuisto coworking space Werstas. Metsähallitus is one of the largest operators at Werstas, with nearly 40 employees.
– When it became time to look for a new office, we definitely wanted to be near the railway line so we could easily travel to other cities. Tiedepuisto was a logical choice for us, and thanks to our location, it is easy for us to attract colleagues here from the capital region as well.
Finns discovered nature and national parks in a completely new way during the COVID era, and the number of visitors to national parks increased by tens of thousands at best. They are still higher than before the pandemic and the year 2020.
– It is gratifying that people have found the opportunities offered by nature, although for us it has meant some maintenance challenges. With national parks, there is always a balance between their purpose as conservation areas and their role as attractions for nature hobbies, but the visitor numbers should still stay within certain limits, reflects Ylitalo.
The most famous national park in the Turku area is Kurjenrahka. As other destinations in our area worth visiting, Ylitalo lists, among others, the Mälikkälä forest, the nature surrounding Impivaara, Koroistenniemi, and the entire Turku National Urban Park, which stretches from Ruissalo through the riverside to Vanhalinna in Lieto.
– Moving in nature and forests can be an everyday activity done close to home, or clear getaways taken during weekends and holidays. Both are needed, Ylitalo says.
As the connection to nature strengthens, people are more willing to make more ecological choices in their daily lives, which can help find solutions to the global ecological crisis. The change is visible in both small and large everyday actions, as well as in voting behavior, for example.
– I hope that more people will experience such good moments in nature that their connection to nature deepens and strengthens. This is, of course, desirable for a person's immediate well-being, but it is also an essential bridge to nature conservation and the future. That is why we want to attract and guide people to nature, including nature conservation areas.
Although the state of the world makes Ylitalo serious, she still wants to maintain optimism.
– You have to think that we will do what we can locally. Even at Metsähallitus, we would have solutions to major crises, such as stopping biodiversity loss and protecting nature's diversity, but we need much more resources than we currently have for this work.
National parks and other nature conservation areas as well as historical sites can be found on Metsähallitus' website luontoon.fi