Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A wilderness area comprising two adjacent mountainous conservation units in eastern Lapland: Värriö Strict Nature Reserve, and the Wilderness Area of Tuntsa which reaches the Russian border in the east. The landscape is dominated by low fjelds and high hills, with forested slopes, fertile river valleys and old, natural boreal forests between them. Due to the area's remoteness, human activity is minor.
An important area for boreal avifauna. Breeding birds include 13 out of the 15 species in Europe that are restricted to the boreal biome (when breeding).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Part of the area is a candidate SAC.
National High
International None21,132 ha of IBA covered by Wilderness Area (Tuntsa, 21,132 ha). 12,508 ha of IBA covered by Strict Nature Reserve (Värriö, 12,508 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Värriö-Tuntsa (Finland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/värriö-tuntsa-iba-finland on 23/12/2024.
