Finland · Finland’s first Nature Conservation Act of 1923

Issue date21 Mar 2023

Total mintage400,000

EU maximum400,000

Editions4

Edge letteringSUOMI FINLAND + 3 lion heads

InscriptionLUONNONSUOJELU / NATURSKYDD / 2023 / FI

DesignerSandra Prami

mintSuomen Rahapaja OY, Vantaa, Finnland

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin commemorates Finland’s first Nature Conservation Act. The design features a stylized beetle, with the Finnish inscription “LUONNONSUOJELU” above it and the Swedish equivalent “NATURSKYDD” below. The country code “FI” is on the right, and the mint mark of the Finnish Mint is on the left.

The design

The coin’s design is a stylized depiction of a beetle. Above it, the inscription “LUONNONSUOJELU” (Finnish for “nature conservation”) is arranged in a semicircle. Below it, the inscription “NATURSKYDD” (Swedish for “nature conservation”) can be seen, followed by the year of issue “2023”. On the right side of the inner coin ring is “FI”; on the left side of the inner coin ring is the mark of the Finnish Mint.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer coin ring.

Background on the topic

The 1923 Act was enacted only a few years after Finland gained independence in 1917. During this period, Finland expanded its state institutions and developed its own legislation. At the same time, it became apparent that individual landscapes, geological formations, and animal and plant species should be protected from interference through special legal provisions. Previously, corresponding measures had been based primarily on individual decisions and scientific or private initiatives.

The legislation established a general legal framework for the designation of protected areas. It enabled protective measures on both state-owned and private land and also covered natural monuments and certain species. Different forms of nature conservation were thus brought together within a single area of law. This provided the basis for the later establishment of larger reserves and national parks; the first Finnish national parks were established in 1938.

Legal nature conservation exists alongside the traditional Finnish everyman’s right. This allows people to stay in and make certain uses of nature regardless of land ownership, such as hiking or picking berries. However, it is not a conservation instrument: restrictions intended to preserve sensitive habitats or species are regulated by special laws and protected-area provisions.

The 1923 Act remained the starting point of Finnish nature-conservation legislation for decades. Later revisions broadened the focus from individual natural monuments and delimited areas to habitats, biodiversity, and ecological interrelationships. The 2023 coin issue commemorates the centenary of this legal foundation.

The bilingual inscription refers to Finland’s Finnish- and Swedish-speaking constitutional tradition; both languages are national languages. The beetle is not identified as a portrait of any particular species. As an insect, it generally represents the often scarcely visible part of biological diversity and thus a form of nature conservation that encompasses not only landscapes or large, well-known animal species.