Many years ago, when I was about five years old, my family and I were on a boat trip in the Gulf of Finland. We were enjoying a beautiful summer day on an island when suddenly news spread among the boaters who had come to the island for the weekend that an anchor had been found on the seabed.
We didn’t even see the divers who found the anchor, let alone the anchor itself, but having read Tintin, nothing else mattered to me at that moment.
“When I grow up, I’m going to be a diver!” I knew, and at some point my father had to promise that one day I would be able to take a scuba diving course. I looked out at the sea. My own anchor was out there somewhere.
I had my first experience of scuba diving at the Kauniainen swimming pool. The experience of floating and breathing underwater was so powerful that the very next day I signed up for a scuba diving course with my friend Petri. The call of the underwater world had been heard.
I didn’t become a pilot, as my mother might have hoped. She was planning to send me to flight school in Florida. However, an unexpected turn of events led me in a completely different direction.
I ended up at the University of Joensuu (now the University of Eastern Finland) after a very brief period of reflection. After completing my military service, I felt that I needed to do something, and with three weeks to go before the biology entrance exams, I bought the exam books and went to try my luck. Biology had always been interesting to me.
After completing my master’s degree, I transferred to the University of Helsinki as a PhD student in marine biology and continued to study my passion, algae, naturally also through diving. During my most active diving years, I logged nearly 500 dives per year. As a research diver, I also trained other divers and participated in research on the Vrouw Maria shipwreck. I could tell many stories about these experiences.
After running our own marine biology consulting firm with a friend for a while, life led me to move to Jyväskylä. While renovating a house, I completed a degree in information technology at the University of Jyväskylä, and to my surprise, I soon found myself coordinating the research stations of the University of Helsinki, which are located throughout Finland from Hanko to Kilpisjärvi. My workplace was at the Lammi Biological Station.
The surprising twists and turns of life are not always the most rational and logical – and in addition to this and many other valuable insights, I also learned that a couple of unknown guys from the back of the pack can take things really far if they decide to act. Read on, I’ll tell you more about this in a moment.
My strong connection to the Baltic Sea began during my childhood summers, when my parents took me hiking in the Gulf of Finland and later to our cottage in the Nauvo archipelago. A book I received from my godfather drew me into Jacques Pickard’s journey all the way to the Marianas Trench, and even assurances that there were no giant clams lurking among the seaweed in the Gulf of Finland did not alleviate my fear of getting caught between their jaws.
Fishing was fun, but I couldn’t be bothered to go with my father to haul in the nets every single time – especially not three times on the same day.
All these experiences of the sea – supplemented by later studies in biology – first made Niko Napu an outdoor enthusiast and then a nature lover.
But he wasn’t yet a conservationist – not until he met a couple of guys who had popped up out of nowhere, and after getting to know them, he realized he was already negotiating with ministers about establishing a new national park.
This concept has not yet been realized. But maybe one day. Hope and goals are kept alive – that’s important in nature conservation. So, more important than a new national park – at least for now – may be the understanding of those two guys from the back left that anything good can be done, as long as you start doing it.
Samuli Arkko interviewed me in the fall of 2024 for an article in Puula magazine. We have been running a fundraising campaign for Puula’s nature for a few years now.
“Nappu’s speeches are full of metaphors about rolling up your sleeves and getting down to work, as well as the change in attitude required for new activities. According to Napu, becoming a conservationist is about awakening – or, in the words of Juha Kauppinen, ‘waking up’.”
“Once awakened (or enlightened), Niko Nappu had no difficulty in accepting the offer – or rather the proposal – he received by phone a little over three years ago”:
“Would I like to become the executive director of a foundation that saves nature? Sounds good. You can’t get any more concrete than that.
Nappu was also convinced by the operating concept of the Päijänne Natural Heritage Foundation PLUPS, which he still considers to be the best:
“The foundation accepts donations and buys forests in the Päijänne catchment area for conservation. It’s very straightforward.
“The focus is on protecting diverse nature, especially old forests and natural mires, as these are in danger, according to the foundation. At the same time, the foundation shares information about nature and explains why it is important to protect diverse nature.
Nappu does not claim that the task is easy – not even in a country where Finns consider themselves nature lovers – but despite this, he sees promising developments in conservation work:
– Over the course of the year, we have received many more wills and other donations. And we have started major restoration projects in Leivonmäki, Hartola, and Vesijärvi.
This is what I saw in the last issue of Puula magazine for 2024. Restoration projects in Hartola and Vesijärvi have been successfully completed, and 2025 will certainly bring new ideas for projects to be carried out in the field of restoration.
We are now on the cusp of something new in many ways and are moving forward as a foundation in leaps and bounds. We want to be a channel for all Finns to be part of the growth story of voluntary nature conservation. The new name and the foundation’s more active approach to achieving its purpose also mean changes in our operating culture.
The foundation uses donated funds to purchase land in our operating area, which covers the extensive Päijänne catchment area (see map). This area has the greatest need for protection in all of Finland. It makes sense to donate to a foundation that protects forests in central Finland. Corporate donations will be a very important part of fundraising and resource acquisition. When it comes to wills, we are a reliable party that ensures the perpetuity of bequeathed forests. The regional Paremman Luonnon Puolesta Foundation operates throughout Finland, striving to influence and support conservation efforts everywhere. The foundation can also accept donations of land from anywhere in the country. The aim is to obtain a conservation decision in accordance with the Nature Conservation Act for areas received as donations. These situations are reviewed with the donor on a case-by-case basis. In any case, forests donated to the foundation are already protected – conservation and saving biodiversity are the foundation’s purpose!
Our vision: For a better nature. By 2035, the foundation will protect 20,000 hectares of our rich natural environment. Compared to the districts of Helsinki, this would be equivalent to approximately 200 times the area of Töölö! We want to preserve the distinctive features of central Finland’s nature for future generations – and even improve them.
We are already the most significant non-profit nature conservation organization in the Päijänne catchment area. By 2030, the number of our protected areas will have increased fivefold, and by 2035, the number of areas will exceed 250. In 2035, the network of protected areas with its ecological corridors will have been developed into a functional structure in collaboration with stakeholders. By 2035, the Foundation for a Better Nature will have established its position as a significant national and international actor. By 2035, nature loss will have been reversed in favor of increased biodiversity, and we will continue to do our utmost to promote a better nature.
I hope you will get in touch. How do you want to be part of our story – how will you become an advocate for a better nature?
Niko Nappu, CEO, Foundation For Better Nature, +358 50 511 6933.
