Levaneva Mires. 02/02/04; Western Finland, 3,343 ha; 62°46'N 022°05'E. Natura 2000 SPA and SCI, Finnish Mire Conservation Programme. One of the largest, nearly virgin mire complexes of concentric bogs in southern Ostrobothnia, part of the biogeographic region of the middle boreal forest vegetation zone. The area includes about 3,000 ha of mires and about 240 ha of water surrounded by forests and mires. Levaneva consists of three vast, more or less separated concentric raised bogs with plenty of hollows and ponds and a mosaic of forested islands. It is an important breeding and staging area for numerous threatened bird species in migration periods, and the site provides habitats for threatened mammals in Europe such as lynx, wolf, and Russian Flying Squirrel. In the past impacts were mainly caused by drainage ditching and eutrophication, but water level regulation of the reservoir westwards may still negatively affect mire edges. The first protection statute was achieved in 1993 followed by measures for national and international conservation programmes and regulations. Ramsar site no. 1522. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

Last publication date: 01-01-2005