Finland’s largest marine national park stretches along the exposed Bothnian Sea coast, protecting outer archipelago, reefs, skerries and underwater Baltic habitats shaped by brackish water and continuing land uplift.
Selkämeren kansallispuisto
Why it is protected
Protect representative Bothnian Sea marine and archipelago ecosystems.
Conserve underwater biodiversity, seabirds and traditional archipelago landscapes.
Habitats and significant life
Habitats: Brackish-water reef, Outer archipelago, Underwater meadow, Skerry, Shallow bay.
Significant species: Grey seal, White-tailed eagle, Common eider, Baltic herring, Brackish-water vegetation.
Rules and activities
Boating, paddling, fishing and island visits continue under Finnish law and park-specific restrictions.
Visitors must respect seasonal wildlife closures and protected-area rules.
Governance
Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland; Finnish environmental authorities; Coastal municipalities and users.
Pressures
Eutrophication; Climate change; Marine litter; Boating disturbance; Invasive species.
Protection effectiveness
These dimensions are intentionally separate: a valid designation or active management program does not, by itself, prove ecological recovery.
Habitats and marine life connections
Ecologically related protected areas
These places share documented habitat types or the same ocean region. The relationship is ecological context, not proof of direct connectivity.
Condition and evidence
MLL reports what the available evidence supports. It does not infer ecological health from designation or mapped coverage.
Insufficient evidence
Place-specific ecology and management evidence has been reviewed, but the available indicators do not support a single current ecological trend for the whole protected area.
Ecological Condition
Insufficient evidenceBaltic pressures documented; no single park-wide trend assigned
- Evidence period
- Current evidence review
- Geographic scope
- Protected feature or area described by the source
- Confidence
- limited
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-12
How to read this: Insufficient evidence means the available evidence cannot support a conclusion. It does not mean the MPA is in poor condition.
Baltic pressures documented; no single park-wide trend assigned. Confidence: limited. Regional eutrophication and climate exposure are not converted into an unsupported national-park health score.
Sources
Bothnian Sea National Park — Metsähallitus. Verified 2026-09-13.