Biodiversity

The natural environment of Hämeenlinna and Hattula is diverse and rich, where extensive forest areas, lush groves, water bodies, and varying esker and mire areas form a valuable entity. The region combines habitats in their natural state with traditional cultural landscapes, providing environments for a diverse range of species. The LUMO programme defines the guidelines for the preservation of biodiversity.

Diverse nature

Safeguarding biodiversity requires continuous and systematic work, as it is particularly threatened by habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and the excessive use of natural resources.

82 percent of the surface area of Hämeenlinna consists of forests, mires, and water bodies, and in Hattula, the majority of the municipal area is also natural environment. The lakes and running waters of Hattula and Hämeenlinna vary in their characteristic features. In Hämeenlinna, there are a total of 339 lakes larger than one hectare, the most significant of which are Vanajavesi, Kuohijärvi, Iso-Roine, and Hauhonselkä. In Hattula, there are over 40 lakes, of which Vanajavesi is the largest water area. Local variation and a range of habitat types are provided by esker chains and their specific habitat types, a mosaic of forest and agricultural land and lakes, a long history of settlement, and the abundance of lush groves characteristic of a grove centre.

Hämeenlinna contains several area entities that are particularly valuable for biodiversity, such as the Evo hiking area, the Aulanko outdoor area, the Ahvenisto esker area, the valuable mire entities of Seitsemänlamminsuo-Korpilamminsuo and Heinisuo in Renko, as well as many areas valuable for birdlife, including Kukkia, Iso-Roine and Vähä-Roine, Hauhonselkä, Vanajavesi, Vuorentaka, and Evo in terms of forest birds.

Key sites for biodiversity in Hattula include the Vanajavesi valley, which features lush riparian forests, wetlands, traditional biotopes, and bird lakes that provide habitats for many species. Valuable esker formations include Rapolanharju and Tenholanharju, and grove areas include the groves of Retulansaari and Pappilanniemi. Mire nature is represented by, among others, the natural-state Jumoinsuo and Kiimasuo–Löyttysuo.

Significant and endangered species occur in Hämeenlinna and Hattula. For certain endangered species, such as the Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens), the Yellow Hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum), the Cinnabar Beetle (Cucujus cinnaberinus), and the European White Elm (Ulmus laevis), Hämeenlinna is a focal point of their distribution. The diverse species of Hämeenlinna and Hattula also include the strictly protected moor frog, otter, lynx, and Siberian flying squirrel.

Promotion of biodiversity

The City of Hämeenlinna promotes biodiversity as part of sustainable urban development in many different ways. The objective is to preserve and increase natural biodiversity and to safeguard valuable habitats for future generations. The Hämeenlinna Biodiversity Programme 2026–2036 includes measures to prevent nature loss. Biodiversity work is promoted, for example, in the planning and maintenance of green areas and in nature management projects. Efforts are also made to take natural values into account in land-use solutions, as well as in cooperation with residents, organisations, and other actors, so that safeguarding biodiversity is a shared goal.

Biodiversity in the maintenance of green areas

The promotion of biodiversity is also reflected in the maintenance of green areas in Hämeenlinna. The work is guided by the RAMS classification for green areas and the city’s biodiversity programme (LUMO). The objective is to strengthen the vitality of urban nature and to safeguard habitats for different species.

A more natural maintenance method may in places appear as controlled unkemptness. This is not about reducing maintenance, but about utilising natural processes and strengthening biodiversity in such a way that the areas remain safe and appropriate for use.

In the maintenance of green areas, biodiversity is promoted, for example, by:

• increasing meadows and other diverse vegetation
• preserving flowering areas important for pollinators
• leaving uncut vegetation around trees
• saving decaying wood, such as trunks and stumps, in suitable locations
• utilising brushwood fences and other natural structures and materials
• leaving some of the autumn leaves under trees and shrubs to support soil well-being.

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