Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliitto

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) is the largest non-governmental organization for environmental protection and nature conservation in Finland. The purpose of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation is to protect the environment, promote nature conservation, preserve cultural heritage, and promote active citizenship and environmental awareness. In order to realize its purpose we act as a link between different environmental organizations, practice publishing, training, environmental education and other educational activities and research, put forward motions and initiatives and issue statements on affairs associated with our field, act in other similar ways to keep the Finnish nature viable, productive, beautiful, diverse and valuable, promote nature protection and sustainable development in the regions affected by Finland as an industrialized country, and participate in the international co-operation in its field. FANC has over 30,000 individual members in about 180 local member associations in 15 county-based district organizations. The Nature League (FANC’s youth organization) operates nationwide and has about 4,500 individual members. Local associations, district organizations and the Nature League are independent, registered associations. The central organization was founded in 1938, but the oldest local member association, The Kuopio Nature Friends Association, is over 110 years old (founded in 1896) and runs its own nature history museum. To fulfill its purpose, the FANC works on nature conservation and environmental policy on the municipal, regional, national, and EU levels, and follows the UN sustainable development work. FANC cooperates with many environmental organizations in forest protection both in Madagascar and in Russia.