The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) is the oldest and most influential environmental organisation in the country, with 150 local associations and thousands of active members all over Finland. We work to stop biodiversity loss and global heating. Together we protect Finnish nature.
29 000 members and 15 district organizations nationwide
Nationwide, we have around 29,000 individual members in about 150 local member associations and 15 country-based district organizations. The Nature League (FANC’s youth organization) operates nationwide and has about 6,000 individual members. Local associations, district organizations and the Nature League are independent, registered associations. FANC’s headquarters is centrally located in Helsinki. There are about 30 specialists working in nature and environmental protection, administration, communication and marketing at the headquarters and at the Suomen Luonto periodical.
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).
Most of the work in the local associations and district organizations is voluntary in nature. FANC employs 15 people at its regional offices across Finland. Regional offices in Turku, Oulu and Lappeenranta have full-time district chiefs, the rest of the offices have part-time employees.
In order to realize our 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 industrialised country, and
- participate in the international co-operation in our field.
We above all value knowledge, and all communication made by The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation is carefully rationalized with high-value researched information. Independence from party politics and interest groups ensures that nature is always our number one priority. We are boldly taking initiatives and trailblazing in the prevention of environmental problems and resolving them together with conviction and strong determination.
