ABSTRACT
In December 2006, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources founded a large National Park in the Karelian Republic, close to the border with Finland, north of the town of Kostomuksha. The establishment of the Kalevala National Park, consisting of 74,400 hectares of mainly old-growth forests, is a remarkable environmental signal and advance, as it effectively marks the end of a seven-year period of low profile in Russian nature conservation terms. The Park decision is an example of successful trans-border co-networking of a diverse compilation of hobby and lobby groups. Together, they were able to exert a remarkable influence on the socio-spatial re-organization of the border zone during a period of geopolitical transition. The Kalevala Park had remained high on their priority lists for 15 years, since the launch of the Greenbelt Programme, aimed at protecting the remaining old-growth forests on the border.
