On Monday, the Vantaa City Board made an unanimous decision to protect the thick-shelled river mussel (Unio crassus), an endangered species of freshwater mussel found in the Vantaa River.
A total of two to three million thick-shelled river mussels live on the river bed beneath the Nukarinkoski rapids in the Vantaa River.
The population is the most significant one in Europe.
The Ministry of the Environment has proposed that the Vantaa River area should be included in the Natura nature conservation network. At its Monday meeting the City Board finally gave the proposal the green light.
In 2004, the Vantaa City Board objected to a similar proposal, as it felt that there was no sufficiently accurate information on the river mussel population.
