The Dataset for the Fauna et Flora Fennica project - Historical sighting data for 72 animals, plants, and bacteria found in Finland between 1800 and 1969 dataset contains material collected in the Fauna et Flora Fennica research project. The aim of the project was to renew the understanding of species that have inhabited the Finnish region by providing more comprehensive information on the historical occurrence of different species. We have traced this information from Finnish and Swedish newspapers and magazines published in Finland from the 19th century up to the late 1960s, digitized by the National Library of Finland (the amount of the digitized press material by the end of the project was nearly 28 million pages). In addition, historical information has also been sought from issues of Finnish journals Luonnon Tutkija and Suomen Luonto digitized in projects led by Otto Latva, which are not yet available in the digital archive of the National Library of Finland. Both of the above-mentioned journals are Finnish-language natural science magazines that publish articles on biology.

The reason why we have defined the material to cover the period from the 19th century to the 1960s is that the first newspapers and magazines in the Finnish region were not published until the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, and various observations of nature were not written into them until the 19th century. Our time frame ends in the 1960s, as more effective methods and models for studying species distribution became common in the latter half of the 20th century, and the threat status of species began to be monitored regularly in Finland as early as the 1980s.

Furthermore, in our two-year research project, we have not been able to examine the historical distribution data for all organisms found in Finland, as the digitised press material provides far too much information to process in two years. There are over 40,000 species living in Finland, and even if we exclude fungi, bacteria and viruses, as well as those that only have a Latin scientific name, there are still 13,782 animal and plant species left. For this reason, we selected 80 species for the Fauna et Flora Fennica project that are known to have undergone changes in their distribution or that are classified as rare, endangered, newcomer or invasive in Finland. We also wanted to examine species that have caused debate or conflict either now or in the past. In addition, we selected some species for examination based on suggestions from biologists who were partners in the project.

Of all 80 species examined in the Fauna et Flora Fennica project, we were able to compile datasets containing geospatial data for a total of 72 different species. It must be emphasized that these contain sightings recorded in the press, often made by ordinary people. Among them, of course, there are also more formal observations published by natural scientists. The development of the press also influenced which species sightings were made public through the press. In the northernmost parts of Finland, for instance, the first newspapers were not established before the very end of the 19th century. It was therefore not possible to publish species sightings as comprehensively in newspapers in the 19th century as it was in the 20th century, when the number of newspapers and magazines in Finland began to grow rapidly. In addition, the press often considered only unusual species observations, or those of species that significantly affected people’s everyday lives, to be worth reporting. Therefore, by no means all of the species sightings made by people living in the Finnish region from the 19^th century to the 1960s ended up in newspapers and magazines. People also reported far more frequently on mammals and birds, while sightings concerning, for example, insects, arachnids, or plants appear far less often in the press material.

The material was collected in the Fauna et Flora Fennica research project funded by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation in 2023–2025, and based on it, among other things, the openly accessible work Suomalaisten lajien historiallinen kartasto (In English: Historical Atlas of Finnish Species) (2025) has been published: https://edition.fi/thy/catalog/book/1176. For this book, we have created distribution maps for different species using the geospatial data contained in these CSV files.

CSV files contain 9 columns with the following information in order:

1. Year of sighting
2. Location (the exact location of the observation, e.g., name of village or body of water)
3. Description of the location (tells whether the location is, for example, a lake or river, or which city or municipality the location of the sighting belongs to)
4. Press source and publication date
5. URL (digital press sources are available to everyone until the 1940s. To view more recent press material, you need to have credentials from a Finnish university or research institute)
6. Latitude
7. Longitude
8. Geodetic system
9. Notes

Below is a list of all 72 species with their English, Finnish, and Latin names, as well as the names of everyone who participated in collecting observation data for each species. The species are divided as follows: Mammals (CSV files 1–15), Birds (CSV files 15–37), Reptiles and amphibians (CSV files 38–45), Fishes (CSV files 46–50), Molluscs, annelids, algae and bacteria (CSV files 51–54), Woody plants (CSV files 55–63) and Herbaceous plants (CSV files 64–72)

• Note: Historical distribution data is available for all species except moose and whooper swans for the entire time period. We only collected distribution data for moose and whooper swans from the 19th century, as the data for these species became too extensive in the 20th century.

1. Eng: Arctic fox, Fin: Naali, Lat: Vulpes lagopus – Data Collectors: Noora Kallioniemi, Otto Latva and Johanna Latva
2. Eng: Common raccoon dog, Fin: Supikoira, Lat: Nyctereutes procyonoides – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
3. Eng: Eurasian pygmy shrew, Fin: Vaivaispäästäinen, Lat: Sorex minutus – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
4. Eng: European mink, Fin: Vesikko, Lat: Mustela lutreola – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
5. Eng: Finnish forest reindeer, Fin: Metsäpeura, Lat: Rangifer tarandus fennicus – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
6. Eng: Garden dormouse, Fin: Tammihiiri, Lat: Eliomys quercinus – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
7. Eng, Grey seal, Fin: Harmaahylje, Lat: Halichoerus grypus – Data Collector: Noora Kallioniemi
8. Eng: Moose or Elk, Fin: Hirvi, Lat: Alces alces – Data Collectors: Otto Latva and Heli Rantala
9. Eng: Northern birch mouse, Fin: Koivuhiiri, Lat: Sicista betulina – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
10. Eng: Siberian flying squirrel, Fin: Liito-orava, Lat: Pteromys volans – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
11. Eng: White-tailed deer, Fin: Valkohäntäkauris, Lat: Odocoileus virginianus – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
12. Eng: Wild boar, Fin: Villisika, Lat: Sus scrofa – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
13. Eng: Wolf, Fin: Susi, Lat: Canis lupus – Data Collectors: Heta Lähdesmäki, Otto Latva, Noora Kallioniemi, Harri Uusitalo, Silja Laine, Nina Sundell, Tiina Tiilikainen, Johanna Latva, Jenna Haanpää, Verna Laine, Elina Lahdenniemi, Pelle Lindberg, Tiina Nissinen, Henna Rantala, Lotta Selin, Nina Tiempo, Sonja Vaskivuori and Petra Vilkkula
14. Eng: Wood lemming, Fin: Metsäsopuli, Lat: Myodes schisticolor – Data Collector: Heli Rantala
15. Eng: Black tern, Fin: Mustatiira, Lat: Chlidonias niger – Data Collectors: Aino Jämsä and Miriam Saurio
16. Eng: Common kingfisher, Fin: Kuningaskalastaja, Lat: Alcedo atthis – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
17. Eng: Common pochard, Fin: Punasotka, Lat: Aythya ferina – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
18. Eng: Common shelduck, Fin: Ristisorsa, Lat: Tadorna tadorna – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
19. Eng: Crested tit, Fin: Töyhtötiainen, Lat: Lophophanes cristatus – Data Collectors: Aino Jämsä and Emilia Morfin Venäläinen
20. Eng: Eurasian bittern, Fin: Kaulushaikara, Lat: Botaurus stellaris – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
21. Eng: Eurasian nuthatch, Fin: Pähkinänakkeli, Lat: Sitta europaea – Data Collectors: Aino Jämsä and Emilia Morfin Venäläinen
22. Eng: Eurasian pygmy owl, Fin: Varpuspöllö, Lat: Glaucidium passerinum – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
23. Eng: Eurasian treecreeper, Fin: Puukiipijä, Lat: Certhia familiaris – Data Collectors: Aino Jämsä and Emilia Morfin Venäläinen
24. Eng: Eurasian tree sparrow, Fin: Pikkuvarpunen, Lat: Passer m. montanus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
25. Eng: European roller, Fin: Sininärhi, Lat: Coracias garrulus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
26. Eng: European turtle dove, Fin: Turturikyyhky, Lat: Streptopelia turtur – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
27. Eng: Great cormorant, Fin: Merimetso, Lat: Phalacrocorax carbo – Data Collector: Otto Latva
28. Eng: Grey Heron, Fin: Harmaahaikara, Lat: Ardea cinerea – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
29. Eng: Hawfinch, Fin: Nokkavarpunen, Lat: Coccothraustes coccothraustes – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
30. Eng: Hoopoe, Fin: Harjalintu, Lat: Upupa epops – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
31. Eng: Long-tailed tit, Fin: Pyrstötiainen, Lat: Aegithalos caudatus – Data Collectors: Aino Jämsä and Emilia Morfin Venäläinen
32. Eng: Montagu’s harrier, Fin: Niittysuohaukka, Lat: Circus pygargus – Data Collector: Hannu Salmi
33. Eng: Snowy owl, Fin: Tunturipöllö, Lat: Bubo scandiacus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
34. Eng: Western marsh harrier, Fin: Ruskosuohaukka, Lat: Circus aeruginosus – Data Collector: Hannu Salmi
35. Eng: White stork, Fin: Kattohaikara, Lat: Ciconia ciconia – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
36. Eng: Whooper swan, Fin: Laulujoutsen, Lat: Cygnus cygnus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
37. Eng: Willow tit, Fin: Hömötiainen, Lat: Poecile montanus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
38. Eng: Eastern slow worm, Fin: Vaskitsa, Lat: Anguis colchica – Data Collector: Silja Laine
39. Eng: European adder, Fin: Kyykäärme, Lat: Vipera berus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
40. Eng: Grass snake, Fin: Rantakäärme, Lat: Natrix natrix – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
41. Eng: Marsh frog, Fin: Mölysammakko, Lat: Pelophylax ridibundus – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
42. Eng: Moor frog, Fin: Viitasammakko, Lat: Rana arvalis – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
43. Eng: Northern crested newt, Fin: Rupilisko, Lat: Triturus cristatus – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
44. Eng: Smooth newt, Fin: Vesilisko, Lat: Lissotriton vulgaris – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
45. Eng: Toad, Fin: Rupikonna, Lat: Bufo bufo – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
46. Eng: Asp, Fin: Toutain, Lat: Leuciscus aspius – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
47. Eng: European eel, Fin: Ankerias, Lat: Anguilla anguilla – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
48. Eng: Snakeblemmy, Fin: Elaska, Lat: Lumpenus lampretaeformis – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
49. Eng: Spined loach, Fin: Rantanuoliainen, Lat: Cobitis taenia – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
50. Eng: Wels catfish, Fin: Monni, Lat: Silurus glanis – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
51. Eng: Bladderwrack, Black tang, Rockweed, Sea grapes, Bladder fucus, etc., Fin: Rakkolevä, Lat: Fucus vesiculosus – Data Collectors: Otto Latva and Kirsi Sonck-Rautio
52. Eng: Blue-green algae, Fin: Sinilevät, Lat: Cyanobacteria – Data Collectors: Aino Jämsä
53. Eng: European medicinal leech, Fin: Verijuotikas, Lat: Hirudo medicinalis – Data Collector: Harri Uusitalo
54. Eng: Freshwater pearl mussel, Fin: Jokihelmisimpukka, Lat: Margaritifera margaritifera – Data Collector: Otto Latva
55. Eng: Common hazel, Fin: Euroopanpähkinäpensas, Lat: Corylus avellana – Data Collector: Silja Laine
56. Eng: European crab apple or European wild apple, Fin: Metsäomena, Lat: Malus sylvestris – Data Collector: Silja Laine
57. Eng: European white elm, Fluttering elm, Spreading elm, Stately elm, or Russian elm, Fin: Kynäjalava, Lat: Ulmus laevis – Data Collector: Silja Laine
58. Eng: Horse chesnut, Fin: Hevoskastanja, Lat: Aesculus hippocastanum – Data Collector: Silja Laine
59. Eng: Rugosa rose, Beach rose, Japanese rose, Ramanas rose, or Letchberry, Fin: Kurtturuusu, Lat: Rosa Rugosa – Data Collector: Silja Laine
60. Eng: Siberian pine, Fin: Sembramänty, Lat: Pinus cembra sibrica – Data Collectors: Silja Laine and Verna Laine
61. Eng: Small-leaved lime or Small-leaved linden, Fin: Metsälehmus, Lat: Tilia cordata – Data Collector: Silja Laine
62. Eng: White willow, Fin: Hopeasalava, Lat: Salix alba ‘sibirica’ – Data Collector: Silja Laine
63. Eng: Wych elm or Scots elm, Fin: Vuorijalava, Lat: Ulmus glabra – Data Collector: Silja Laine 
64. Eng: Calypso orchid, Fairy slipper, or Venus’s slippe, Fin: Neidonkenkä, Lat: Calypso bulbosa – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
65. Eng: Common reed, Fin: Järviruoko, Lat: Phragmites australis – Data Collector: Silja Laine
66. Eng, Eastern pasqueflower or Cutleaf anemone, Fin: Hämeenkylmäkukka, Lat: Pulsatilla patens – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
67. Eng: Ghost orchid, Fin: Metsänemä, Lat: Epipogium aphyllum – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
68. Eng: Great manna grass, Reed mannagrass, Reed sweet-grass, or Greater sweet-grass, Fin: Isosorsimo, Lat: Glyceria maxima – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
69. Eng: Lady’s-slipper, Fin: Tikankontti, Lat: Cypripedium calceolus – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
70. Eng: Moonworts, Fin: Noidanlukot, Lat: Botrychium – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
71. Eng: Red helleborine, Fin: Punavalkku, Lat: Cehalanthera rubra – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä
72. Eng: Spring pasqueflower, Arctic violet, or Lady of the snows, Fin: Kangasvuokko, Lat: Pulsatilla vernalis – Data Collector: Aino Jämsä