Formation of the network of special protected nature territories (SPNT) in Karelia has a 60-year-long history. However the work became target-oriented no earlier than in the last decade. In these activities the basic concern lies in the study and establishment of national parks in the territories with old-growth forests little disturbed by economic activities. At the same time less work is now being done in the determination and legal protection of nature monuments - valuable nature complexes and objects with small areas which are numerous throughout Karelia (in the border zone as well).

It seems expedient to form the network of SPNTs following the zone-province approach according to which each type of landscape or area (floristic, faunistic, geo-pedological etc.) would ideally be represented by its own protected nature territory.

As important a criteria is the degree of preservation of natural communities: unique typical ecosystems, habitats of rare plant and animal species, mass rest sites of migratory birds, wild nature patches etc.

When choosing sites to be protected their recreational attractiveness should also be considered so that SPNTs could be used as the base for the development of tourism and recreational activities. Therefore attention should be payed to the potentially valuable nature objects along the existing and projected tourist routes.

The system of SPNT should be designed with respect to the all the diverse nature conditions in the area, as an entity which represents the network of spatially intertwined nature objects within a certain geographical space not limited by the boundaries of the administrative region.

Keeping in mind that wellbeing of the society requires constant production growth and hence intensive utilization of nature resources, economic activities in the system of protected territories are totally excluded only in strict reserves and reserved areas of parks. In other categories of protected territories there may be some strictly controlled economic activities.