The IUCN identifies and maps the world’s major environmental conservation challenges and develops measures to address or mitigate them The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organisation established in 1948 to promote nature conservation and the ecologically sustainable use of natural resources. The union brings together national governments, non-governmental...

The Estonian-Russian transboundary waters require close and practical cooperation In 1995, Estonia acceded to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, adopted three years earlier in Helsinki. The purpose of the convention is to protect international lakes and transboundary waters from transboundary environmental impacts and pollution, and to...

As at 31 December 2022, there were a total of 4331 protected natural objects in Estonia That is 212 objects more than in the previous year. In the following, the difference in the number of objects compared to 2021 is shown in brackets. The more detailed breakdown by type is as follows: nature reserves – 238 (change 8 ↑); landscape protection areas – 147 (change 4 ↓); national parks – 6 (no change...

Environmental monitoring provides basic data for decisions concerning the environment and the society How are our eagles doing? Is the air in Tallinn more polluted today than ten years ago? How big are the fish stocks of Lake Peipsi? We get answers to these and many other environmental questions thanks to continuous environmental monitoring. Environmental monitoring means the planned and...

The main databases and distribution atlases on Estonian biodiversity of the last twenty years are available from the eElurikkus portal Species distribution atlases The species distribution atlas (formerly as a book, nowadays also online) reflects the distribution of species in Estonia over a period of time and has been compiled by species groups (for example, plants, mammals, birds). Published...

As at 31 December 2022, a total of 23% of Estonia’s area, including both land and waters, is under protection The area of protected areas in Estonia increased significantly in 2004, when the Natura 2000 network was established. As a result, the share of protected areas increased from 11% to 17% of land and then continued to increase gradually. The area of protected areas in the territorial sea...

The purpose of monitoring is to provide information on changes in the state of the environment in Estonia. The objective of wildlife monitoring is to determine: the changes in species abundance and distribution and in communities; the impact of land use on biodiversity (such as the impact of the increasingly intense agricultural activity on insects or birds). The purpose of monitoring species and...

In Estonia, the Lahemaa, Matsalu, and Soomaa National Parks have received recognition for sustainable tourism in protected areas The EUROPARC Federation, also known as the Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe, was set up in 1973 to promote the planning and management of protected areas, to contribute to the creation of new protected areas, and to raise awareness of protected areas...

Biodiversity conservation also supports agriculture, forestry, and fishery Human activity has shaped the biodiversity in Europe for more than 5,000 years, since agriculture and animal husbandry first became widespread. However, the agricultural and industrial revolutions of the last 150 years have led to sharp and rapid changes in land use, agriculture, and urbanisation. As a result, we are...

Since the creation of the European Diploma for Protected Areas, 74 protected areas have received it. Among them is the Matsalu National Park The European Diploma of Protected Areas is a prestigious international award given by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe since 1965. The diploma values natural and semi-natural communities and landscapes that are of exceptional European...