Mires have been a refuge from wars, diseases, or other people Fens and bogs have been a part of the daily life of ancient Estonians, thus becoming an integral part of culture. The mire has been a refuge from wars, diseases, or other people – a role played by the mires during World War II, when the so-called forest brothers hid there. Mires have always been a source of berries, peat, and hay...

Peat is currently mined in Estonia on approximately 184 square kilometres The area of Estonian peatlands ranks third in Europe after Finland and Sweden. In Estonia, almost 22% of the country is covered with peatlands, and in most of these areas, the thickness of the peat layers is more than 30 cm. In the Earth’s Crust Act, mineral resources (including peat) are divided into economic and...

Preserving heritage communities is one of the most important responsibilities of our nature conservation As heritage meadows have been created with the help of man, they also have great cultural-historical and aesthetic value. When humans no longer care for these communities, they will overgrow. Junipers, reeds, trees, or shrubs will take over the grasslands and all the great biodiversity is lost...

Most of the species on the Estonian Red List are associated with semi-natural communities Heritage meadows have an exceptionally high species diversity. They are an important habitat for nearly 700 plant species. 76 plant species have been found growing on 1 m 2 of the Laelatu wooded meadow [1] – it is one of the densest plant communities in the world in terms of species richness. Alvars with dry...

The main reason for the loss of heritage communities was the abandonment of handicraft, and intensive agriculture Heritage meadows or semi-natural communities are also called heritage communities. Both names refer to a close connection with man and to the fact that we have inherited these communities from our ancestors. Semi-natural communities have emerged with the help of humans, as a result of...

Due to the young geological age of the Baltic Sea, no endemic animal species have emerged here The Baltic Sea mixes typical freshwater and marine conditions, so there are organisms of both marine and freshwater origin. Due to these special conditions, the number of species in the Baltic Sea is lower than in a sea with typical salinity. Many of the species here live under constant stress caused by...

The migration of today’s freshwater species to Estonian waters began about 2,500 years ago Geologically speaking, the Baltic Sea is a very young water body. The formation of the Baltic Sea is related to the warming of the climate at the end of the ice age, due to which the extensive ice sheet covering the area quickly melted. The Baltic Sea was born of the meltwater of ice sheets. At first, the...

Fishing is an ancient practice: the diverse fish fauna of the world’s waters has been a valuable source of food for humans for thousands of years There are over 30,000 species of fish in the world. There are 91 fish species registered in Estonian waters, most of which are freshwater fish, semi-migratory fish (e.g. vimba, ide), or migratory fish (salmon, brown trout, eel). There are about 30...

Tourism has become an important industry in the last century Increased travelling and recreation have a significant impact on the natural environment. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019), the CO 2 footprint of tourism increased by 40% between 2009 and 2013. Tourism has been figuratively compared to a fire – if you can use it, it...

In semi-natural areas, extensive farming has shown a positive impact on biodiversity With almost 4,000 years of history, Estonian crop husbandry and agriculture is largely an expression of our traditional and environmentally friendly way of life. Centuries of management have shaped varied landscapes and left room for valuable habitats. As it is mostly a heritage-cultural landscape, we should...