Trade in wild animal and plant species poses a major threat to the survival of the species CITES regulates international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. The purpose of the convention is to protect species that are endangered because of trade from extinction. CITES was signed in Washington in 1973 and entered into force two years later. Estonia acceded to the convention in 1992...

Citizen science is the contribution of volunteer citizens to science by carrying out observations, helping to compile databases, or engaging in other assisting activities. Although the lion’s share of citizen science today takes place in the field of natural sciences, the help of amateur scientists is also used in one way or another in medical research, linguistics, anthropology, etc. The Estonian...

Moderate felling increases the diversity of open field community species in the short term In the case of clearcutting, a large part of the tree layer is removed and a clearcut area is formed. A clearcut area is a temporary habitat with very different living conditions (such as microclimate and the moisture and nutrient regime of soil) than in the forest. Changes in living conditions are...

The North Estonian Klint has also been presented as a geological monument worthy of global attention for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List The North Estonian Klint, often referred to simply as the cliffed coast, is one of Estonia’s greatest geological values and attractions. In Swedish and Danish, klint means a coastal terrace. By North Estonian Klint, we mean primarily the terraces of...

The control of the alien species of hogweed plants and the copper tops is currently organised nationwide The most effective measures of combating alien species are the early detection of alien species, the rapid dissemination of information, and the rapid eradication of the alien species at an early stage of their spreading. However, if the species is already so widespread that eradication is no...

A country party to the convention must ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity at the national level The Convention on Biological Diversity is the most comprehensive international agreement on the conservation and use of nature. It provides for the protection of nature in all its richness and at all levels. Biodiversity is protected at the level of the gene, species...

Estonian national MAES project ELME („Establishment of tools for integrating socioeconomic and climate change data into assessing and forecasting biodiversity status, and ensuring data availability”) is in progress, led by the Estonian Environment Agency and the Ministry of the Environment. ELME project (2015/2016–2023) is co-funded by the European Union Cohesion Fund and the national foundation...

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...

This page contains decisions and declarations relating to the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol by various countries. The search function can be used in English.

The Estonian water network is dense, because the amount of precipitation exceeds evaporation here Watercourses There are thousands of watercourses in Estonia – according to the literature, more than 7,300 – with a total length of more than 31,000 km [1]. There are almost 3000 watercourses registered in the Estonian Nature Information System [2]. Most Estonian watercourses are short (94.3%), up to...