Mushroom picking and eating began to be widely introduced in the late nineteenth century More than 7,000 species of fungi have been found in Estonia. There are about 400 species of edible mushrooms in Estonia, and about 200 species of poisonous mushrooms [1]. An Estonian still goes to the forest in the autumn to be able to make themselves a delicious sauce from fresh mushrooms and to salt...

Estonia has submitted five general reports on compliance with the requirements of the convention Article 26 of the Convention on Biological Diversity requires the acceded countries to report to the secretariat of the convention on the achievement of the objectives set out in the convention, as well as to describe what has been done and its effectiveness. Estonia has submitted five general reports...

Here you will find the reports submitted by Estonia on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol.

Estonian national species: the barn swallow, the cornflower, the wolf, the Baltic herring, and the common yellow swallowtail Many countries have symbolic national species – birds, animals, or plants – which are used as national symbols, for example on flags, coats of arms, banknotes, and stamps. Perhaps one of the most famous national species is the bald eagle of the United States. When the...

The Natura 2000 network aims to ensure the conservation and favourable status of habitats and species endangered across Europe Natura 2000 is a pan-European network of nature reserves, the meaning and content of which are set out in the 1992 European Union Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The same directive also included bird areas selected under the Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), which entered...

From 2006, you can apply for compensation for agricultural land in Natura 2000 areas which is paid from the Estonian Rural Development Plan The purpose of the support is to partially compensate the land owner for the loss of income due to nature conservation restrictions. The subsidy rate is 27 euros per hectare per year [1]. The grant is an addition to other area-based agricultural payments. In...

The subsidy may be applied for by a private forest owner whose forest area is at least 0.3 ha and is entered in the Estonian nature information system as a forestland entitled for support Compensation is paid to private forest owners in Natura 2000 areas, as well as in conversation zones of protected areas located outside them, on the basis of the Estonian Rural Development Plan (ERDP) to...

A habitat (biotope, ecotope) is a set of natural conditions that is necessary for a species or its population to live in that place. The European Union’s Habitats Directive defines the habitat types that must be protected in the Natura 2000 sites. Jaanus Paal has adapted the classifications of these habitat types [1] to the Estonian conditions, based on his own classification of Estonian habitat...

New species are constantly being added to the list of Estonian species Species that naturally expand their range are spreading to Estonia. This is being accelerated by global climate change, which is affecting the distribution, abundance, and characteristics of species throughout the world and is also creating favourable conditions for those species that have not been able to cope in Estonia so...