Nature conservation indicators show how successful nature conservation activities have been and the good/bad status of the nature. Just as a thermometer shows us whether we have a fever or if the temperature stays within the norm, environmental indicators show the state of our communities, species, and the environment in general. Nature conservation indicators, however, show how successful nature...

The role of the European Environment Agency is to provide reliable and independent environmental information on Europe Established in 1990, the European Environment Agency (EEA) is the European Union’s body responsible for providing reliable and independent environmental information. The European Environment Agency is an important source of information for environmental policy makers, implementers...

Funding for Estonian nature conservation comes mainly from the European Union funds and the state budget Funding for Estonian nature conservation comes mainly from the state budget and various European Union funds. The main sources of funding are the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EARDF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund, and the LIFE programme...

One of the key reasons behind global biodiversity loss is change in land use, which includes agricultural practices that cause extensive damage to the environment. Even though we don’t want to admit this to ourselves, Estonia’s landscapes, soil and water environment and biodiversity have been seriously affected by agricultural techniques that prioritise high yields. Valuable yet vulnerable islands...

Mushroom or berry picking trips with parents or grandparents are an integral part of many of our childhoods Foraging, i.e. collecting the gifts and consumables from nature without transforming it, was the main way of life for thousands of years, along with hunting. At the same time, the gifts of nature are not only berries, mushrooms, and nuts, but also medicinal and other edible plants. The...

The main task of the GBIF is to make information on species available freely and free of charge in a uniform format for all interested parties The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international network that aims to share information on all types of biodiversity in the world. The main task of the GBIF is to make biodiversity information available freely, free of charge, and to...

The first nature reserve in Estonia and the Baltics was established in 1910 under the leadership of Artur Toom Early nature conservation It is difficult to accurately determine the beginning of the history of Estonian nature conservation. It is believed that sacred natural sites (for example, sacred groves, springs, rocks) have been worshipped in Estonia for thousands of years [1]. The principles...

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...

Due to intensive farming methods, the world has lost a third of its soil over the last forty years due to erosion Today’s high-productivity agriculture is intensive and less environmentally friendly than traditional and extensive agriculture. In intensive agriculture, more fertilisers, pesticides, and insecticides are used – arable land plots are usually large and require a lot of fossil fuels to...

Compared to fossil fuels, the use of biomass does not emit additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere Bioenergy is obtained from organic matter by burning solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels. Most bioenergy is obtained through the use of various wood fuels (wood chips, pellets, firewood, etc.), less herbaceous biomass (hay, straw, reeds), biogas, biodiesel, or bioethanol. The main advantages of...