Inland waters form very diverse habitats Inland water bodies vary in size, depth, amount and nature of solutes, water flow rate, the characteristics of the bottom, water temperature, and many other aspects. Their combinations form very different habitats inhabited by very different species. The number of species usually increases with the increase in the area or catchment basin of a water body, as...

The Estonian sea coast is diverse and the types of shores that occur here often vary after a short distance The coast is considered to be the coastal zone and the adjacent land and sea – coastal lands and coastal sea. The landward border of the coast is the imaginary line connecting the bottoms of the bays, while the seaward border is an imaginary line connecting the peaks of the peninsulas. If...

In 2013, Estonia was officially declared a rabies-free country Many game-borne diseases also threaten domestic animals. The best known of these are rabies, African swine fever, avian influenza, echinococcosis, and scabies. Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that is incurable and always fatal. The incubation period of the disease can be from a few weeks to a few years, and the virus remains viable...

Forests cover about half of Estonia's area According to the 2023 statistical forest inventory, there are 2 334 177 hectares of forest land in Estonia, i.e. 51.5% of the entire territory of Estonia [1]. In other words, forests cover about half of Estonia’s area. According to the Forest Act, forest land is considered to be land that meets at least one of the following requirements: is entered in the...

By closing the drainage ditches of the mires, we can restore their natural water regime and the mire community will gradually recover Where peat is deposited in natural mires, this process has been significantly slowed down or even stopped in drained mires. This leads to a change in the mire functioning as a carbon sink to functioning as a carbon emitter (atmospheric emitter) and negative effects...

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...