The landscape created by mining may no longer be suitable for the species that previously existed there; however, it may be suitable for new species Mines are divided into open-cast mines, i.e. quarries, and underground mines. During mining, mineral resources are taken from the earth’s crust for the purpose of using them, and after the mining is completed, the area is rehabilitated [1]. Quarries...

Estonia has had favourable conditions for the development of mires, and a great diversity of mires has developed here Mires are ecosystems where some of the organic matter created by living organisms at the expense of solar energy does not decompose and is deposited as peat, and the vegetation cover has no contact with mineral soils due to the peat. If a layer of peat has already formed in...

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...

The biggest threat to Estonian mire biota is the impact of previous drainage The special environmental conditions create suitable habitats for many different species in the mires. 280 species of vascular plants and 153 species of moss grow in Estonian mires. Most plant species (230) grow in minerotrophic fens, 103 species in mixotrophic fens, and 45 species in bogs. More than 300 species of...

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...

Nowadays, you can also get to know nature with the help of a smart device. With the help of smart applications and websites, nature lovers can supplement biodiversity databases Today, there are many Estonian-language nature-themed smart apps for both Android and iOS users. Some applications are helpful in identifying species, while others are tools for storing observations. Observation databases...

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...