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...

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...

Conservation management plans and action plans for the protection of species provide for activities and works to improve and/or maintain the status of protected natural objects and protected species. In addition to inventories, surveys and monitoring, it may be necessary to carry out various practical activities, such as closing ditches and roads, removing bushes, milling to restore semi-natural...

Belonging to the global network of UNESCO is a great recognition for Estonia’s pure environment A biosphere reserve is an area that is internationally recognised by the UNESCO MAB (Man and Biosphere) programme. The sites are designated by national governments and each site must meet certain conditions to justify its inclusion in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Each site must include three...

What is organic production? How does it support biodiversity? Organic production is an agricultural method that takes into account the principles of the natural matter cycle for the production of food and other agricultural products [1]. In crop production, the aim of organic production is to maintain soil fertility by using only organic fertilisers, natural plant protection products, and non...

Soil erosion causes the loss of 25–40 billion tonnes of soil worldwide every year It is estimated that three square kilometres of soil are destroyed every day in Europe [1]. Due to urbanisation and road construction, an area of around 200,000 square kilometres in Europe, or the size of the United Kingdom, has lost its function permanently. The global economic damage from deforestation and land...

On 14 August 1910, the Riga Society of Naturalists rented the Vaika Islands in West Saaremaa where they prohibited all disturbance to seafowl. This was made possible by Artur Toom, an ornithologist and the keeper of the Vilsandi lighthouse. The first nature reserve in Estonia was established. In December 1935, the acting state elder Konstantin Päts signed the Nature Conservation Act and the State...

The Estonian native cattle is our cultural heritage that we need to preserve for future generations. We will never know when the genes of Estonian cattle need to be used in developing new breeds. The Estonian native cattle is the oldest native dairy cattle breed in Estonia. This breed has been developed for over 100 years. The earliest documented notes date back 243 years. In 1845, landowner...

The first milestone (2018) of the national MAES project ELME was the completion of the road map (action plan) for national scale MAES actions in Estonia. Among other aspects, initial prioritization of ecosystem services relevant for national assessment and mapping was made and the results has been used in the next MAES-works as a basis. The road map for mapping and assessment of ecosystems and...