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...

Estonian national MAES project ELME („Establishment of tools for integrating socioeconomic and climate change data into assessing and forecasting biodiversity status, and ensuring data availability”) is in progress, led by the Estonian Environment Agency and the Ministry of the Environment. ELME project (2015/2016–2023) is co-funded by the European Union Cohesion Fund and the national foundation...

Mapping and assessment of the main terrestrial ecosystems Countrywide mapping and assessment of the of the condition and services of the main natural and semi-natural terrestrial ecosystems was initiated at the end of 2018 and completed in 2020 in the course of the national MAES project ELME [1]. This first completed stage is also called ELME1. In 2021 –2023 further methodological refinement and...

Without protected areas, it would be difficult to ensure the survival of species and communities The task of classical nature conservation is to protect endangered species, but also to preserve the diversity of communities and habitats, to create feeding, resting, and breeding areas for wild game, birds and fish, and to protect landscapes, water, or soil. Without protected areas, it is difficult...

The aim of the AEWA is to protect migratory waterbirds and their habitats throughout the migratory range The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) aims to provide international protection to migratory waterbirds and their habitats throughout the migratory area of the African-Eurasian migratory route of arctic waterbirds. The agreement is administered by the...

The Aarhus Convention is an important cornerstone of environmental policy and law The Aarhus Convention regulates access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters. The convention is one of the conventions of the UN. The Aarhus Convention is an important cornerstone of environmental policy and law. It gives people the opportunity to have...

The purpose of the Bern Convention is to protect all species of wild flora and fauna, as well as their habitats The Bern Convention, which was concluded in Switzerland in 1979 and entered into force three years later, aims to protect all species of wild flora and fauna, as well as their habitats. Particular attention is paid to the protection of endangered species, including migratory species. The...