The data collected in the framework of national environmental monitoring is reliable and of high quality Estonia has three levels of environmental monitoring: state, local government, and voluntary monitoring. The performance of environmental monitoring is regulated by the Environmental Monitoring Act. The state environmental monitoring is divided into 12 sub-programmes, which provide a...

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...

17 Natura 2000 nature sites, 6 bird sites, and a large part of the water-dependent habitat types are located on top of the Estonian oil shale deposit In 1996, an Australian study found that underground mining has an impact on water and biodiversity [1]. This impact is smaller than that of surface mining; the changes it causes will be felt over time and will be more concentrated in the area of the...

The area affected by drainage may be 20–150% larger than the peat extraction area Before the 1950s, peat was mined by hand from the edges of bogs in Estonia, and the extensive drainage known today was not done – that is why these areas recovered quickly and the impact on biodiversity was small. Since the 1950s, large-scale peat fields have been created as a result of the introduction of milling...

Many former quarries have been successfully reclaimed in Estonia Quarry reclamation means the restoration of post-mining land to forest land, cultivated grassland, or arable land, as well as the creation of a new type of land or landscape (water body, park, recreation area, etc.) [1]. The reclamation of the world’s mining landscapes began in Germany as early as in the eighteenth century [2], but...

Oil shale, or kukersite, is the most important mineral resource of Estonia, which has been the main source of electricity since 1924, but also a source of environmental problems The oil shale industry has significantly affected the socio-economic and natural environment of the Ida-Viru County for almost a century [1]. Due to oil shale mining and processing and activities related to oil shale...

Estonia has an obligation to rehabilitate at least 2,000 ha of cut-over peatlands in the period of 2014–2020 Cut-over peatlands are former peat mining areas and mire areas used for agricultural purposes where economic activity has ceased [1]. Cut-over peatlands can be classified according to their formation and characteristics [2]; two of the most common indicators are the thickness of the peat...

As of the end of 2019, wind turbines accounted for slightly more than half of the production capacity of renewable electricity Wind is a renewable natural resource and a wind energy ecosystem service that humanity has been exploiting for thousands of years. The widespread use of wind energy can partly reduce the need to burn fossil fuels and consequently reduce CO 2 emissions. As wind energy is an...

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...

Estonian rivers have a relatively small hydropower potential and much of it is already in use In a hydroelectric power plant, the kinetic energy of the river’s falling or flowing water is converted into electricity. Hydropower is considered a type of so-called green energy because it avoids the consumption of fossil fuels and running water itself is a renewable energy source. However, there are...