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...

A large audience and numerous participants provide an opportunity to raise the environmental awareness of the participants and spectators during the event As recreational sports gain popularity every year, the pressure on nature is also growing. New competitions and a growing number of recreational athletes require new venues, and in that regard, nature is used more and more. Sporting events can...

How to mitigate the impact of climate change on the natural environment? Climate change in the natural environment is mainly manifested in extreme changes in air temperature and precipitation: changing weather conditions, such as floods, high temperatures, and droughts, are changing current ecosystems permanently. More adaptable species will survive (for example, the jackal will arrive in Estonia)...

What changes in biodiversity will climate change bring? Global warming is caused by the greenhouse gases (CO 2, CH 4, N 2O, F-gases) released into the atmosphere, which create the greenhouse effect [1]. These gases do not release the thermal radiation from the Earth back into the atmosphere and the heat is reflected back to Earth [2]. Due to global warming, extreme weather events – storms, floods...

Winter cave trips endanger wintering bats Bats spend almost half a year hibernating, thus avoiding the harshness of the winter. For the winter, bats hide in underground spaces – in Estonia, they favour basements, mines, caves, old military tunnels and shelters. The main criterion for the choice of wintering grounds is the temperature, which must not fall below zero; high humidity is also a plus...

Welcome to the introduction page of the nature observations database! We invite everyone to enter their nature observations (the first springtime common hepatica, the roe deer you saw, the nightingale you heard, etc.) in the nature observations database. This database has been created for all nature lovers who want to keep a so-called nature observations diary and share their observations with...

What are nature observations campaigns? Although you can enter data into the nature observations database all year round, at the exact time you are actually in the wild, and observe the species that interest you most, there are sometimes targeted campaigns as well. Campaigns are designed to draw attention to a specific species or group of species, or to a region. For example, sometimes researchers...

A new Atlas of the Estonian mammals is being prepared, which will provide an up-to-date overview of the distribution of all wild mammal species in Estonia WATCH the actively updated MAP STORY of the mammal atlas HERE. More than 20 years have passed since the previous compilation and collection of a comprehensive mammal distribution data set. Major changes in land use (suburbanisation, changes in...

Greater genetic variability allows a population to better adapt to the changes in the environment Genetic diversity is the diversity of the units of heredity (genes). Genetic diversity, or gene pool, is usually understood in the meaning of genetic diversity within a species or within a population. Genetic diversity is crucial for nature. Greater genetic variability allows a population to better...

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...