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...

In Estonia, the Lahemaa, Matsalu, and Soomaa National Parks have received recognition for sustainable tourism in protected areas The EUROPARC Federation, also known as the Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe, was set up in 1973 to promote the planning and management of protected areas, to contribute to the creation of new protected areas, and to raise awareness of protected areas...

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...