In Estonia, mires currently cover about 6% and peatlands (former mires) cover about another 16% of the land area Types of mires: Minerotrophic fen is the first stage of mire development. In a minerotrophic fen, the peat layer is thin and the plants get their nutrients from groundwater. Minerotrophic fen vegetation is generally species-rich and lush, as the plants reach the groundwater. Today, most...

The biggest threat to Estonian mire biota is the impact of previous drainage The special environmental conditions create suitable habitats for many different species in the mires. 280 species of vascular plants and 153 species of moss grow in Estonian mires. Most plant species (230) grow in minerotrophic fens, 103 species in mixotrophic fens, and 45 species in bogs. More than 300 species of...

By closing the drainage ditches of the mires, we can restore their natural water regime and the mire community will gradually recover Where peat is deposited in natural mires, this process has been significantly slowed down or even stopped in drained mires. This leads to a change in the mire functioning as a carbon sink to functioning as a carbon emitter (atmospheric emitter) and negative effects...

Mires have been a refuge from wars, diseases, or other people Fens and bogs have been a part of the daily life of ancient Estonians, thus becoming an integral part of culture. The mire has been a refuge from wars, diseases, or other people – a role played by the mires during World War II, when the so-called forest brothers hid there. Mires have always been a source of berries, peat, and hay...

Peat is currently mined in Estonia on approximately 184 square kilometres The area of Estonian peatlands ranks third in Europe after Finland and Sweden. In Estonia, almost 22% of the country is covered with peatlands, and in most of these areas, the thickness of the peat layers is more than 30 cm. In the Earth’s Crust Act, mineral resources (including peat) are divided into economic and...

Preserving heritage communities is one of the most important responsibilities of our nature conservation As heritage meadows have been created with the help of man, they also have great cultural-historical and aesthetic value. When humans no longer care for these communities, they will overgrow. Junipers, reeds, trees, or shrubs will take over the grasslands and all the great biodiversity is lost...

Most of the species on the Estonian Red List are associated with semi-natural communities Heritage meadows have an exceptionally high species diversity. They are an important habitat for nearly 700 plant species. 76 plant species have been found growing on 1 m 2 of the Laelatu wooded meadow [1] – it is one of the densest plant communities in the world in terms of species richness. Alvars with dry...

The main reason for the loss of heritage communities was the abandonment of handicraft, and intensive agriculture Heritage meadows or semi-natural communities are also called heritage communities. Both names refer to a close connection with man and to the fact that we have inherited these communities from our ancestors. Semi-natural communities have emerged with the help of humans, as a result of...

Due to the young geological age of the Baltic Sea, no endemic animal species have emerged here The Baltic Sea mixes typical freshwater and marine conditions, so there are organisms of both marine and freshwater origin. Due to these special conditions, the number of species in the Baltic Sea is lower than in a sea with typical salinity. Many of the species here live under constant stress caused by...

The migration of today’s freshwater species to Estonian waters began about 2,500 years ago Geologically speaking, the Baltic Sea is a very young water body. The formation of the Baltic Sea is related to the warming of the climate at the end of the ice age, due to which the extensive ice sheet covering the area quickly melted. The Baltic Sea was born of the meltwater of ice sheets. At first, the...