Restrictions are necessary to ensure the safe migration of fish to spawning grounds, spawning peace, the protection of undersized fish, and the conservation of endangered species Catch restrictions are set to ensure that fish stocks are in good condition and that the conditions for spawning, or producing the next generation, are as good as possible. Restrictions are therefore imposed to not...

Due to intensive farming methods, the world has lost a third of its soil over the last forty years due to erosion Today’s high-productivity agriculture is intensive and less environmentally friendly than traditional and extensive agriculture. In intensive agriculture, more fertilisers, pesticides, and insecticides are used – arable land plots are usually large and require a lot of fossil fuels to...

European agricultural measures must be consistent with environmental and climate policies Agricultural grants are paid under the European Union’s (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The CAP has two so-called pillars: direct payments and market organisation measures, and the rural development policy. While direct payments come from the EU, in 2022 the rural development support is paid on the...

The diversity of our food depends largely on the existence of pollinators Pollinators are insects or other animals that, by carrying pollen from the anthers to the stigma, pollinate the plant, and thus allow the plants to bear fruit. Pollinators include bees, bumblebees, butterflies, flies, and beetles, as well as birds, rodents, and bats. It is estimated that there are more than 20,000 different...

How do agri-environmental measures affect the number of bumblebees? In Estonian, bumblebees (genus Bombus) are called rural bees or forest bees. These insects are an essential link for the normal functioning of the living environment and the economy, including agriculture. We look at the benefits of environmental measures, which should, among other things, help save pollinators. Bumblebees belong...

Each of us can preserve biodiversity when we move around as tourists Over the last hundred years, the tourism industry has become an important and constantly growing industry. Travelling and discovering new places is a popular hobby and recreational activity for many people. Unfortunately, there is a price for curiosity, which is also reflected in environmental problems, for example – air travel...

There is more and more talk of biodiversity-friendly tourism There is an increasing focus in the world on making informed choices to conserve natural resources and the environment. This also applies to the tourism industry, and includes saving and using water and energy wisely, reducing and sorting trash and waste, consuming local products, favouring environmentally friendly materials, and...

A species protection site is a protected area established for the protection of the habitats and sites of protected species A species protection site is an area located outside of a protected area or in the limited management zone of a protected area, which is delimited according to the Nature Conservation Act and can be used in accordance with special requirements, and which is: the reproduction...

A protected species is a taxonomic unit of an animal, plant, or fungal species whose specimens, habitats, or places of finding are protected under the Nature Conservation Act or are listed in Annexes A to D of EU Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97. A protected fossil or mineral is a fossil or mineral included in a protected category, the specimens or deposits of which are protected on the basis of...

At the local government level, a protected natural object may be a landscape, valuable agricultural land, valuable natural community, a single element of the landscape, a park, a green area, or a single element of landscaping that is not protected as an individual protected natural object or located in a protected area. Only the limited management zone regime applies to an area protected by the...