The natural values of meadows, or heritage communities, can only be preserved by human intervention Heritage meadows, also called semi-natural communities or heritage communities, are grasslands that have traditionally been used as pastures or hayfields. The biota of the heritage meadows is natural – the heritage meadows have not been ploughed, fertilised, and no seeds of cultivated plants have...

Estonia has had favourable conditions for the development of mires, and a great diversity of mires has developed here Mires are ecosystems where some of the organic matter created by living organisms at the expense of solar energy does not decompose and is deposited as peat, and the vegetation cover has no contact with mineral soils due to the peat. If a layer of peat has already formed in...

According to the water flow, inland water bodies are divided into watercourses and stagnant water bodies Inland waters include waters separated from the oceans: rivers, lakes, artificial water bodies, groundwater, continental ice, and glacier water [1]. People usually associate inland waters with activities such as fishing, hiking, quenching their thirst, and watering plants. However, the water...

The Baltic Sea is the second largest inland sea in the world A sea is a part of the world ocean that is more or less separated from the oceans or other seas by continents, islands, or bottom uplands. The seas are divided into: the inter-island seas (a part of the world ocean surrounded by archipelagos), the inland seas (a sea connected to the ocean or other seas by straits), and the peripheral...

The Estonian sea coast is diverse and the types of shores that occur here often vary after a short distance The coast is considered to be the coastal zone and the adjacent land and sea – coastal lands and coastal sea. The landward border of the coast is the imaginary line connecting the bottoms of the bays, while the seaward border is an imaginary line connecting the peaks of the peninsulas. If...

The species richness of settlements is mainly concentrated to parks and gardens, where there are also more natural species Human activities affect most of today’s communities. In Estonia, humans have only refrained from significantly interfering with the development of bogs, other primitive communities are extremely rare. Even some forests that appear to be primeval forests grow on sites that were...

The weathering of the source material and the organisms that decompose organic material play an important role in soil formation Soil is the superficial loose layer of the earth’s crust, formed as a result of the weathering of the source material and the activity of plants and microorganisms. Soil is formed over a very long period of time by the interaction of many natural factors. Soil thickness...

A habitat (biotope, ecotope) is a set of natural conditions that is necessary for a species or its population to live in that place. The European Union’s Habitats Directive defines the habitat types that must be protected in the Natura 2000 sites. Jaanus Paal has adapted the classifications of these habitat types [1] to the Estonian conditions, based on his own classification of Estonian habitat...

The first nature reserve in Estonia and the Baltics was established in 1910 under the leadership of Artur Toom Early nature conservation It is difficult to accurately determine the beginning of the history of Estonian nature conservation. It is believed that sacred natural sites (for example, sacred groves, springs, rocks) have been worshipped in Estonia for thousands of years [1]. The principles...

There are two general goals – the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia establishes that the natural wealth and resources of Estonia are national riches which must be used sustainably. This requirement serves as basis for nature conservation goals. More specifically, the field of nature conservation is governed by the...