New species are constantly being added to the list of Estonian species Species that naturally expand their range are spreading to Estonia. This is being accelerated by global climate change, which is affecting the distribution, abundance, and characteristics of species throughout the world and is also creating favourable conditions for those species that have not been able to cope in Estonia so...

Due to its location, Estonia is on the border of the range of many species, which is why we have more species compared to the northern, western, and eastern areas According to data from the eElurikkus portal, more than 30,000 species are known in Estonia, but it is estimated that there are more than 40,000 species. The constantly updated information about them is gathered in the single database...

It is estimated that there are more than 40,000 species in Estonia The systematics of nature is based on the assumption that living beings form more or less different units – taxons. The central taxon, or the basic unit of systematics, is a species. A species is a set of organisms that are similar in some way. Members of a species are able to produce offspring with each other, but are generally...

There are 60 habitat types in Estonia that we must protect and preserve on Estonian territory The pan-European Natura 2000 network of protected areas was established on the basis of the European Union (EU) Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. Annex I of the Habitats Directive lists the natural habitat types in need of protection. Areas that occur in different locations but have similar...

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...

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...

After the oceans, soil is the next largest carbon sink on our planet Soil is one of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity: it is home to an estimated quarter of the world’s biota [1]. Soil has an important role to play in regulating climate change, floods, landslides, and droughts [2]. After the oceans, soil is the next largest carbon sink on our planet: it holds 75% of the land's carbon. The...

About a quarter of the world’s biodiversity is located in the soil Soil consists of mineral and organic parts. The organic part of the soil consists of living organisms and organic residues at different stages of decomposition. It is estimated that only 1% of soil organisms are known and described to date. About a quarter of the world’s biodiversity is located in the soil [1]. The importance of...

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...

More alien species are found in anthropogenic habitats than in natural habitats There are a wide variety of species in the anthropogenic habitats, from the first inhabitants of waste lands and landfills, many of whom are considered weeds (e.g. dandelion, plantains), to exotic plants planted in parks and arboretums. Anthropogenic terrestrial habitats can be broadly divided into two: purposefully...