Plain natural or semi-natural grasslands with low-growing plants. On the one hand, the formation of the local vegetation is influenced by the rising of the earth: from the waterline to the land, there are clearly different zones of vegetation, the width of which depends on the topography, sediments, and the height of the ground. On the other hand, coastal meadows are shaped by man: by grazing...

This habitat type includes semi-natural species-rich dry and fresh grasslands on dry and semi-arid calcareous soils, as well as dry boreo-nemoral grasslands, which are both important growth sites of orchids. The dry and fresh grasslands, which are widespread mainly on the lowlands of Western Estonia and the western islands, but also on the plateau of Northern Estonia, have a flat or a slightly...

The alvars cover the limestone areas with a very thin layer of soil (from a few to a few dozen centimetres) and a flat surface. These are usually dry or very dry habitats: the soil cover often completely dries out during the summer. In spring, on the other hand, the alvars can be quite wet and the depressions there can occasionally fill with water. Vegetation on the alvar grasslands is usually...

As most of the purple moor-grass meadows in Estonia have developed as a result of strong human impact (drainage), they have no nature conservation value. However, communities with abundant purple moor-grass in non-drained areas require attention. Includes the habitat type 2142 (fresh boreo-nemoral grassland site type) according to Paal.

This habitat type includes grasslands with taller vascular plants, which mainly border riverbanks, but also the edges of the forests as a narrow strip. As separate communities, these meadow strips have no conservation value, but they often form a buffer area around the more valuable core. Includes the habitat type 2212 (wet floodplain grassland site type) according to Paal.

Alluvial meadows, or flooded meadows – our meadow communities with the lushest plant growth – are located exclusively on the temporarily flooded floodplains along the rivers. They owe their lushness to the very fertile soil, which is improved by the nutrient-rich sediments carried by floods. Depending on the height of the ground (the position on the floodplain), as well as the flow rate of the...

This habitat type also includes low to moderately fertilised grasslands. As fertilisation significantly reduces species diversity, such meadows have no conservation value in Estonia, but in some cases, they can have value as buffer zones between and around other more valuable habitats. This habitat type also includes arable land that has been overgrowing for more than ten years, where the natural...

Heritage communities with species-rich vegetation, where open meadow areas alternate with small tree and shrub patches. The diverse light and humidity conditions created in this way allow both meadow and forest plants to grow here side by side. Trees are often represented by broadleaf species (oak, ash, linden, maple), and there are many rare and endangered meadow species, including orchids, in...

This habitat type includes both the species-rich dry and fresh grasslands on limestone-poor dry or moderately moist soils and the even more species-rich dry boreal grasslands. Compared to the previous habitat type (6210), this habitat type has plant species that are less demanding in terms of nutrients. As with grasslands in general, the vegetation has developed under the influence of long-term...

A large-scale habitat type, which includes our paludifying forests, (true) fen forests, and swamp forests. They all grow on flat land, in flat depressions, or at the foot of slopes where groundwater is close to the ground. The groundwater level is variable: in spring, it is high, often reaching the surface, while in summer, it drops deeper. In paludifying forests, the thickness of the peat horizon...