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Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

Estonia is the smallest (45,227 km2) and the northernmost of the Baltic States, located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The main types of ecosystems are forests, mires, grasslands, inland waters, and coastal and marine habitats. The total number of species is estimated at 35,000 to 45,000, but only 24,000 species have been recorded to date. There are 1,500 species of vascular plants, 525 species of moss (Bryophyta), 2,500 species of macrofungi, 1,500 species of microfungi, 337 species of macrolichens, 450 species of microlihcens, 3,000 species of algae, approximately 12,000 species of invertebrates and only 355 vertebrate species. The main trends in land-use dynamics are: a decrease in the proportion of agricultural land, especially semi-natural grasslands (from 65% in 1918 to 30% in 1994) and an increase in the proportion of forests (from 21 to 51%, respectively). The main threats to habitats are related to changes in land use and management systems, including drainage and peat extraction for wetlands, and over-fishing and pollution for marine habitats.

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

The extent of protected areas increased from 11% to 16% of the country’s territory following the selection and protection of the proposed Natura 2000 sites. The new areas have significantly contributed to the protection of raised bogs, calcareous grasslands, wooded and coastal meadows, old natural mixed forests, natural broadleaved deciduous forests, lakes, rivers, and marine habitats.

Percentage of Forest Cover

The forest cover of Estonia is 51% and includes 71 distinct forest types.

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

The strategy and action plan contains 28 objectives ranging from the in situ conservation of genetic resources to a gradual reduction in the use of oil shale as an energy source in the industrial sector and the development of organic agriculture. For the successful realization of each objective, a total of 408 actions are detailed, each of which includes a priority ranking, time scale and cost. Estonia lists 5 science tasks as being of the highest priority, which are: the compilation of a species inventory, the identification of major trends in the number of species, a compilation of the Black Data Book, the creation of diversity indicators for biocensus, and identification of the role of nature in Estonian culture. A new version of the Strategy and Action Plan for 2007 – 2013 is currently under development and is expected to be ready sometime in 2007.
 

• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (English)

Implementation of the Convention

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target

The EU Habitats and Birds Directive are being implemented in Estonia, which means that Estonia has committed to conserve at least 20% of each habitat type. In addition, there is a specific target to establish strict protection measures on at least 10% of the total forest area. However, protection of natural values, especially forests, on privately owned land is a difficult task as effective compensatory measures for land owners are still largely missing in Estonia. The national support system for the management or restoration of semi-natural habitats has since 2001 proved to be an effective and useful tool of nature conservation as it has created a more positive attitude towards nature conservation among landowners and helps preserve areas of significant biodiversity. In terms of species diversity conservation, 23 Action Plans have been adopted for 39 species and several species protection sites have been designated to protect their habitat. For the conservation of genetic diversity, mechanisms are in place to coordinate the collection, preservation, assessment and documentation of plant and farm animal genetic resources. The draft Nature Conservation Plan has targets for the restoration of at least 30% of semi-natural habitats by 2035 and the establishment of marine protected areas. The National Environmental Strategy addresses issues of pollution reduction such as the collection of wastewater of all settlements by the end of 2009 and the cleaning of wastewater of all settlements with more than 2000 inhabitants by 2010. Pollution reduction is also targeted in the Estonian Rural Development Plan, with objectives such as providing support to organic farming and promoting the efficient use of fertilizers. This Rural Development Plan also mentions the protection of traditional knowledge.

Initiatives in Protected Areas

Under the Estonian Environmental Strategy, the government will establish, by 2010, a network of nature reserves where zones of strict protection (areas where natural resources are left out of any economic use) would increase from 1% to 5% of the terrestrial area of Estonia. Since 2004, protection measures have been taken in 451 new sites, including both the expansion of the existing protected areas and establishment of new ones. According to the guidelines of the EU Habitats Directives, Estonia has pledged to conserve at least 20-60% of the area of each habitat type included in Annex I of the directives. Marine protected areas have been established totalling approximately 700,000ha, which makes up 50% of the area of the Estonian Natura 2000 network. New high priority sites for protecting lakes and natural river habitats have been established in over 200 lakes and over 400km of rivers.

Initiatives for Article 8(j)

The Ministry of Culture promotes the preservation of the Võro language and culture, associated with the rural and agricultural southeast Estonian county of Võromaa, through the Võro Institute. No other field studies related to the knowledge, innovations and practices of local communities are supported on a large scale. Small Island communities are being effectively involved in decision-making through the Estonian Small Islands Act. This Act stipulates that small islands, with a permanent population be represented by a special board that consults the Estonian Government on financial and legal decisions concerning life on small islands. The board consists of representatives from small islands, municipal heads and representatives from Ministries of the Environment, Internal Affairs, Finance and Economy.