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On 25 September, the umbrella organisation of European hunters, FACE, presented the Estonian Hunters’ Society with an award for its significant contribution to nature and fauna.

On 12–13 August, we learned about the alien species control activities carried out under the Latvian LIFE project LatViaNature. The control activities were introduced to us by Jēkabs Dzenis, Jānis Saulītis and Aiva Bojāre from the Latvian environmental agency, with whom we visited the Ķemeri and Ragakāpa nature parks and the Vecdaugava nature reserve.

Last week, the Conference on Ecological Restoration in Tartu brought together 700 researchers, practitioners and policy makers from 47 countries, who have at heart the preservation of biodiversity, ecological restoration of nature and an ever smarter cooperation between man and nature. More than 80% of Europe’s natural habitats have been damaged and impoverished.

One of the largest farmers in Central Estonia, Ahti Kalde (Sadala Agro), is among the seven farmers who are testing the benefits of strips of grassland on agricultural land in cooperation with the LIFE IP ForEst&FarmLand project. Last year, he established 12-metre-wide grassland strips on 58 hectares of field, sowing a mix of native grasses and flowering plants that together cover about eight hectares of the field.

By preserving, maintaining and managing Estonia’s most diverse natural landscapes – semi-natural grasslands – we value Estonian traditions, culture and heritage. Haven’t our customs, our songs, our stories and our lifestyle as a whole been inspired and sustained by the diversity and beauty of the nature around us?

The Environmental Board has launched a call for tenders to restore more than 400 hectares of high-biodiversity semi-natural grasslands in protected areas in Estonia, including 86 hectares of coastal meadows that are important for the conservation of species. The coastal meadows will be restored with funding from the LIFE IP ForEst&FarmLand project.