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This year, three farms have taken a big step towards diversifying the agricultural landscape with the support of our project. Aivar Mikkus from Kirbla OÜ created strips of grassland on a 20 ha field, Kalmer Visnapuu from Piira farm on a 46 ha field, and Sander Hiire from Mäemõisa OÜ on a 32 ha field.

Wetlands – areas that are permanently wet or at least partly covered by water for part of the year, including wet woodlands, shallow water bodies or flat seashores – are some of the world’s most important ecosystems, providing nature’s benefits and a place for recreation for people, as well as habitats for many species of plants, fungi and animals.

A study commissioned by the Environmental Investment Centre and the Estonian Private Forest Union (Eesti Erametsaliit) working group on the revising of private forest measures, titled

Just like last year, in addition to the basic subsidies, landowners can apply for an additional grant to assess the value of their land. This does not require landowners who maintain semi-natural grasslands to make any changes to their maintenance practices, but does require filling in an assessment form about the land, which helps to see the natural values of the maintained area.

The ecological restoration of nature is all about recovering what has already been, not creating something new, and, therefore, the history of the area should be taken into account. Conservation sites are selected on the basis of careful analysis and there is nothing random about it.

Last year, BirdLife Estonia (Estonian Ornithological Society) published its current research findings on the habitats of the grey partridge and the corncrake, which revealed many new and interesting facts.

The biodiversity of Estonia, and indeed of Europe as a whole, is fundamentally linked to its agricultural landscapes. Unfortunately due to intensive agricultural practices, Estonia’s diverse landscapes have been replaced by monoculture fields.