Projects

In 2020 LIFE-IP project “Comprehensive management of forest and farming landscapes to improve the conservation status of Natura 2000 habitats and species” (ForEst&FarmLand) was launched, involving all key players from universities, forestry sector and nature conservation as well as NGOs to jointly protect and restore Estonian landscapes and ecosystems and to improve the condition of the species and habitats in Estonian forests and agricultural lands.

More information can be found from here

This project aims to understand whether, in which aspects, and over which scales, ditching of natural wetland landscapes leads to irreversible changes of ecosystem functioning. Dense ditch networks were established in the 20th century across vast land areas mostly in Eurasia for enhancing timber production; nowadays, these areas increasingly contain also protected areas and are subjected to hydrological restoration. In this setting, we address (1) approaches to measure ecosystem resilience; (2) possible critical extent of draining and production forestry pressure where, once exceeded, the ecosystem transformation becomes irreversible; (3) (through modelling) future dynamics of such landscapes and impacts on surrounding areas. The main expected result is a multi-disciplinary description of landscape-scale influences and feedback mechanisms of hydrological transformation of wetlands.

More information can be found from here

WaterLANDS will undertake hands-on restoration of specific wetland sites, covering an initial 10,500 ha, and create best practice models that can be applied to wetland restoration at other sites. By engaging with local communities and stakeholders, the project will ensure that wetland restoration results not only in environmental gains, but also social and economic benefits for the communities involved.

The five-year project is led by University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland and brings together 31 other organisations from research, industry, government and non-profit sectors in 14 European countries.

More information can be found from here and here

The project assesses (future) conservation status of threatened and protected species in Estonian natural ecosystems, in relation to climate change, protected area coverage and distribution, the protection regime and habitat restoration. The aim is to provide research-based input into the EU Biodiversity Strategy until 2030. The work includes the analysis of published research; evaluation of future changes in natural habitats and protected areas based on a set of selected species; and assessment of alternative conservation measures to address the negative changes. The study is grounded on the strategic goal to prevent any further deterioriation of the status of protected species by 2030; additionally, the Member States have to clearly improve the status of at least 30% of the species and habitats that currently have unfavourable status.

More information can be found from here