On 3 June Otepää will play host to the opening of the final seminar of the international LIFE-Nature “Protection of Triturus cristatus in the Eastern Baltic Region” project, which will present an overview of the work done in Estonia and elsewhere over the last four years for the protection of the great crested newt. The LIFE-Nature project was designed to ensure a favourable status for the great created newt, creating the conditions for the preservation of the species as viable populations in the Eastern Baltic region and in Denmark (the places selected for the project). “The great crested newt looks like a tiny oriental dragon and loves living in small bodies of water,” explained Voldemar Rannap, the project manager with the Nature Conservation Department of the Ministry of the Environment. “Unfortunately there are very few such bodies of water for them, like ponds, which are suitable for their annual mating rituals. The aim of our project was to develop such bodies of water for them, as well as for the spadefoot frog, to rescue them from the threat of dying out.” A total of 240 small bodies of water were restored in the cultural heritage landscapes of southern and south-eastern Estonia, roughly half of which the great crested newt began to live in within one or two years of their completion. “It was great that what we were trying to do met with the approval of the land owners,” says Rannap. “What they got out of it was not just a fantastic new pond but also the knowledge that they were playing a part in preserving a number of species of amphibians.” The great crested newt project lasted four and a half years at a total cost of 11.5 million Estonian kroons. Half of this sum was financed through the European Union’s Life Fund, while the other half was contributed by those involved in the project. Estonia’s Environmental Investment Centre also provided support. The project was developed by the Estonian Ministry of the Environment, partnered by the State Nature Conservation Centre, Haanja and Rõuge municipalities, the Põhja-Karjala Regional Environmental Centre in Finland and the Århus Environmental Centre in Denmark. Also involved were the Võru and Põlva County Environmental Services and Amphi Consult, a private Danish company which protects amphibians. Experts from Latvia and Lithuania were also consulted for their knowledge of amphibians. The seminar will be held in English and last until 8 June. It will be attended by representatives from Estonia, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Latvia, England and Spain. In addition to the countries which took part in the project, representatives from north-western England, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Latvia and the Åland Islands will also be talking about the status of the great crested newt in their regions. The first two days of the seminar will be primarily dedicated to presentations, but there will also be excursions to project sites. The final two days are designed for site visits and networking. For further information please contact: (28.05.2008) |
