On Thursday, 10 March, the Government of the Republic approved the second investment plan for the measure “Preservation of Natural Diversity”, on the basis of which 24 projects will be funded from the European Regional Development Fund, helping to preserve the diversity of Estonian nature. Eight out of 24 projects entered into the investment plan are related to reconstruction of endangered habitats. The objective of five of these projects is reconstruction of bogs. This field is highly important in Europe and therefore bogs have been entered as a priority in the European Union List of Threatened Habitat Types. According to Minister of the Environment Jaanus Tamkivi, we are lucky to still have bogs in Estonia; in Western-Europe, these have practically disappeared due to human activity. “Our bogs have been preserved, but the border areas of most of them are nevertheless impacted by drainage and therefore their functioning as an ecosystem is disturbed. In addition to maintaining natural diversity, bogs are also highly important as clean water reservoirs and have an important role as binders of CO2,” Tamkivi added. Within the framework of investment plan projects, it is planned to restore the parts of drainage-affected bogs at Muraka and Endla nature conservation areas, residue marshes of Viru and Hara bogs in Lahemaa National Park (abandoned peat extraction areas), and the Rannu bog residue marsh within the Aseri landscape protection area. In addition to the eight projects on restoration of endangered habitats, one project entered into the investment plan is related to repelling introduced species (Sosnowskyi’s hogweed), five projects to establishing an infrastructure needed for nature protection and ten projects with reconstruction of the objects necessary for guiding visits to natural objects under protection. The total estimated cost of these projects is EUR 3,867,928 and these are fully funded from the European Regional Development Fund. The projects are implemented by the State Forest Management Centre and the Environmental Board. The European Regional Development Fund prescribes a total of EUR 21.7 million (EEK 340 million) for preservation of national diversity for the years 2007–2013, helping to ensure a favourable situation of the endangered species and habitats, as well as landscape under protection. Preservation of natural diversity is funded by three funding schemes: open application rounds, programme and investment plans. |
