Estonia's experience in restoring damaged ecosystems inspires experts worldwide

Restoration of the good condition of natural habitats plays a vital role in conserving biodiversity, mitigating climate change, ensuring food security and maintaining human health and well-being. More than 80% of natural habitats in Europe are damaged and degraded. The recently adopted EU Nature Regeneration Regulation seeks to change this situation decisively. 

According to Aveliina Helm, Professor of Restoration Ecology at the University of Tartu and head of the conference organising team, it is crucial to view the ecosystem as a whole. “Ecological restoration should focus specifically on natural processes. Thus, ecosystems can regain their self-regulation capacity and resilience. By restoration, we mean transforming degraded peatlands into cranberry and cloudberry bogs, removing dams to recover fish into rivers, and reintroducing biodiversity to mined areas. To get good results, we need in-depth knowledge and experience, as well as effective cooperation with local communities,” said Helm.  

In her opening speech, Minister of Climate Yoko Alender underlined that over the years, Estonia has accumulated truly successful and inspiring examples of how damage to nature can be reversed, ecosystems put on the road to recovery and local communities engaged. “The well-being of nature is good for everyone. For example, there are many small-scale farmers and companies in Estonia whose way of life and income are strongly linked to restored heritage meadows. The restoration of Estonia’s alvar grasslands on the islands of Saaremaa, Muhu and Hiiumaa won the special prize of the European LIFE programme as the best nature conservation project of 30 years. The great interest in attending the conference shows that these are valuable experiences from which there is much to learn internationally.”  

The presentations at SERE2024 reflected the latest research and practical solutions for restoring degraded ecosystems and effective conservation from around the world, with a focus on ways to improve the status of ecosystems, both on land and in freshwater and marine environments. Also, the participants discussed the possibilities of maintaining and restoring biodiversity in wind and solar parks, cities and agricultural landscapes, and how to implement the recently adopted Nature Restoration Regulation most effectively. 

The participants also heard about Estonia’s achievements in nature restoration at the conference. During excursions, the local success stories were introduced, from improving the biodiversity of quarries and the restoration of wetlands and bogs to the recovery of the condition rivers and fish populations, the diversification of agricultural landscapes and the maintenance and restoration of heritage grasslands.  

The conference was organised by the European Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, the University of Tartu and the Estonian Seminatural Community Conservation Association.