The history of nature conservation in Estonia goes back more than 100 years, beginning with the establishment of the Vaika Islands protected area in 1910 to protect bird species. Alongside traditional species protection, modern nature conservation focuses on preserving habitat integrity and raising public awareness of nature. The aim of nature conservation is to preserve the diversity of nature, or biodiversity, in all its forms and manifestations. The more functional and biodiverse ecosystems we have, the better equipped we are to secure food, natural resources, clean water and air, and the better able we are to cope with environmental pollution and adapt to climate change.
To preserve biodiversity and ensure the favourable condition of endangered species and habitats, 19.4% of Estonia’s land area and 27% of its territorial sea are protected. The primary purpose of management procedure is to establish an up-to-date protection procedure for all protected natural values and to achieve the defined conservation objectives.
Number of protected natural objects as of 1 January 2024:
As of 1. January 2024, there were 4,450 protected natural objects in Estonia (in brackets is the change compared to the beginning of 2023: 119↑), of which:
- 242 nature conservation areas (4↑);
- 150 landscape protection areas (3↓);
- 458 special types of landscape protection areas: parks and forest stands (6↓);
- 6 national parks (no change ↔);
- 4 areas with old or non-renewed protection procedure (8↓);
- 308 limited-conservation areas (3↓);
- 2,041 species protection sites (112↑);
- 28 natural objects protected at the local government level (4↑);
- 1,088 individual protected natural objects (1↓).
More information can be found in the Estonian Environmental Portal.
Nature Conservation Supervision
In nature conservation, as in other fields, there have been varying beliefs and views over time. However, thanks to the continuity of nature conservation efforts, our natural environment is relatively well preserved, with species-rich flora and fauna as well as unspoilt nature and habitats for rare species.
Nature conservation involves two interconnected aspects:
- conservation management, which is carried out by the Ministry of Climate and the Estonian Environmental Board;
- supervision, which is carried out by the Estonian Environmental Board.
The Estonian Environmental Board monitors compliance with the established requirements for protecting the natural environment to ensure the legal and sustainable use of our natural resources.
Supervision in nature conservation is divided into several areas:
- forest protection;
- protection of protected natural objects;
- species protection;
- shore and bank protection;
- hunting supervision;
- wildlife and animal protection.
More information about supervision can be found on the website of the Estonian Environmental Board.
Last updated: 17.07.2025
