Wolf (Photo: Valeri Stserbatyh)

Raccoon Dogs (Photo: Valeri Stserbatyh)

European Beaver (Photo: Sven Zacek)

Elk (Photo: Valeri Stserbatyh)

One of the most important and endangered type of forests in Estonia is Western Taiga. Western Taiga is a complex forest habitat type, ranging from dry pine forest (Pinus sylvestris) to damp spruce forests (Picea abies). Some stands in such forests may be quite young, having regenerated after a forest fire that occurred over hundred years ago, while others are significantly more mature.

In all cases, natural Western Taiga – not subjected to commercial forestry – is extremely rich, providing habitats for many threatened species of lichens, bryophytes, insects and birds. The dead wood, in particular, plays a central role in maintaining this high conservation value.

Estonian forests and woodlands are well-known in Europe for its number of mammals living there: 700-800 lynxes, over 150 wolves, 500-600 brown bears, and almost 20,000 beavers. The flying squirrel, in addition, is the pride of Estonian forests – throughout Europe they can only be found in Estonia and Finland.

Estonian Western Taiga forests stand out also with their extraordinary richness in birds species. Here the strong breeding populations of the wild fowls make the region even more distinguished. One of the most vivid indicators of diversity are definitely woodpeckers: eight different species of woodpeckers nest in Estonia’s territory. During the birding trips, often there are mornings when six different species of woodpeckers can be found in one spinney!

The nesting owls have also been thriving in Estonia’s forests, with mostly stable populations during the last decades: Tengmal’s Owl 200-400 pairs, Ural Owl 1500-2500 pairs and Pygmy Owl 600-1200 pairs. The only concern is the steep drop in the number of Eagle Owls. The typical grouse in Estonian forest areas is unquestionably Hazel Grouse, up to 40,000 pairs nest here. The number of Capercaillie has stabilized during the last decades and now about 2000-3000 pairs nest in Estonia. The most endangered species of the wild fowls is Black Stork.

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Learn More About Estonia: Featured ecoDestination

Estonia is a small country, situated on the Baltic coast between Russia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden. Estonian territory is about same as the Netherlands, but the population (1.4 million) is eleven times less, which means that there is lot of space for nature. About 50% of country is covered by forests and woods, and is home to eagles, wolves, brown bears and lynx. People of Estonia often call themselves the “forest people”, and have lived on these lands since Stone Age. more…

European Ecotourism Conference (EETC), Pärnu, Estonia, September 26-30, 2010

Join TIES and Estonian Ecotourism Association this September at the EETC 2010, being hosted in Pärnu, Estonia, and you will have the unique opportunity to meet ecotourism leaders from across Estonia and Europe. Pre- and Post-conference tours include: Kayaking in the Bay of Tallinn and Elk watching and wolf tracking. To learn more about the conference program and to register, go to the EETC 2010 webpage.Don’t forget to join the EETC group on Facebook and LinkedIn to participate in on-going discussions about ecotourism in Europe!