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Environmental information systems
Estonia is a low-lying coastal country located in the Baltic region. It is characterised by a significant number of islands and islets, with the largest ones being Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. The country has a terrestrial area of close to 45,000km² and a marine area of approximately 36,000km². Estonia shares its borders with 2 neighbouring countries. The highest point in Estonia is Suur Munamägi, reaching a height of 318m. With a population of 1.3 million people, Estonia has a population density of 30.6 people per km².
of land
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land was designated as protected areas, falling below the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, surpasses the EU value of 13.7%.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 1.7%, slightly below the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In the majority of protected areas in the terrestrial environment, accounting for are designated as Natura 2000 sites. Other protected areas are designated by national laws, representing . In the marine waters of , the majority of protected areas, accounting for , are designated as Natura 2000 sites.
Spatial distribution of protected areas network
Protected areas designated under national laws
Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network
Size distribution of protected areas network
The majority (84%) of protected areas in are less than 1km2 in size, which is higher than the average proportion of small protected areas across the EU. Only about 2% of sites are larger than 1,000km2. However, the distribution of protected areas in the marine waters of Estonia presents a more heterogeneous picture, with the majority of marine protected areas being 10-100km2.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 7% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 50% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.
Protected species composition by taxonomic group
In , the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 70.5%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 7.6% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 6.7%.
Conservation Status by Taxa
In , the assessment of species groups reveals that non-vascular plants have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following closely behind are arthropods, with 68.1% of species in good conservation status and mammals (64%). On the other hand, reptiles exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%. All other invertebrates have poor conservation status.
Habitats protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 25.8% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In the 56.7% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is considerably above the EU average of 14.7%. The proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 6.7%, is largely below the EU average of 35.8%.
Protected habitat composition by group
In the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, accounting for 21,6% of the total. Following closely behind are forests, encompassing 16,6% of the protected habitats.
Conservation status by group
In the assessment of habitat groups reveals that sclerophyllous scrub and heath and scrub have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following behind are coastal habitats, with 92.3% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, forests exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 20%, while grasslands have a proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 12.5%.
Estonia is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: forest ecosystems, which cover 59.7% of the country, followed by agroecosystems occupying 29.6% of the land area. However, Estonia has relatively smaller proportions of rivers and lakes (4.63%), wetland ecosystems (3.5%), urban areas (2.3%), and heathlslands (0.2%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 60.2% of the protected areas. Wetlands make up 14.9% of the protected areas and rivers and lakes contribute to 12.37%. Agroecosystems represent 12%, while heathlands comprise 0.5% and urban areas account for 0.2%.