Estonian Ornithological Society LIFE00NAT/EE/7082

1. Estonian Ornithological SocietyLIFE00NAT/EE/7082 Project title: Restoration and management of the Häädemeeste wetland complex Duration: 01.08.2001-30.04.2005 Total budget: 675 286 EUR LIFE Nature contribution 75 % (506 465 EUR) Location: SW-Estonia, Pärnu County, Häädemeeste, Tahkuranna and Surju local communities. 10 000 ha Partners: Pärnumaa Environmental Department Häädemeeste Community The State Forestry Centre

2. Littorina Sea dunes Ancylus Lake dunes The location and borders of the Rannametsa-Soometsa Nature reserve Timmkanal

3. Conservation status of the project site • Rannametsa-Soometsa NR established in 2000 • Partially the area was the Landscape Reserve since 1968 • No personnel and management plan • Due to high values area is getting more international designations: IBA (global level) Candidate of Ramsar area Candidate SPA & cSAC (Natura 2000)

4. Habitat degradation, habitat loss Poor local economical situation Not enough resources on governmental level Land ownership Land use (hunting, drainage, logging) Tourism pressure Community (un)awareness Need for the Project

5. Main goals • to secure the favourable conservation status of the habitats and species of the European Community importance • to get experiences in management of a reserve with the complex range of habitats, threats and interests and as a potential Natura 2000 site • to get control over the land use, recreation and tourism activities and lead them towards sustainability

6. Main goals • to use the project as demonstrative example for various kind of pilot activities of conservational management • to test the model of protected area management, based on NGO, state, local authorities, private landowners/landusers and other stakeholder interplay • to involve the local society into the conservational management activities and improve the economics • to rise the public awareness and enhance the understanding of current nature conservation highlights

8. Project preparation process • We organised a public meeting during the project writing process, where we informed the local community about possibility of getting funds from LIFE Nature and asked peoples´ opinions about the actions. People gave their impressions about the changes in nature, showed their discontent about the specific issues like coastal meadow overgrowing, lack of information and knowledge, also an interest to contribute. Several project actions and practical solutions came from locals, knowing the area and management techniques best.

9. Obvious problems in bogs: 40 ha of peat cutting fields Large scale marginal drains Channel, dug through the bog in 1860-ies

10. Changes in landscape • large bog waterbodies, open in 1950-ies, have changed to swamps or quagmires • Owergrowth with pine

11. Collaboration with: • Nigula Nature reserve • Tallinn Pedagogical University, Institute of Ecology, Mire research group • Univerśity of Wageningen • Agricultural University of Uppsala • Technical designs from company “Maa ja vesi”

12. Problems quite underestimated in press and public: Interviews in Estonian radio, BBC

15. The dam was built to close the “Kalakraav” ditch in summer 2005

18. Water table has risen 175 cm during 3 weeks

19. The mire restoration seminar in Ministry of Environment

20. The pictures, management plan and text of mire restoration report can be found www.luitemaa.eoy.ee Thank You