The head of our Landscape Biodiversity Working Group, Aveliina Helm, spoke last week on RMK’s podcast Voices of Habitats. Together with RMK nature conservation specialist Bert Holm and semi-natural habitat manager Martin Krupp, she discussed the importance, restortion, and maintenance of seminatural grasslands.
Nedrema Wooded Meadow and Aveliina Helm. Author of Aveliina’s portrait photo: Brit Maria Tael.
Aveliina Helm’s thoughts from the podcast:
Seminatural grasslands are considered the most valuable semi-natural habitats in Estonia’s natural environment. They are specific meadow ecosystems ranging from floodplain meadows and coastal meadows to alvars and wooded meadows. The term also reflects the long history these grasslands carry within them.
The species of seminatural grasslands have evolved over millions of years, adapting to landscapes kept open by wild grazing animals. Today, through mowing and grazing, humans provide what could be described as an evolutionary service, helping these species continue to survive in our landscapes.
Wooded meadows are a landscape feature that has been forgotten remarkably quickly in Estonia’s cultural memory. A hundred years ago, most farms had a wooded meadow nearby or behind the farmstead. Today, less than two percent of their former extent remains. Nowadays, we tend to regard only completely open areas or fully forested landscapes as normal. Intermediate landscapes such as wooded meadows have almost entirely faded from memory, which is unfortunate.
Seminatural grasslands are home to nearly half of Estonia’s protected species, ranging from orchids and butterflies to farmland birds. Fifteen years ago, Estonia faced a situation where these habitats were literally at risk of disappearing. Today, significant restoration efforts have been launched, and we have a strong rural community with the skills, resources, and willingness to keep livestock and make hay.
Public understanding of the importance of seminatural grasslands for nature remains limited. Otherwise, why would we still see calls to stop maintaining seminatural grasslands altogether, arguing that there is no need for them in Estonia and that it would be better to let them become forested? I hope that awareness of the importance of seminatural grasslands will continue to grow.
I would encourage everyone to visit Estonia’s wooded meadows, such as the Nedrema Wooded Meadow, the Laelatu Wooded Meadow, and the Tagamõisa Wooded Meadow. These are places of immense historical value that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.
Listen the episode (in Estonian) here.