Estonia to expand Alutaguse National Park by nearly 25,000 hectares — ERR News
In Estonia, the government has approved changes to the protection rules for Alutaguse National Park, providing for its expansion by 24,749 hectares. After this, the park’s total area will amount to 69,768 hectares, ERR News reports.
The decision is intended to unite separate protected areas and species habitats into an integrated ecological territory. Minister of Energy and Environment Andres Sutt said that Alutaguse is Estonia’s largest continuous forest-and-wetland landscape and the only place in the country where the flying squirrel still lives.
Protection of forests and wetlands
The national park will include 97 separate species habitats with a total area of 7,506 hectares. Another 17,237 hectares will receive protected status for the first time, mainly valuable forest habitats. Protection will also extend to 3,040 hectares of wetlands that were previously unprotected, including the Virunurme, Lemmakü, Kaasiku, Kassisare, Opetaja and Pikasilla bogs.
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Almost all of the park’s new territory is state-owned. Only 24 hectares, or about 0.1% of the area receiving protected status, are privately owned. These lands will be assigned to a restricted management zone, where forestry is possible under certain conditions.
Flying squirrel and capercaillie habitats
The expansion is expected to improve protection of the flying squirrel, whose range in Estonia is limited to Alutaguse, as well as the capercaillie. An additional 10,513 hectares will be protected for capercaillie habitats. Overall, according to ERR News, the decision is expected to strengthen protection for 37 species threatened with extinction or population decline.
The expansion procedure was initiated by a directive of the climate minister on October 17, 2024. The draft of the new protection rules was available for public consultation from June 18 to September 5, 2025. After proposals were considered, restrictions in the capercaillie zone were eased, 1.7 hectares of residential land were excluded from the protected area, and construction was permitted on household plots. The new rules will enter into force on the tenth day after publication in Riigi Teataja.
