Conservationist highlights Estonia's most beautiful bogs
Estonia's bogs are among the country's most valuable ecosystems, offering striking landscapes while storing and filtering water, Climate Ministry adviser Hanno Zingel said.
Speaking on International Bog Day on Sunday, Zingel, an adviser at the ministry's Biodiversity Protection Department, highlighted Laukasoo Bog in Lahemaa National Park and Järva County's Kakerdaja Bog as Estonia's two most beautiful.
"They are truly picturesque places," he said, adding that while the colors, openness and landscape may seem similar at first, every aspect between the two is also unique. "There's so much there to take in all at once."
A raba, or raised bog, is a mature stage of a soo, or bog, Zingel explained, noting that the raised bog has developed its own, independent balance as an ecosystem.
He noted that bogs and wetlands have declined significantly both in Estonia and around the world, with only about one-fifth of their former extent possibly remaining.
"Estonia has been paying special attention to protecting bogs since 1938," Zingel said, adding that those efforts have only expanded over time.
Bog ecosystems play a key role in protecting water resources by filtering water, releasing it during droughts and absorbing excess water during floods.
"A bog is a special ecosystem that is essential for humanity, because it stores clean water and also purifies it," the adviser said. "It's a self-regulating system."
'We know how to bring bogs back'
He stressed that while bog water is clean and sterile, and can safely be used to rinse your hands and face, it isn't generally suitable as a source of drinking water as it lacks essential salts due to its acidity.
"Bog water may fool your thirst, but it certainly isn't a long-term solution," Zingel said.
Today, peat is gaining popularity in the beauty industry, where it is valued for its mineral content and use in skincare products.
Estonia's bogs also attract visitors from around the world, which Zingel credits in part to the country's nearly century of conservation efforts and growing experience with restoring damaged wetlands.
"Today we know how to bring bogs back," he said, adding that Estonia's restoration efforts are now among the world's leading examples of how to revive and strengthen ecosystems.
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Editor: Annika Remmel, Aili Vahtla
