Ensure that by 2030 at least 30% of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and marine and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration, in order to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity.

Estonia contributes mainly through: 
1) legally protected-area management 
2) dedicated restoration programmes and grants
3) EU-directive driven river-basin and marine “programmes of measures” that include concrete restoration actions.

National ambition: Estonia’s Environmental Portal states an explicit goal to implement restoration measures in 30% of degraded habitats by 2030 (and to reach favourable conservation status for all habitats and species by 2050).

EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR): As an EU Member State, Estonia will be required to prepare a national restoration plan showing how targets will be delivered (and revise it later).

Terrestrial ecosystem restoration measures
A. Peatlands and wetlands (rewetting, hydrology restoration, monitoring)

Estonia’s peatlands have been widely altered by drainage for forestry/agriculture/peat extraction, with documented impacts on ecosystem functioning and emissions—supporting peatlands as a national restoration priority.

B. Semi-natural grasslands (incl. alvars, wooded meadows, coastal meadows) – restoration + long-term management

Restoration works financed as “nature conservation grants”: Restoration activities include shrub removal, reed cutting, turf removal, reducing canopy cover, and building livestock yards; grants are organised by the Environmental Board and apply under ministerial conditions.

Scaling via annual management payments (effective restoration requires maintenance): Managed area of semi-natural communities increased from 15,181 ha (2007) to 35,571 ha (2021), and annual payments approached €6 million (2021).

Policy planning: An action plan for semi-natural grasslands (covering multiple habitat types) sets preservation/restoration goals through 2027, explicitly including improved connectivity and management quality.

C. Forest and woodland habitats (restoration through protection regimes + compensation instruments)

Estonia’s approach is largely restoration-through-protection and management in Natura 2000 areas and nationally protected forests, supported by compensation instruments (e.g., for restrictions).

3) Inland-water ecosystem restoration measures (rivers, lakes, groundwater-dependent ecosystems)
A. River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) 2022–2027 + programmes of measures

Estonia’s Water Management Plans 2022–2027 aim to reach at least good status of surface and groundwater and support sustainable water use; plans are prepared per river basin district.

B. River connectivity restoration (fish migration barriers; “free-flowing rivers”)

Targeted barrier solutions: work on migration barriers includes designs/solutions such as fish passes or demolition of weirs (case-by-case with owners).

Concrete restoration outcome example (Pärnu basin): An Estonian “free-flow” restoration practice reports 7 migration obstacles removed, >3,000 km of rivers opened, with habitat impact on 1,220 hectares and reported increases in fish abundance/return of species.

4) Marine and coastal ecosystem restoration measures (Baltic Sea, coastal waters)
A. Estonian Marine Strategy Programme of Measures (PoM) 2022–2027 (MSFD implementation)

Estonia has an adopted PoM with a quantified budget and a defined measure set addressing habitat disturbance, eutrophication, fisheries pressures, seabed integrity, etc.

Key restoration-relevant measures include:

Improve the effectiveness of the marine protected area network (ecological integrity/connectivity).

Improve fish spawning areas and migration routes and update protection measures.

Seabed integrity: compensatory measures for disturbing/destroying seabed integrity; minimum EIA and impact-monitoring requirements for “blue economy” projects.

Hydrographic restoration (Väike Väin): constructing openings in the dam to improve water exchange and reopen the strait as a fish migration route.

Pollution and litter measures that support ecosystem recovery: hazardous pharmaceutical waste management; new oil/hazardous chemical response capacity (buoy + research vessel); litter clean-ups; improved coastal waste management; stormwater/wastewater treatment to reduce microplastics; tyre-debris reduction.

Underwater noise: implementation of HELCOM’s regional action plan and national regulations.

5) Monitoring, prioritisation, and “effective restoration”

Estonia relies on regular national environmental monitoring to detect ecosystem change and support adaptive management/restoration prioritisation.

For water, Estonia maintains monitoring spanning hydrochemical, hydrobiological and hydromorphological components.