Right in time for World Peatlands Day 2025 on the last day of May, the WaterLANDS Action Site Pärnu Catchment in Estonia celebrated a meaningful milestone in peatland restoration: the opening of the Kõrsa Citizen Science Trail near Sindi.
This new nature trail offers visitors a chance to experience a recovering peatland landscape while also contributing directly to scientific monitoring.
Kõrsa is a former peat extraction area that has been restored to support the natural recovery of wetland ecosystems. The Kõrsa area is one of three sites identified for restoration as part of WaterLANDS in the Pärnu catchment of western Estonia. Today, Kõrsa stands as a living example of how degraded landscapes can be brought back to life through well-planned restoration efforts. Kõrsa offers great potential for integrated recreation and wetland restoration due to its proximity to local communities, who are involved in the restoration through citizen science projects that facilitate planning, implementation and monitoring.
The new trail invites visitors not just to enjoy a walk through a varied and recovering landscape, but also to contribute to real scientific work. Citizen scientists can help monitor the site by measuring water levels, observing plant plots, or recording sightings of wildlife like dragonflies and amphibians. These simple contributions support researchers in tracking how the ecosystem changes and develops over time.
On the opening day, participants planted cranberries, hiked through the diverse terrain, and learned how anyone with an interest in nature can support long-term restoration monitoring.
Background
The Parnu catchment is an example of a landscape-scale restoration opportunity that ties various wetlands habitats, from bogs to river meadows, into a hydrologically connected landscape. It offers huge biodiversity benefits due to its large size, variable habitats and proximity to existing large-scale restoration sites. Rewetting will restore long-term carbon sinks and will prevent further oxidative emissions. Firm linkages have been established with two key stakeholders: Tootsi Turvas peat extraction company and the Estonian State Forest Management Centre, both of whom are WaterLANDS partners. Learn more about the Action Site here.
©All photos were taken by Anna Birgitta Erikson
