Estonians love nature and try to protect it in every possible way! Estonia is well know for its pure nature and nature protecive areas. There are 3864 protected nature objects in Estonia: 158 nature reserves, 152 landscape protection areas, 5 national parks, 80 old or unpowered protection zones, 534 parks, 335 conservation areas, 1426 permanent habitat etc. Nature conservation areas cover 18.7% of Estonia.
In April will take part an interesting event called “Frogs on the Road”.
Frogs and other amphibians are wintering in water bodies or digging into the ground. When the spring comes, frogs awake and they will have an irresistible urge to go to the ponds or other water bodies where they are accustomed to multiply. So they have been migrating long before people started building roads.
In order to save as many amphibious from car wheels, migratory routes should be considered when designing roads. Until this is done, people can still help frogs! People help them safely cross the road during their most bitter migration.
The frogs usually start moving in Estonia at the end of April, but it depends on the weather: there is a need for a constant 24/7 plus temperature and a little rain. Day by day the frogs move from sunset to 2-4 hours.
The Estonian Nature Fond, together with it’s partners is organizing a “Frogs on the Road” event, starting in 2012.
Volunteers in Estonia have helped to protect nearly 83,000 (every spring about 15000-20000) frogs from the dangers of busy roads. From 2012 there has been 2190 volunteers and the event has taken part at 42 different places all over Estonia.
Estonians do this for the purpose of protecting nature and it’s diversity. All frog species growing in Estonia are under protection.
Katrin Uurman
EUROPEA Estonia
National Coordinator
leader of the campaign “Month of an EUROPEA Member State”
Sources:
https://prezi.com/oghplpyoi2g3/konnad-teelt-talgud/
https://www.hooandja.ee/en/node/4336#tab-1-tab
http://konnad.elfond.ee
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-32706630
https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eesti_kaitsealade_loend
https://www.facebook.com/konnadteel/
