ALFAwetlands Impactful Splash in Estonia

Recently ALFAwetlands Horizon Research project team visited Estonia to organise Annual Consortium Meeting and join INTECOL conference. European Wilderness Society, as a project partner also joint those events.

ALFAwetlands Consortium Meeting

The ALFAwetlands Consortium Meeting (CM) took place from June 26 to 28 in Tartu, Estonia — widely regarded as the intellectual capital of the country and located near one of Europe’s largest bogs. The meeting was hosted at the modern Oecologicum building of the University of Tartu’s Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences and organized by the University of Tartu, the project’s local partner.

The CM focused on reviewing the progress of ALFAwetlands implementation, sharing current research findings, and planning next steps. The program included technical sessions on Living Labs and preparations for the final conference, along with meetings of the Advisory Board and General Assembly.

A key highlight was an open session on the newly released European Wetland Map — a powerful geospatial tool supporting wetland restoration across Europe.

ALFAwetlands in Estonia

In Estonia, ALFAwetlands plays a key role in enhancing scientific and geospatial understanding of peatlands —ecosystems critical in the fight against climate change. The project monitors rewetting efforts, such as those in Soomaa National Park, that help peatlands regain their natural carbon-sequestering capabilities while supporting biodiversity. This supports Estonia’s national and EU commitments to restore at least 25,000 hectares of drained peatlands by 2050.

Tt was great to meet the ALFAwetlands consortium in person again. I’m impressed by the complexity of the work being done. The project is progressing well and holds huge potential for future research cooperation. It was also very valuable to visit the Estonian Living Lab sites — they’re completely different from what we have in Spain,

says Francesc Sabater Comas, Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona and ALFAwetlands partner.

Find out more from ALFAwetlands Press Release.

Intecol conference

The INTECOL Wetlands Conference took place together with the 20th Annual Meeting of Society of Wetland Scientists Europe in Tartu, Estonia on June 29-July 4, 2025. ALFAwetlands, together with its sister projects REWET, Restore4Cs and WET Horizons joint it as well.

A standout moment was Symposium 13: “Restoration of Wetlands – Pathways, Trade-offs and Co-benefits”, which featured coordinated presentations from all four Sister Projects. In this joint session, participants explored how wetland restoration supports carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water quality, and broader climate resilience.

Study Visit and Communication

Estonia, home to raised bogs, peatlands, swamp forests, and coastal marshes, provided a fitting backdrop for this gathering. With more than half its land covered by forests and significant wetland ecosystems, the host country underscored the urgency and opportunity of wetland protection in Europe. Considering that, INTECOL also included study visits to various wetlands sites.

One of them took place the Männikjärve raised bog with well established hollow-ridge-pool systems including more than 120 pools and Lake Männikjärve and peatland restoration sites in Laiuse and Endla. Laiuse is also one of ALFAwetlands Living Lab sites.

I was impressed by the beauty of the pristine Männikjärve raised bog and the great results of restoration on the heavily degraded peatland sites, which we have visited, “ emphasises Kris Decleer (Research Institute for Nature and Forest and Science, Belgium), ALFAwetlands project. “I think this is a very suitable area to show policy-makers the importance of properly restoring former peat extraction sites for the biodiversity and climate challenges we face. A science-based approach is key.”

says Francesc Sabater Comas, Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona and ALFAwetlands partner.

Find out more from joint Press Release.