Microsoft Word - Policy Brief - Estonia - FINAL

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the implementability of agro-environmental targets in Estonia, focusing on combating eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. It reviews the regulatory framework, the impact of agricultural transitions, and identifies institutional and technical challenges in meeting water and soil quality goals.

• Estonia's agro-environmental targets are established across the Water Act, the Nitrate Vulnerable Area programme, and the Rural Development Plan for 2007-2013, covering air pollution, climate change, soil and water quality, and the use of plant protection products and fertilisers.
• The Pandivere and Adavere-Põltsamaa nitrate-vulnerable area, covering 7.7% of Estonia, presents a conflict between high soil fertility attracting intensive farming and a karst landscape that leaves ground and surface water poorly protected from pollution.
• Environmental chemical loads have decreased since 1990 following agricultural restructuring, and phosphorus loads have also declined; however, organically farmed soils are losing fertility due to a lack of phosphorus in applied manure.
• Agricultural land use in Estonia includes 13% arable land and 49% forest. Organic farming grew from 8.8% in 2007 to 17.5% in 2009. Additionally, the share of protected territory increased from 12% in 2004 to 18% in 2010 after joining the EU Natura 2000 network, with 6% of arable land located in Natura sites.
• Key implementation challenges include inefficient manure management and fertiliser use, insufficient capacity for marketing and processing organic production, a need for better advisory services for small and medium producers, and a lack of cooperation between implementing institutions.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). Microsoft Word - Policy Brief - Estonia - FINAL. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/SEI-BalticCompass-Policy_Brief_Estonia.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Microsoft Word - Policy Brief - Estonia - FINAL. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/SEI-BalticCompass-Policy_Brief_Estonia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Microsoft Word - Policy Brief - Estonia - FINAL |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/SEI-BalticCompass-Policy_Brief_Estonia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendmicrosoft, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - Policy Brief - Estonia - FINAL}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/SEI-BalticCompass-Policy_Brief_Estonia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }