Active Wetlands Project

Restoring wetlands in order to reduce nutrient load from agriculture

In the Active Wetlands project the Estonian and Finnish farmers, rural advisors and decision-makers will learn how restored wetlands can be used in reducing the nutrient load from agriculture. Simple and environmentally friendly, active methods are tested for their nutrient retention ability in improving the efficiency of agricultural wetlands for water protection.

Agriculture in both Estonia and Finland is a large-scale industry. Consequently, the intensive use of land, soil erosion, and the unwanted nitrogen- and phosphorus-leaching have negative impacts on the environment. The most visible problem is the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, that also serves as the main threat to the biodiversity of the marine environment.

The Active Wetlands Project has identified possible solutions for how to reduce agricultural nutrient load by enhancing the nutrient retention in the watersheds. Constructed and restored wetlands are recognized as a potential tool for intervening between the nutrient leakage from arable land and the Baltic Sea water basin. Wetlands preserve eroded soil and nutrients from incoming water through sedimentation and plant uptake. They also improve species biodiversity as well as the landscape by creating habitats different from the neighbouring fields.

Partners of the project are: MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Jokioinen; Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE); Research Department/ Research Programme for Integrated River Basin Management, Helsinki, Finland; WWF Finland; Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS); Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Department of Water Management and Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF).

www.wwf.fi/activewetlands

Press release 9 September 2010 (pdf):
Pilot project for enhancing the nutrient retention efficiency of wetlands begins in Jokioinen.