Estonian and Finnish farmers, rural advisors and decision-makers will learn more about how wetlands can be used to reduce the nutrient load from agriculture in the ACTIVE WETLANDS project. Simple and environmentally friendly methods will be introduced to increase the efficiency of agricultural wetlands.

Agriculture is an important sector in both Estonia and Finland. However, active uses of land, soil erosion, and nitrogen- and phosphorus-leaching have negative impact on the environment. These create problems like eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, erosion of arable land and inefficient use of valuable plant nutrients.

The ACTIVE WETLANDS project has identified possible solutions for how to reduce agricultural nutrient load by enhancing nutrient retention in the watersheds. Constructed wetlands are recognised as a powerful tool to reduce nutrient run-off from arable land to the Baltic Sea. Such wetlands preserve soil and nutrients from incoming water and increase biodiversity by creating plant and animal habitats different from neighbouring fields.

In Estonia and Finland, there is a demand for knowledge about the optimal wetland design, construction and, in particular, management. If small wetlands can be made more efficient in their nutrient retention, they will reduce eutrophication of our surface waters and the Baltic Sea. Therefore, the project will promote small wetlands, but also educate people with respect to agricultural wetlands.

By establishing small pilot wetlands, the project will find practical designs and methods to increase nutrient retention efficiency of wetlands. The project will also test the potential of the pilot active wetlands with mathematical and economical models to estimate their cost-efficiency in retaining eutrifying nutrients originating from agriculture. Following the results, the project can suggest ways to include agricultural wetlands in the current agricultural policy.

The ACTIVE WETLANDS project will work with farmers, agricultural stakeholders, rural advisers and decision-makers. The partnership of Active Wetlands Project consists of six partners in Finland and Estonia, each of them expert in some aspect in agriculture, research, testing constructed wetlands, environmental protection and contacts with decision-makers.

The project started at the beginning of November 2009 and will last 3 years.

Lead Partner:

* MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Jokioinen, Finland

Partners:

* Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Research Department/ Research Programme for Integrated River Basin Management, Helsinki, Finland
* WWF Finland, Helsinki, Finland
* Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS), Turku, Finland
* Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Department of Water Management, Tartu, Estonia
* Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF), Tartu, Estonia