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Soomaa (Peatland) National Park

Estonia (Europe and North America)

Date of Submission: 06/01/2004
Criteria:
Category: Mixed
Submission prepared by:
TTU Institute of Geology E-mail: inst@gi.ee
Coordinates:
Soomaa National Park is located in Viljandi and Pärnu counties of the Republic of Estonia
Ref.: 1853

Description

The Soomaa National Park has an area of 370 km. The largest four bogs situated on its territory include Kuresoo (10843 ha), Valgeraba (3379 ha), Ordi (7135 ha) and Kikerpera (8775 ha). The bogs are separated from each other by the Pamu, Halliste, Navesti, Raudna, Lemmijogi, and Kopu rivers. Alongside rivers, floodplain meadows and floodplain forests occur. Halliste wooded meadow, part of the riverside floodplain forest, Ruunaraipe dunes and habitats of the rare plant species Gypsophila fastigiata had been taken under protection earlier. On May 25, 1981, twenty-eight new bog reserves including Kuresoo, Valgeraba, Ordi and Kikerpera bogs were founded in Estonia.

Soomaa - a natural phytogeographic region in Intermediate Estonia according to T. Lippmaa - stands out with its well-preserved virgin nature. It is also important from the standpoint of ethnographic culture and cultural history. Bogs as natural heritage have nearly disappeared in the European cultural region. Soomaa represents a typical and the largest natural bog landscape in Estonia and one of the last bog massifs preserved in Europe.



SOOMAA PEA TLAND



Soomaa's location on the boundary of Lower and Upper Estonia has promoted the formation, development and preservation of the bog system. It is situated in the zone marking the transition from a maritime to an inland region. Climatic conditions in the area are determined, on the one hand, by the influence of the Baltic Sea (Parnu Lowland) and, on the other hand, by the influence of nearby elevations (Sakala Upland). The climate is moderately mild, mean annual temperatures being predominantly in the range of 4.5-5°C. Average annual precipitation is 600-650 mm, the snow cover lasts 95-100 days. Frequent floods at the lower courses of rivers promote further paludification of soils. Paludification processes started after the recession of the ice sheet from the zone of ice marginal formations of Sakala Stage ca 13 000 years ago. By the succeeding Pandivere Stage ca 12 500 years ago, the area was free of ice. A glacial lake formed between the glacier and Sakala Upland and the territory of Soomaa was covered with water during several centuries. During the Baltic Ice Lake (11 200-10 600 years ago), a small area northwest of Tohvri settlement remained higher (39 m a.s.l.) above the water level at Soomaa. During the Yoldia Sea, the water level dropped (at least 25 m) rapidly enough and Soomaa turned into dry land where lakes preserved only in larger depressions. Formation of bogs in Soomaa started together with the development of river network ca 10 000 years ago. To date, the surface of large bog massifs is prevailingly 5-6 m higher than that of the surrounding mineral soils. Kuresoo (area 10 842 ha) is the largest bog of Soomaa. It is bounded by the Navesti, Halliste and Lemmejogi rivers. The bog has developed as a result of paludification of the depression and is fed by precipitation, in the fen also by groundwater and in the vicinity of rivers by floods. The peat is underlain by sand, sandy loam and clay. The fen deposit (1874 ha, thickness 1-1.25 m) consists of wood-Phragmites peat and surrounds the marginal area of the raised bog. Mixed deposit consists of Fuscum and Magellanicum peats, which are underlain by transition and fen Scheizeria peats (1.15-3.1 m). The bog deposit (8072 ha) is formed of Fuscum peat underlain by wood-cotton grass and wood¬Scheizeria or sedge peat. The central part of the bog is formed by a wooded pool-ride bog (bog-pools up to 120 m long). Peculiar are water veins, depressions and funnels buried in peat. Near the Lemmejogi floodplain, there is a steep marginal slope where the bog surface rises by 6 m. It hinders the bog from spreading farther to the south.

Based on vegetation and water regime, 11 bog types have been differentiated in the Kuresoo Bog. Trichophorum caespitosium - grass bog dominates, open hollow bog areas are also frequent, and in places wooded pool-ridge bog occurs. Paludified forests are characteristic of marginal areas.











Kuresoo Bog is an important stopping site for migrating Anseriformes and Gruiformes. Rare bird species, such as golden eagle, willow grouse, capercaillie and black grouse breed in this area.



Valgeraba Bog (3379 ha) consists of two parts, which have developed as a result of paludification of two separate waterlogged depressions. These two parts of the bog are SOOMAA PEA TLAND connected with a transitional bog formed as a result of paludification of mineral soil fed by groundwater.

The peat is underlain by sand, in places by sandy loam. The fen deposit (1131 ha) runs as a narrow belt around Valgeraba Bog and consists of sedge peat and wood-grass peat (thickness 1.1-1.2 m). The composition of the transition bog deposit (859 ha), which connects the two bog massifs, is as follows: Sphagnum peat in the upper part, sedge and Sphagnum peat in the middle part and sedge and wood-grass peat in the lower part. The total thickness of the deposit ranges from 1.6 to 3.9 m. The upper part of the bog deposit is composed of Fuscum peat, peat of bog hollows and complex bog peat, the middle part contains cotton-grass peat, wood Sphagnum peat, while the lower part is formed of wood-sedge peat, sedge-Hypnum peat and wood peat. The peat is at its thickest (11 m) in the Hauaniidu Bog forming the easternmost part of the Valgeraba Bog. In the westernmost part - Allikaraba Bog - it is 5 m thick. Hauaniidu Bog abounds in bog-pools and there is also a peculiar bog spring. From a small bog lake in the central part of Allikaraba Bog a hidden stream starts.



Wooded grass bog, hummock and hollow-ridge grass bog communities prevail. Bog bean and purplewort grow in the transitional bog. Valgeraba Bog serves as a breeding ground for golden eagle, capercaillie, black stork, willow grouse and common crane.



In Ordi Bog (7153 ha) peat is underlain by medium- to fine-grained sand. The bog formed as a result of overgrowing of a deep lake. The thickness of the peat is 8.5-9.5 m. The fen surrounding the bog has formed due to the water draining from the bog area and causing paludification of mineral soil. The fen deposit consists of sedge peat. The upper part of the mixed deposit (1401 ha) consists of Fuscum peat (1-1.25 m), and the lower part is formed of sedge, sedge-Hypnum and Hypnum peats. The upper part of the bog deposit (area 1764 ha, thickness 5.5-9.5 m) is formed of hollow, complex and Fuscum peats underlain by cotton-grass-Sphagnum, Scheizeria-Sphagnum and cotton-grass peat. The lowermost layers consist of sedge, wood-sedge and sedge-Hypnum peats. Ordi is a polycentric bog; it consists of six parts where the open grass hummock bog dominates. Four parts of the bog are young, and therefore, bog-pools are almost lacking there. In the centre of the bog there is an open bog featured by numerous bog-pools. Lake Ordi (4.4 ha) has preserved as a relict lake in the eastern part of the bog. It is fed by groundwater. The outflow from the lake is through Uia stream into the Raudna River. The western slope of the bog is featured by shallow depressions. Natural reeds and marshes occurring in the marginal areas of the bog are not encountered elsewhere in Estonia. The bog is a breeding site of golden eagle.



Kikepera Bog (8735 ha) in a long depression of north-south orientation was formed as a result of overgrowing of a lake. There is a layer of gyttja (0.1-0.25 m) under the peat. The peat and gyttja are underlain by sands of the Baltic Ice Lake. Most of the bog is fed by precipitation, marginal areas also by groundwater. The fen deposit (3175 ha) around the bog deposit consists of sedge peat. The mixed deposit (1745 ha) is spread in the southern and northern part of the bog. The deposit consists of Fuscum peat, deeper - from sedge peat. The bog deposit (4075 ha, thickness 4.3-8.2 m) is formed of Fuscum or complex peat underlain by heath-sedge, wood or wood-grass peat. The peculiar water system of Kikepera Bog is formed of bog-pools, bog springs and bog funnels. A funnel,

SOOMAA PEA TLAND

30-10 m in diameter, in the central part of the bog has an opening in its bottom through which water flows into a stream in the peat massif. The development of the bog has been affected by floods of the Halliste and Raudna rivers which have caused formation of bog slopes.

Kikepera is an open bog with numerous hollows and small bog-pools surrounded by wooded bog. Transitional bog occurs in the northern and southern parts; fen forest - in the area close to the Halliste River.

The bog is a breeding site of several rare bird species, including golden eagle, black stork, black grouse and capercaillie. It is a habitat of some rare plant species (Epipogium aphyllum, Thalictrum angustifolium).