Establishment of protected areas in different ecoregions, ecosystems, and diversity hotspots under successive political systems

Protected areas are valuable tools for nature conservation but the effectiveness of reserve networks must be monitored continuously. Knowing the history of the establishment of protected areas can help to improve future conservation. We explore how different ecoregions, ecosystems and diversity hotspots have been incorporated in protected areas in Estonia during the last century. We found that the average rate of establishment of protected areas has been surprisingly constant despite profound changes in political systems. However, establishment of protected areas has varied regionally; an agricultural region in south-east Estonia has seen less protection, partly due to lower biodiversity. Wetland ecosystems were initially more placed under protection, whereas recently semi-natural grasslands have gained more attention. In contrast, farmland is under-protected. Surprisingly, biodiversity hotspots were no more protected than the national average. We consider how the development of a protected area network has been influenced by individual persons and public opinion under successive political systems. We suggest that simultaneous gap analysis of ecoregions, ecosystems and diversity hotspots provides a more complete picture than examining a single aspect. Therefore this study can be used as a model for other regions.