areas on 892 hectares have been classified as type 7230 (alkaline fens) and 36 areas on 604 hectares as type 6450 (northern boreal alluvial meadows). It should be mentioned that the Estonian habitat site type 2.2.1.4 corresponds mainly to the Natura 2000 habitat types 6450 and 6430. Status and future perspectives. Assessment of conservation status (quality of habitat) of the inspected floodplain fens resulted as follows: excellent conservation (A) – 12 areas (712 ha), good (B) – 79 areas (1,352 ha), average or reduced (C) – 82 areas (8,946 ha), degraded (D) – 9 areas (23 ha), unknown – 14 (199 ha). Thus, 84% of all assessed floodplain fen habitats are of excellent or good quality. According to Laasimer (1965), floodplain fens covered 83,000 hectares in the 1950s. This means that less than 4% of the former floodplain fens have survived up to now. In the conditions of land deficit up to the middle of the 20th century the majority of the floodplain fens were used for hay-making; after ceasing of mowing, succession towards alluvial shrublands and forests started. In addition, parts of Estonian rivers have been straightened and hydrological regime of their (former) floodplains has often cardinally changed. Therefore, despite of possible differences in the content of figures marking the surface in the1950s and now, it is evident that a lot of floodplain fens have been drained and overgrown with bushes or forests and cannot be identified as the habitat site type 3.1.1.4 any more. Global assessment (conservation importance) of the inspected floodplain fens resulted as follows: excellent value (A) – 3 areas (590 ha), good value (B) – 31 areas (949 ha), significant value (C) – 116 areas (1,294 ha), low or lacking value (D) – 42 areas (191 ha), unknown value – 4 (156 ha). Thus, only less than half (48%) of Estonian floodplain fens have high conservation value. Conservation. Of the mentioned 196 areas, 86 are situated totally or partly within national protected areas. The surface of protected floodplain fens sums up to 1,656 hectares (52% of their total area). All protected floodplain fens were evaluated during the field inventory as follows: excellent conservation value (A) – 3 areas (590 ha), good value (B) – 26 areas (611 ha), significant value (C) – 47 areas (304 ha), low or lacking value (D) – 8 areas (14 ha), unknown value – 2 (139 ha). Thus, the majority of our protected floodplain fens (72% by surface) are of high conservation value, including all registered sites of excellent value. Additionally, there are five floodplain fens totally and six partly (338 ha together) of good value outside protected areas. A further analysis is needed whether these areas should be added to the protected areas network.
8.1.1.5 Spring fens (site type 3.1.3.1) Spring fens are situated on slope foots but also on the coasts of waterbodies. Groundwater is often calcium-rich. Soils are well decomposed Eutric Histosols. The field layer is species-rich, several rare species can grow there. Typical species are: Carex lasiocarpa, C. davalliana, C. hostiana, C. dioica, C. flacca, C. viridula, C. elata, Eriophorum angustifolium, E. latifolium, Equisetum fluviatile, Schoenus ferrugineus, Pinguicula vulgaris, P. alpina, etc. In moss layer there are common Drepanocladus spp., Scorpidium scorpioides, Plagiomnium elatum, Marchantia polymorpha, etc. Number and area. 230 mire areas on 784 hectares have been registered as spring fens. Of these areas, 180 (on 510 hectares) include only spring fens while others comprise other habitats in their marginal parts (mainly species-rich paludifying grasslands and/or rich fens). Additionally, 95 areas include spring fens as marginal habitats. The actual surface of spring fens may be somewhat larger than the presented number since it seems that few registrators had inadequate experience with that site type and, thus, some spring fens may have been listed under rich fens (3.1.1.2) or mixotrophic mires (3.1.2.1). Open and treed spring fens are presented in Estonia on about 900 hectares. This area is twice as large ESTONIAN MIRES: INVENTORY OF HABITATS
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