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Figure 16-46. Overview of Männikjärve Bog in the Endla mire complex of east-central Estonia. Raised bog displays
pools and hummocks with dwarf pines in foreground; conifer forest surrounds the bog in background. Photograph
taken from an observation tower by J.S. Aber.
chapter 14.3.4), and Estonia has a long history
of mire investigations. The Baltic Peatlands
Improvement Society began in 1908 in Tartu,
and the Tooma Experimental Station was estab-
lished in the Endla mire complex in 1910 (Valk
1988). This has continued as a research station
into modern times, and Endla has been elevated
to the status of a Ramsar Wetland of Interna-
tional Importance (Ramsar 2010h). The Endla
mire system encompasses approximately
25,000 ha, of which more than 10,000 ha are
preserved as the Endla Nature Reserve (Endla
Looduskaitseala Administratsioon 2004). The
present nature reserve was created in 1985 as
an expansion of the previous smaller Endla-
Oostriku mire reserve. It is located immediately
south of the Pandivere Upland in east-central
Estonia (see Fig. 16-44). The reserve is biologi-
cally diverse with at least 180 bird species and
greater than 460 vascular plants including many
protected species (Endla Looduskaitseala
Administratsioon 2004).
The Endla mire complex grew up in the
depression of former Great Endla Lake (Allikvee
and Masing 1988). Several remnants of this
lake still survive, notably Endla Lake and Sini-
järv (Blue Lake). These lakes were subjected
to several episodes of draining (1872, 1949,
1950) and were rel ooded in 1968. The Endla
mire complex contains several bogs separated
by narrow rivers, and over 30 large springs rise
in the western part of the complex (Fig. 16-48).
The lakes, bogs, and springs are important
sources of recharge for the Põltsamaa River.
Among the bogs, Männikjärve Bog has been
studied intensively since the early 1900s, and
a small meteorological station is located in
the bog. An elevated, wooden walkway allows
visitors to travel across the bog without disturb-
ing the surface and without sinking into the
peat and mud (Fig. 16-49; Aaviksoo, Kadarik
and Masing 1997). The Endla mire complex has
attracted a great deal of interest from interna-
tional scientists for all types of investigations,
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