Matsalu wetland area biomass as a biofuel
2000
Lausmaa, T. (Re-En Center TAASEN, Matsalu (Estonia))
To preserve Matsalu as an especially interesting and specific wetland area even on the international scale, the Matsalu Nature Reserve was founded in 1957. The most natural and characteristic biotopes at Matsalu are undoubtedly the reed stands, covering almost 3 kha. The reed is rather thin and mixed with common hay plants near the land, but towards the bay it becomes increasingly abundant and thick. The characteristic features of several biotopes at the Nature Reserve (water-meadows, coastal pastures and meadows etc.) can be preserved only by human activity. Without human activity the landscape encompassing coastal pastures and meadows would go through changes and these areas would be soon covered with junipers. The reed harvesting in Matsalu goes back in the Middle Ages and even before that. The reed was harvested mainly in winter and only seldom in summer. The main goal of the reed harvesting was to obtain material for hatched roofs. The reed cutting is economically justified and environmentally bening activity even now, but only less than 1 per cent of the total area of undertaking, it could be much more escalated if it were possible to use better technical equipment to that end and get low interest loans. Unfortunately, not all the reed in the wetland of matsalu Nature Reserve is suitable for hatched roofs. Therefore, it is needed to find some other practical usage for reed as well
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