Background The Räpina polder is located in the south-eastern corner of Estonia on the shores of Lake Peipsi and covers a total of 1550 ha. The polder was actively farmed by agricultural cooperatives during the Soviet era but only 30% of its land continued to be farmed after Estonian independence in early 1990s. The other 70% was largely abandoned and gradually became overgrown with shrub as it dried out. Despite the lack of management, the polder remained an important staging and breeding area for a large number of birds. Over 1.5 million birds pass through during migration and no less than 28 species listed on Annex I have been recorded in the area. Amongst these are three priority species which breed here: Botaurus stellaris, Crex crex and Aquila pomarina. The polder is a NATURA 2000 site with Special Protection Area (SPA) status and has been classified as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Objectives The key objective of the LIFE-Nature project was to secure favourable habitat conditions for protecting bird species with Community importance in Räpina polder. These species were Crex crex and Botaurus stellaris. The project’s aim was to be achieved by: • preparing a management plan to control 1,555 ha of polder land during the project period and starting implementation of the plan; • creating a secure wetland area to stabilise populations of endangered water birds; • assisting the Ministry of the Environment to develop a system for managing SPAs that would ensure the maintenance of habitats which are valuable for endangered bird species; and • educating the local population and involving them in nature protection activities. Results Overall results from the project have been positive and the key objective has been met with monitoring data showing that the Crex crex population increased during the project’s first five years and stabilised in the last two years. The population of Botaurus stellaris remained stable throughout the project duration indicating the success of LIFE-NAT financed restoration and management activities. However, one of the key actions of the project, the creation of stable wetland of 200ha, has not been realised during the LIFE project. A management plan for the Räpina polder was prepared covering eight years of conservation work up until 2014. This plan contains a habitat inventory for the polder and was the first management plan approved for an SPA in Estonia. Good cooperation between the regional and national environmental authorities occurred during the management plan’s development and this can been noted as an important success factor. More than 90% of the polder’s agricultural area was restored and/or managed during the LIFE-NAT project which involved mowing of some 740 ha of polder grasslands and grazing of 49 ha. Farmers were provided with 19 beef cattle to graze the polder. A mixture of different environmental education and information activities were supported including the following: • a booklet presenting the results of the inventory “Special Protected Area of Räpina Polder” was compiled and an information booklet for landowners was prepared in Estonian language; • the project’s website http://www.envir.ee/rapinapolder was produced in Estonian and English languages; • over 30 articles and notices were published about the LIFE-NAT project, mostly in local newspapers; • eleven public presentations, two radio interviews and two clips on national TV took place; • twenty four different educational events (lectures, schooling, seminars etc.) were arranged with an emphasis on local people, naturalists and students; • a local NGO named “Räpina Nature Conservation Union” was established to progress nature conservation and nature education activities in the polder area; and • Räpina beach recreation area was developed as a part of sustainable tourism initiative, resulting in a wildlife watch tower, nature interpretation board and other visitor facilities such as toilets and dressing cabins. Reed, cane and brushwood were also removed. The LIFE-NAT tourist facilities and management plan activities provide local communities with new economic opportunities which will help sustain the long term viability of rural communities in Polva County. Furthermore, the LIFE-NAT project’s success has generated considerable public interest throughout Estonia since it is the country’s first semi-artificial wetland management scheme and the experience gained offer strong demonstration potential for other important habitat restoration projects.