Read "What is EELIS?"

Establishing electronic database of Nature Conservation Registry was started by Estonian Environment Information Center (EEIC) in 1996. Estonian Nature Information System (EELIS) was established in 1999.

Estonian Nature Information System (EELIS) is geoinformation system, which consists of desktop software working in environment of Microsoft Windows and PostgreSQL geodatabase in central server. Data is mostly inserted and managed by specialists of Estonian Environment Agency, but some datasets are imported from other infosystems or inserted by users from Estonian Ministry of the Environment, Estonian Environmental Board or State Forest Management Centre. EELIS program is tool for functionaries and scientists who need nature information. In this program functionaries prepare data to import it to the Estonian Environmental Registry.

EELIS webpage demonstrates follow list of data from EELIS program:


• Protected areas – National parks, Nature reserves, Protected landscape areas, Protected parks, Protected areas with unrevised protection rules, Limited-conservation areas, Species’ protection sites, Natural object protected at the municipal level, Protected objects which have planning stadium;
• Areas of international importance – Areas established for responsibilities from international conventions and EU directives for nature conservation;
• Protected Nature Monuments – Nature monuments (old trees, boulders, springs etc) which are under nature conservation;
• Objects of Primeval Nature – Objects which are described in the Book of Estonian Primeval Nature. These are geological objects, which are not automatically under nature conservation. But many of them have been taken under nature conservation;
• Cultural Heritage Objects – These objects own cultural heritage in our landscape. Data has been collected by State Forest Management Centre and during projects funding by INTERREG programs;
• Species – list of Estonian species with information about protection status, status in Red Data List, description and distribution. This list is not official nor completed;
• Water bodies – Estonian water bodies (rivers, lakes, ditches, creeks, springs, sea areas);
• Islands – Estonian sea islands;
• Management plans – Management plans composed for protected areas.

There are hold actually much more information in EELIS program. Example: sites of protected and alien species, woodland key habitats, hunting areas, hunting trophies, habitats, sensitive areas, wells, monitoring stations, programs and results. In cases you need to use these data you should contact Estonian Environment Agency.

Updating data in EELIS is continuous process, which depend on changing juridical acts, incoming inventories’ reports and other additional information about object status. Information, which causes restrictions, is accepted only it comes from Ministry of the Environment or Environmental Board. Other information is welcome also from other organisations like universities etc.

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EELIS information page is only for publishing analyzes and overviews, not EELIS program itself. Last one can use only by special treaty, which Estonian Environment Agency in general contracts with organizations within domain of Ministry of the Environment. If you have questions or you need special extraction, which is not available on this webpage, please contact with Estonian Environment Agency - kaur@envir.ee.