Characterization

Floodplain meadows are periodically flooded semi-natural communities situated on the banks of rivers (or lakes). Floodplain meadows have generally arisen as a result of human activities – meadow communities developed through the grazing and mowing that followed the logging of floodplain forests. Through the combined effect of centuries of human impact and natural conditions (the mud that accompanies flooding as well as nutrient transport and overmoistness), distinctive plant and animal communities have developed on floodplain meadows. The nutrients carried there by floods are very important because they result in the higher soil nutrient level.

More info
Detailed overview in English about Estonian floodplain grasslands and instructions for the management and restoration

The Mustjõe gorge 2013, photographed from the Taheva observation tower in Valgamaa