Keskkonnasäästlik turba kaevandamine Niibi maardla näitel [Bakalaureusetöö. Juhendaja: M. Orru]

Peatlands cover 1.2 million ha of the Estonian territory, over a fifth of the land. It is considered that peat extraction has an influence (air and water pollution, noise etc) on the environment. The aim of this thesis is to prove that peat can be extracted in an environmentally sustainable manner. It helps the company Kekkilä OÜ to compile RPP certification data for the Niibi I and Niibi III peat fields. RPP (Responsibly Produced Peat) is voluntary for the company, but it shows that the company is engaged in fair and responsible peat extraction. The purpose of the RPP certification is to reduce the negative effects of peat extraction and to increase its positive impact. Negative impacts are those that may damage environmental values. Positive effects serve the purpose of
restoring peatlands. All communication in the RPP takes place in English. Documents and reports in other languages required for RPP will be translated in English. In this work it is also pointed out what requirements Estonia has for peat miners.

Many locals consider that peat mining pollutes the water of their wells. The practical side of this work is to prove the hypothesis that water is of high quality in the sedimentation basin of the Niibi peatland.