The Kõnnumaa case study includes both the Kõnnumaa (5.96 km2) and Kastna (8.37 km2) Special Conservation Areas (both in Rapla County), which were first designated in 2006, mainly for the conservation of certain mire habitats and forest types listed in the Habitats Directive. The unique alternating landscape here is formed by the marginal formations called eskers that have formed from continental ice, kames and terminal moraines. It is characterized by forests in their natural state, bogs that are thousands of years old and the largest bog lake in Estonia - Lake Loosalu that is located in a bog with the same name.
Objectives and expected activities: The main objective of the landscape protection area is to preserve the appearance of the landscape and the natural state of bog, lake and forest communities. In the specific case managing the Natura 2000 areas, tend to take a more flexible approach towards stakeholder partnerships and sustainable use of natural resources on those areas. This trend seems to acknowledge several principles outlined in the European Landscape Convention (ELC), for example multiple uses of landscapes, the ability of landscapes to enhance people’s quality of life, and encouraging cooperation between stakeholders, and can thus be an important step towards setting the EU's nature conservation policy in the wider landscape and participatory context.