Bonn, 21 July 2008. With effect from 1 October 2008, the Republic of Estonia will become CMS’s 110th Party in total and the 40th from the European region.

Estonia is situated in North Eastern Europe, bordering both Latvia and the Russian Federation and having a coastline on the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. It occupies an area of 45,226 sq km, which includes just over 2,000 sq km of inland water and over 1500 islands in the Baltic Sea.

The climate is categorised as maritime and wet with moderate winters and cool summers and the topography is dominated by marshy lowlands with the country being largely flat in the North and hillier in the South. The highest point is Suur Munamagi at 318 m above sea level.

Estonia is a range state for a number of Annex I species including the Baltic Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio), the Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus), the Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga), the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), the Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis), the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri).

Estonia is already a Party to the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (Eurobats).