HUMAN IMPACT ON A PALUDIFIED LANDSCAPE IN NORTHERN ESTONIA

The area studied is situated on the territory of the North-Korvemaa Na ture Reserve in northern Estonia. During the last century, the human i mpact on the small mire and its surroundings was reconstructed based o n the palaeoecological studies of the peat sediment sequence and on re constructions compared with the historical data. The results of invest igations demonstrate that the pear sequence can be used as a palaeoeco logical document to study the changes in the atmospheric influx of hea vy metals and pollen on the surface of the raised bog and its response to different kinds of disturbances (forest fires, clear-cut, long-ter m stressors like bombing) in the vicinity. Using a variety of methods, it was possible to follow the changes directly on the mire and in the nearest vicinity. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.