urbanLIFEcircles

UrbanLIFEcircles (Tartu ROHEring) will increase the value of existing green areas and merge them into one system where urban nature can grow, live and move. The project includes three nature reserves as well as, for example, Emajõgi, cemeteries and private gardens. Every green area has a great value in creating the diversity of urban nature.

UrbanLIFEcircles (Tartu ROHEring) project areas are visible in this map.

Ülejõe, Barclay, Uueturu, Kaubahoovi, Vabaduse puiestik, Raadi park, Dendropark

We will reduce the frequency of mowing in selected areas and let the plants flower. We will sow seeds of native species in suitable places and plant trees and shrubs. We prefer to leave leaves in parks and shred them where possible.

Raadi and Pauluse

We will install nesting boxes and drinking places for birds and bats. We will create more composting places.

In addition to public green areas, private gardens, school and kindergarten yards also play an important role in supporting biodiversity. In the course of the project, we will develop various solutions and activities that favor biodiversity that everyone can try.

Raadi, Ropka-Ihaste and Anne 

Raadi, Ropka-Ihaste and Anne

We will support the maintenance of Tartu's nature reserves with project activities, give recommendations for supplementing conservation plans and carrying out restoration works, remove invasive alien species and improve the habitat conditions of protected species.

Together with the University of Tartu, we are creating a biodiverse city demo area where different ecosystems are represented which will be a great learning opportunity.

We will support the plant species already growing there and plant more bushes and trees to provide a more diverse habitat. We will install nature-friendly lighting that would disturb animals as little as possible and provide people with a sense of security.

The Jaamamõisa stream is nearly three kilometers long and begins at the Raadi nature reserve. It flows for two kilometers on the ground, while the last kilometer is underground in a concrete pipe. During the project, we will carry out preliminary studies to research the possibility of bringing the stream to the ground. We will also tidy up the banks of the part that flows on the ground and create a green corridor and recreation area.

We will make the banks of Emajõgi more diverse - we plant suitable vascular plants, bushes and trees and create habitats for amphibians.

After the spring thaw, water remains in the shallow depressions found along the Anne Canal, creating a seemingly favourable spawning ground for amphibians. A shallow depression of this type was also located here. In the spring of 2023, researchers from the University of Tartu found common frog spawn during fieldwork, which showed that amphibians have taken over the area between the Anne Canal and the health trail over the years. Unfortunately, the end of the summer was disappointing for the frogs – their pool dried up before the metamorphosis of the tadpole larvae into frogs, meaning they failed to reach adulthood.

With the support of the Tartu urbanLIFEcircles project, the pond was made a bit deeper in December 2023, to give amphibians a chance to breed successfully and grow up in the surrounding rarely mowed green space. In addition to the frogs, salamanders (smooth newts) also spawn in the pond. They have a fascinating adaptation of folding their eggs one by one between wide, soft plant leaves, such as those of water forget-me-nots. In addition, the created small watering hole, together with its adjacent green space, will support aquatic insects, whose increased numbers will, in turn, support birds and bats through the food web. The pool is home to diving beetles, dragonflies, water boatmen, water striders, and caddisflies, among others.

We allow the grass next to the frog pool to grow taller, with the area being mowed only once or twice a year, to prevent frog mortality and to provide a feeding area for frogs, pollinators, and many others. There are tree trunks located between the pool and Anne Canal, in the shade of which it is safer for wildlife to move between the pool and the canal, and hibernate. Recumbent trees are also a nice habitat for a variety of living organisms, and can be used for climbing and exploring.

We ask to not stock the frog pool with fish! This is because fish eat frogspawn, tadpoles, and larvae. Leave the Emajõgi River and the Anne Canal to the fish, and let the pool be home to frogs and other (semi-)aquatic small water biota.

Monitoring the state of biodiversity in the project areas

The goal of the project is to develop science-based solutions that would work for different species. For this, it is necessary to assess what their current condition is in the city of Tartu, and therefore researchers from the University of Tartu will monitor the species richness and abundance of vascular plants, insects, invertebrates and birds in the project areas in the spring and summer of 2023.

Cleaning the Supilinna pond and planting plants on the banks

Supilinna's pond is currently overgrown and unfit for many species. That's why we undertake the cleaning, dredging of the pond and improving habitat conditions for amphibians with riparian vegetation.

Changing the mowing regime

A heavy mowing regime is not suitable for many plant species and prevents existing ones from flowering. We try to mow less in some areas (for example, once or twice during the summer) and make the parks more diverse. There will certainly remain more frequently mowed areas for having a picnic and leisure time.

A change in the mowing regime, mostly reducing the frequency of mowing and choosing a suitable mowing height, also affects pollinators: the increase in the number of flowering plants attracts both more species and more individuals.

Removing invasive alien species

In the city of Tartu, invasive alien species have been found that displace local Estonian plants and take over the entire area. We will remove the Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) and the many-leaved lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) growing in the project areas and test different methods to find the most effective of them.

Sowing seeds of native plant species

We will sow seeds of native plants on some lawns and flower beds to support native plant species as well as insects and animals that feed on them.

Installing nest boxes for birds

We install suitable nesting boxes for the bird species living in the city.

Installing shelter boxes for bats

In nature, bats find shelter in tree cavities, buildings, bridges and other structures, but in the city there can sometimes too few of these and far between. A shelter box is a good way to provide additional shelter for bats.

Installation of insect hotels

Installing insect hotels in urban green spaces provides habitat and shelter for many different insects that help pollinate plants, provide food for others and keep pests under control.

Providing habitat for insects in the dead wood

Dead wood and standing dead trees provide habitat for specific species that feed on dead wood and are good decomposers. If tree trunks are usually removed from parks, we would like to keep them in suitable places in some project areas and thereby create new habitats.

Supporting activities that increase the biodiversity in private gardens

In addition to the city's green areas, a large part of the city's greenery is also private gardens. We want to encourage various biodiversity-supporting activities in private gardens, so that species have diverse habitats.

Creating hiking trails in the city

We are creating a virtual hiking trail connecting the project areas, through which the citizens will gain new knowledge about green areas, different species and biodiversity. On some sections of the hiking trail, we are also developing physical infrastructure and additional recreation areas.

Installation of informative boards in project areas

We want those interested to be able to have information about the work being done in the project areas and to understand why our activities are necessary. For this, we will install temporary information boards while carrying out the works, and then permanent ones, so that information is available to everyone.