The list of banned alien species is composed of the Estonian national list and the European Union’s list of banned invasive alien species.
You can find the best overview of the species in the European Union list on the Ministry of the Environment’s website.
Furthermore, there is a number of alien species that are not in the banned species lists but are already causing problems in Estonia or neighbouring countries. This includes many species of cultivated grasses, bigleaf lupine and Japanese rose.
Anything that thrives and reproduces quickly in the garden is bound to be a real nuisance in the wild. Avoid cultivating such species or limit them strictly to your garden to prevent them from spreading into the wild.
Species in the Estonian list of alien species
- giant hogweed
- Sosnowsky's hogweed
- Russian knapweed
- all ragweed species
- beggarticks
- Himalayan balsam
- Canadian goldenrod and giant goldenrod
- Japanese knotweed and giant knotweed, their hybrid fallopia x bohemica
- leafy elodea
- Nuttall’s waterweed
- North American beaver
- sika deer
- European fallow deer
- North American otter
- American mink
- raccoon dog
- Key deer
- muskrat
- wild rabbit
- mouflon
- grey squirrel
- ruddy duck
- eastern mudminnow
- topmouth gudgeon
- three-lips
- brown bullhead
- black bullhead
- redbreast sunfish
- pumpkinseed
- bluegill
- Amur sleeper
- monkey goby
- round goby
- narrow-clawed crayfish
- spiny-cheek crayfish
- signal crayfish
- yellow potato cyst nematode
- pine wilt nematode
- mulberry moth
- alfalfa leafcutting bee
Permits for alien species
The Estonian Environmental Board issues the following permits for alien species:
- Activity licence for farming mink and raccoon dogs
- Permit for keeping invasive alien species
Applying for permits for alien species
More information on how to apply for a permit can be found under the section ‘Permits for alien species’.
Read moreLast updated: 12.04.2024