In the Estonian-Latvian joint project WoodmeadowLIFE, one of the activities is also the monitoring of biodiversity, environmental conditions and the benefits of nature, which also includes one of the largest beetles in Estonia - the Hermit beetle (Osmoderma barnabita). Polina Degtjarenko, Research Fellow in Restoration Ecology at the Landscape Biodiversity Workgroup of the University of Tartu, coordinates the monitoring.
"Preparations were made last year, during which methodology and traps were tested. This summer, observations were carried out for one month at eleven monitoring sites in Saaremaa, Pärnu, and Valga Counties. The monitoring was done with the help of volunteers and students," Polina says. "We found 57 beetles in total, 54 in the Koiva River region and three on the island Abruka.”
Polina Degtjarenko presents the monitoring methodology on the Facebook page of the Estonian heritage meadows (in Estonian).
Monitoring of the Hermit beetle was also introduced by the Osoon (in Estonian): https://jupiter.err.ee/1609493065/eremitepornika.
More information:
Polina Degtjarenko
