Description
Matsalu National Park covers a total area of 486.1 km2 (187.7 sq mi), encompassing Matsalu Bay along with the delta of the Kasari River and its surrounding areas — floodplains, coastal meadows, reedbeds, woodlands, and the section of Väinameri around the mouth of the bay, which includes more than 50 islands. 224.3 km2 (86.6 sq mi) of the protected area is terrestrial and 261.8 km2 (101.1 sq mi) is aquatic. Matsalu Bay is shallow, brackish and rich in nutrients. The bay is 18 km (11.2 mi) long and 6 km (3.7 mi) wide, but has an average depth of only 1.5 metres (5 ft) and a maximum depth of 3.5 m (11 ft). Water salinity is approximately 0.7 per mil. Shoreline length of the bay is about 165 km (102.5 mi). The bay's shoreline lacks high banks and is populated mostly with shingle shores, with muddy and overgrown reed in the innermost, sheltered part of the bay.
Kasari River is the biggest of several rivers that run into Matsalu Bay. The delta of the Kasari River is not in its natural condition due to dredging between 1930 and 1960; the alluvial meadow of the delta (40 km2 (15 sq mi)), most of which is actively managed, is one of the biggest open wet meadows in Europe. Reeds and rushes surrounding the main channel expand westwards up to 100 m (328 ft) every year. Annual inflow into the Matsalu Bay from the Kasari River exceeds the volume of the bay itself approximately eight times; average seasonal variation of the Kasari River exceeds 1.7 metres (6 ft). The rivers carry large quantities of nutrient-rich sediments into the bay from an over 3,500 km2 (1,350 sq mi) drainage basin. The sediments are deposited in river estuaries, allowing reedbeds to expand.
A total of 282 bird species have been recorded in Matsalu, among which 175 are nesting and 33 are transmigrant waterfowl. 49 species of fish and 47 species of mammals are registered in the area of the nature reserve, along with 772 species of vascular plants.
Every spring over two million waterfowl pass Matsalu, including 10,000—20,000 Bewick's Swans, 10,000 Greater Scaups, Common Goldeneyes, Tufted Ducks, Goosanders and many others. A colony of up to 20,000 Barnacle Geese, over 10,000 Greylag Geese and thousands of waders stop on the coastal pastures in spring. The most numerous birds of passage (around 1.6 million) are Long-tailed Ducks. Approximately 35,000—40,000 ducks feed in the reedbeds in spring. In autumn, about 300,000 migratory waterfowl pass Matsalu. The wetland is the biggest autumn stopping ground of Common Cranes in Europe. The highest recorded number of cranes at the park has been 23,000.
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