Welcome to Viidumäe Nature Reserve!
Viidumäe Nature Reserve (2,611.1 ha) is located in Western Saaremaa, near the coastal terrace of ancient Lake Antsülusjärv. This is the oldest and highest part of Saaremaa with its peak in Raunamägi Hill 58.8 meters above sea level. The terrain here has been formed during the millennia after the last Ice Age. Waters have carved out the terrain of Viidumäe from a ridge of moraine origin.
The most important landform is the coastal terrace that is 10 km long within Viidumäe and with a relative height of 18 meters from base to peak. Area higher than the terrace and the lower parts with multiple springs differ from each other in many ways. Due to these diversities, Viidumäe is a place of habitation for many species with different demands. Viidumäe is best known for its wide natural diversity.
The main objective of Viidumäe Nature Reserve is to protect the distinctive diverse biotic community, including rare species, ecological communities, and habitats of Western Saaremaa Upland.
The nature reserve belongs to the Natura 2000 network as an area of conservation of Viidumäe and Vedruka bog to protect the types of habitats of cross-European importance and the species and their habitats. Viidumäe Nature Reserve has been a part of the West Estonian archipelago biosphere reserve that belongs to the UNESCO network since 1990.
