LAND SNAILS IN AN AFFORESTED OIL-SHALE MINING AREA

Abstract

The numbers and species richness of land snails in four (8, 13, 23, and 25 years old) neighbouring pine plantations in an afforested oil-shale mining area were studied. No snails were found in the eight-year-old plantation. In the 13-year-old plantation two species occurred, but the density of individuals was quite low. In the 25-year-old plantation nine snail species were registered. The degree of species richness in older than 20 years pine plantations of the former oil- shale mining area was the same as that in the most base-rich deciduous forests of West-Estonian large islands, while the density of individuals was even higher. Since land snails serve as a very important calcium source for many birds, former oil-shale mining areas may easily turn into far more bird-rich habitats than are most other Estonian pine forests