Soomaa is an extensive area comprising four large bog complexes separated by rivers, floodplain meadows and alluvial forests, and surrounded by swamp and carrs. The area is the most important wetland in the south-west of Estonia: it supports high biodiversity values, contains one of the two best preserved bogs in Estonia and has a very significant role in regulating the groundwater levels of the region. The wetland also provides nesting and stopover grounds to several nationally threatened species, such as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), black stork (Ciconia nigra) and northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), and hosts an internationally important number of Bewick’s swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii). Overgrowth of scrub in floodplain meadows and the impacts of logging and increasing tourism are among the main threats to the wetland. A visitor’s centre maintains ten different educational trails equipped with viewing towers, platforms and boardwalks. As of 2020, a management plan is in place, which includes restoration and amelioration activities.