Selisoo is located in Alutaguse Parish near the Jõhvi-Tartu highway. The State Forest Management Centre (RMK) carried out land reclamation works there two years ago. The works cost 340,000 euros. Over 500 soil dams were built to stop the outflow of water from the bog.
The drainage ditch network was constructed in the bog in the 1960s. However, the drainage of the bog began already in the century before last. RMK nature conservation specialist Ants Animägi mentioned that in the autumn of 2024, a ditch that flowed out from the Selisoo Suurlauk was closed.
The landowner of Mäetaguse Manor ordered the lowering of the water level of Seli Lake at the end of the 19th century. The exact reason for this action is unknown. Wooden dams were also built in the same location, but they decayed. Therefore, it was decided to build proper peat dams that retain water and raise the lake's water level. According to the project, the water level should rise by about half a meter.
There are three monitoring points in Selisoo to track the rise in water level. Ants Animägi said that waterfowl feel better after the land reclamation works. In spring, there were many waterfowl in Selisoo, such as whooper swans, goldeneyes, and other ducks.
The water level is now higher, and the overgrowth of Suurlauk has slowed down. This may last for many, possibly hundreds of years. The exact amount of precipitation or how the climate will change is not precisely known. However, the persistence of Suurlauk in the middle of the bog has been extended.
The Selisoo Nature Reserve was established in 2015. It covers more than two thousand hectares. Three years later, it became part of Alutaguse National Park.