The data collected in the framework of national environmental monitoring is reliable and of high quality Estonia has three levels of environmental monitoring: state, local government, and voluntary monitoring. The performance of environmental monitoring is regulated by the Environmental Monitoring Act. The state environmental monitoring is divided into 12 sub-programmes, which provide a...

The diversity and species richness of a landscape is not just a value in itself, but it also provides direct economic benefit for farmers. At first, it might seem that leaving a buffer strip between crop fields doesn’t have a direct effect on the crops. However, research has shown that the wildlife and vegetation of these buffer strips can migrate to the fields. According to an outdated belief...

One of the key reasons behind global biodiversity loss is change in land use, which includes agricultural practices that cause extensive damage to the environment. Even though we don’t want to admit this to ourselves, Estonia’s landscapes, soil and water environment and biodiversity have been seriously affected by agricultural techniques that prioritise high yields. Valuable yet vulnerable islands...

On 14 August 1910, the Riga Society of Naturalists rented the Vaika Islands in West Saaremaa where they prohibited all disturbance to seafowl. This was made possible by Artur Toom, an ornithologist and the keeper of the Vilsandi lighthouse. The first nature reserve in Estonia was established. In December 1935, the acting state elder Konstantin Päts signed the Nature Conservation Act and the State...

A growing concern about the quality of landscapes and insufficient measures for landscape management led the European Conference of Local and Regional Authorities to approve the proposal to develop a landscape convention draft in 1994. After years of preparation, the European Landscape Convention was adopted in Florence on 20 October 2000. The convention entered into force four years later, when...

The Kihnu native sheep is a local landrace breed. Initially, the Kihnu native was a pan-Estonian breed that could be found everywhere in the country. However, by the beginning of the 21st century, the breed had only survived on Kihnu Island Descendent of the mouflon sheep, The Kihnu native sheep belongs to the group of Northern European short-tailed sheep who have been located in Northern Europe...

The Estonian native cattle is our cultural heritage that we need to preserve for future generations. We will never know when the genes of Estonian cattle need to be used in developing new breeds. The Estonian native cattle is the oldest native dairy cattle breed in Estonia. This breed has been developed for over 100 years. The earliest documented notes date back 243 years. In 1845, landowner...

Indigenous domesticated animals or native breeds have evolved in a partnership between man and nature. Compared to purposefully developed production breeds, there is a large intrapopulation diversity in the conformation of native breeds. It is important to ensure that native breeds retain the traits that people have once valued as well as to uphold the practice of consuming their produce. The...

Implementation, integration into decision-making In 2018, a preliminary spatial and juridical analysis of Estonian green infrastructure as it has been implemented so far in the county-wide spatial plans and comprehensive plans according to the Planning Act, was conducted in the course of the project ELME. The step-by-step guidelines for planners for enhancing green network and taking into account...

The preliminary methodology for MAES of marine and inland water ecosystems was worked out during the project “Development of methods for assessment and mapping of ecosystem services of marine and inland waters” that was conducted in 2014–2015 in Estonia and was co-funded by the EEA and Norway Grants. LIFE IP CleanEst (2019–2028) is developing and implementing the preliminary methodology of 2014...