Alien species: the picture of success? Alien species invading new habitats with human help is a global problem. These alien species can seriously upset the local natural balance, reduce biodiversity, affect the economy, and endanger human health. Alien species are species that have spread beyond their natural range with the intentional or unintentional assistance of humans. However, species that...

The difficult journey of the control of alien species: the giant hogweed and Sosnowsky’s hogweed in Estonia? Systematic control of alien species in Estonia began with two species of hogweed: the giant hogweed and Sosnowsky’s hogweed. They were brought to us mainly as silage during the Soviet era, but have proved to be troublesome nuisances that have now been controlled for more than a decade. The...

Indigenous horticultural plants. How to keep them? Horticulture has become a science, and few have retained the knowledge and skills for growing food for themselves. Fortunately, there are a number of grandmothers who have been collecting vegetable seeds year after year, and so, many of the native plants grown in the farm gardens have survived. Horticulture in Estonia dates back to the beginning...

People started to create GMOs to make production cheaper quickly and more precisely, and to improve the quality of products GMOs and their uses In a genetically modified organism (GMO), a characteristic of that organism has been altered by modern biotechnological methods. The first bacterium obtained in this way was created in 1971 in the United States. The first genetically modified (GM) plants...

Designer cells can be made to produce, for example, essential pharmaceuticals or biofuels Synthetic biology is a discipline that involves cell modelling and the artificial synthesis of the hereditary material (DNA). In the field of synthetic biology, new life forms are artificially created or existing ones are reshaped by reprogramming cell behaviour and giving them new desired properties [1]...

Science-based, sustainable forest management can ensure that the economic, social, and ecological objectives of the forests are met Sustainable forestry takes into account four aspects – economic, social, ecological, and cultural considerations. Sustainable forestry refers to the management of forests in such a way as to ensure their biodiversity, productivity, regenerative capacity, viability...

Science-based and sustainable hunting is one of the tools for maintaining the biodiversity and ecological balance of ecosystems Today, hunting is not just a method of food supply or entertainment, but an important measure of environmental management. It aims to keep game numbers within reasonable limits that are acceptable to humans, but hunting is also necessary to prevent and control outbreaks...

The primary purpose of hunting is no longer to stockpile meat and hides Wild game is a wild animal – a mammal or bird that lives freely in the wild. Game is a wild game whose meat, hide, or other parts are consumed and whose hunting is permitted by hunting rules [1]. The current Hunting Act, in turn, divides game into big and small game. Big game includes the moose, red deer, roe deer, wild boar...

In 2013, Estonia was officially declared a rabies-free country Many game-borne diseases also threaten domestic animals. The best known of these are rabies, African swine fever, avian influenza, echinococcosis, and scabies. Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that is incurable and always fatal. The incubation period of the disease can be from a few weeks to a few years, and the virus remains viable...

Preventing excessive catching pressure is the key task of fisheries regulation The strategic goal of fishery is to ensure the good status of fish populations and the diversity of fish species. It is important to avoid the negative effects of fishing on the ecosystem, for example by not catching undersized specimens. It is important to ensure that fish habitats are not damaged or that spawning...