Memories of ancient sacred groves and trees were preserved in folklore until the beginning of the twentieth century Folk religion is the experience-driven belief of groups of people for which no separate institution has been created. Assumptions about the ancient religion of the Estonian tribes can be made on the basis of archaeological finds, linguistic history, and individual written sources. It...

Landscapes of memory are place-lore collected in Estonian national parks The landscape of memory brings together place-lore, stories, and legends that can be associated with a specific place on the map. Residents of the immediate area have identified themselves through that legacy for centuries and shaped the so-called us-and-them feelings, which are important for the survival and self...

The greatest threat to the sacred sites is forgetting they exist A sacred natural site is an internationally used term which, as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), means areas of land or water having special spiritual significance to peoples and communities [1]. Based on the above, sacred natural sites in Estonia are defined as things or areas without significant...

The spiritual heritage associated with a place gives special significance to a sacred natural site Sacred natural sites are natural sites associated with folk ritual activities that can be carriers of local identity. The spiritual heritage associated with a place gives special significance and value to a sacred natural site. Although the sacred sites were created centuries ago, the values...

When people disappear, the landscapes change The landscape largely reflects the type of people living in it. Therefore, in order to protect the landscape, it is necessary to understand and respect people and to protect their interests, so that the landscape can be protected accordingly [1]. Landscape protection areas make up one of the types of protected areas in Estonia. The Nature Conservation...

Valuable landscapes were defined in Estonia in the early 2000s Valuable landscapes are areas with diverse land use and vegetation, which contain elements defining local identity as well as habitats for various species of animals and plants. The value of a landscape can be cultural-historical, recreational, aesthetic, identity-related, and natural. Cultural-historical value is attributed to the...

Whether it is natural or man-made, the landscape is constantly changing The natural landscape is formed by the influence of the four main closely related components – land, water, air mass, and wildlife (plants, animals, fungi) – while often including man-made components (utility poles, roads, buildings, fields). Human intervention is essential for the survival of semi-natural communities, as...

Uplands and plateaus alternate with lowlands, depressions, and valleys The Estonian explanatory dictionary gives two definitions to the word ‘landscape’: the landscape as an area with a naturally uniform appearance, where certain landforms, vegetation units, manifestations of human activity, etc. are repeated; landscape as the nature of the appearance, colours, and shapes of a given area within...

Exploration of the earth and core samples A core sample is a column of rock or sediment taken from a borehole by a specially designed drilling method. The core sample is an important source of geological information that provides information on the rocks and sediments in the earth. The properties of the rock layers (mineral and chemical composition, structure, etc.), their sequence, thickness, age...

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]...