European Landscape Convention –
approaches and solutions in Estonia
Mart Külvik & Kalev Sepp
Environmental Protection Institute, EstoniaEstonian Agricultural University
EPI EAU
Outline
Maintaining of traditional landscapesSpatial planning - defining valuable landscapesLandscape monitoringFinal remarks
Maintaining of traditional landscapes
Why landscape approach?Landscape as a symbol of local identity
• Landscape as a symbol of local identity fades slowly • The landscape as a quality of the living environment is
decreasing• The quality and diversity of Europe's landscapes are
seriously threatened• Traditional landscapes support often richness of biodiversity
Nature conservation extension outside protected areas• Integration of conservation and environmental measures
and instruments• Integration conservation goals into cross-sector policies
Environmental measures supporting traditional
landscapes in Estonia
Agri-Environmental Programme Regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture
Management support for Semi-natural habitat management
Regulated by the Ministry of Environment
AEP implementation in Estonia up to now
2000 Organic farming nationalEstonian Native Cattle national
0,3 ml EUR
2001 Organic farming nationalEstonian Native Cattle nationalSemi-natural habitat man national
EFM, landscape elementsEst Nat Horse, Ab land man 2 pilot areas
2 ml EUR
2002 Organic farming nationalEstonian Native Cattle nationalEstonian Native Horse nationalSemi-natural habitat man nationalEFM 55 municipalities
EFM, landscape elementsmanag of abandoned land 2 pilot areas
3 ml EUR
2004 All measures in national scale
Location of Pilot Areas
Semi-natural habitat management support
Semi-natural habitat management support is paid for:
Management of wooded, floodplain, coastal and other meadows, alvars and wooded pastures; Restoration of semi-natural habitats; Construction of fences.
In 2002 the amount of support for semi-natural
habitat management was 1.2 ml EUR
Wooded meadow 128 EUR/haCoastal meadow 64 EUR/haFloodplain meadow 42 EUR/haOther meadows 26 EUR/haAlvar 30 EUR/haWooded pasture 32 EUR/haRestoration of habitats 128-320 EUR/haConstruction of fences 0,64 EUR/m
Abandoned alvar
Managed alvar
Abandoned coastal meadow
Managed coastal meadow
Managed wooded meadow
Structure of agri-environmental measure in Estonia
1. SEMI-NATURAL HABITATS
1. LOCAL BREEDS AND VARIETIES
Estonian Native Horse, Estonian Native Cattle
2. MANAGEMENT OF ABANDONED ARABLE
LAND
4. CREATION AND MANAGEMENT OF
LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS
Stonewalls, hedges, ponds and wetlands, forest
patches etc.
4. ORGANIC FARMING
3. ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY
MANAGEMENT
1. USE OF GOOD PLANT PRODUCTION METHODS
0. GOOD FARMING PRACTICE
Baseline Requirements= Zero Payment
2. SPECIES PROTECTION PROJECTS
Migrating birdsAmphibians (frogs)
Plants
2. VALUABLE LANDSCAPES
2. ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY
AGROTECHNOLOGIES
2. SOIL PROTECTION
2. PROTECTION OF
WATERBODIES
Spatial Planning
Governmental decree for second phase of county planning (1999-2002) “Defining environmental conditions for the development of land-use and settlement structure”Responsible unit: Department of Strategy and Planning, MoE.
Green Network Valuable cultural and historical landscapes
Maintaining of traditional landscapes
Criteria for defining valuable cultural and historical landscapes
Cultural and historical values; Esthetical values; Recreational values;Natural values we considered the abundance of natural diversity, rare species or communities; Identity value, the ability of landscape to allow local people to delimit their territory, to identify themselves with the landscape.
The main idea for defining valuable cultural and historical landscapes
Define valuable cultural and historical landscapes;To work out management plans for valuable landscapes;To implement different support schemes (agri-environmental program) on selected areas.
Landscape monitoring
Proposed concept of landscape monitoring
program in Estonia
Landscapemonitoringprograms
Finacialcapacaties,
availabletechnologies
Scientificprinciples
Social andeconomical
values
Experinces ofother countries
Environmentalpolicy
Environmentaland landscape
indicators
Agriculturallandscapemonitoring
Remotesensing of
landscapes
Monitoring ofcoastal
landscapes
Monitoringprotected and
valuablelandscapes
The main purposes of the agricultural monitoring programme were
defined as follows
To follow up and evaluate the environmental effects of land and agricultural reforms;
To define changes in land use structure in the different type of agricultural landscapes (intensive and extensive land use);
To study changes in land cover types, especially fallow land and semi-natural areas;
To explain the connection between landscape structure indicators and the characteristics of ecological status of agricultural landscapes.
Conceptual scheme of agricultural landscape monitoring programme
MONITORING OFAGRICULTURAL
LANDSCAPES
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
LEVEL OF HUMANPRESSURE
- MICROORGANISMS- EARTHWORMS- BUMBLEBEES
SPATIALSTRUCTURE OF
LANDSCAPE
- AREAL ELEMENTS- LINEAR ELEMENTS- POINT ELEMENTS
HISTORICALOVERVIEW OF LAND
USE CHANGES
AERIAL PHOTOS
ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS
Some final remarksLocal people should have an active role in decision-making on landscape and land-use;Landscapes and traditional land use should become a mainstream in political concern;Different environmental measures (agri-environment, planning, management plans, landscape monitoring etc) should be combined for preserving landscape values;Our decisions today define the mosaics of landscapes including cultural identity in future