European Landscape Convention – approaches and solutions in Estonia Mart Külvik & Kalev Sepp Environmental Protection Institute, Estonia Estonian Agricultural University

Outline Maintaining of traditional landscapes Spatial planning - defining valuable landscapes Landscape monitoring Final 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 national Estonian Native Cattle national 0,3 ml EUR 2001 Organic farming national Estonian Native Cattle national Semi-natural habitat mannational EFM, landscape elements Est Nat Horse, Ab land man2 pilot areas 2 ml EUR

2002 Organic farming national Estonian Native Cattle national Estonian Native Horsenational Semi-natural habitat mannational EFM55 municipalities EFM, landscape elements manag of abandoned land2 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/ha Coastal meadow 64 EUR/ha Floodplain meadow 42 EUR/ha Other meadows26 EUR/ha Alvar 30 EUR/ha Wooded pasture 32 EUR/ha Restoration of habitats EUR/ha Construction 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 birds Amphibians (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 ( ) “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

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

Some final remarks Local 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