Since 2002, the Estonian national curricula have included the cross-cutting theme ‘The environment and sustainable development’ Aristokli Hrebtov, the inspector of the schools of Saaremaa and the founder of the Saaremaa Society of Friends of Nature (founded in 1913), prepared a detailed circular letter for schools, titled ‘For the preservation of nature works’, in which he called on people to...

Restrictions may seem incomprehensible and sometimes annoying, but they contribute to the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity and, ultimately, to the improvement of the surrounding environment There is a long list of restrictions. In a very general sense, they can be divided into the following categories: restrictions on movement in protected areas and species protection sites...

The purpose of the marked trails in nature is to introduce natural values to hikers both in and outside protected areas There is no explanation for the meaning, differences, and similarities of the phrases ‘hiking trail’ and ‘nature trail’. It seems that no need for that has arisen. The Estonian Ramblers’ Association’s Matkaseletussõnastik (Explanatory dictionary on hiking) says that a hiking...

What is environmental awareness? How about environmental education and nature education? Environmental awareness is the understanding of the relationship and interaction between man and the environment and the willingness to take them into account in daily activities and choices; an environmentally conscious person bases their decisions on scientifically proven points of view and relevant...

It is easier for both people and animals to move along a trail. Trails connect people, animals, and places With the help of marked trails in nature, it is possible to introduce natural values to hikers both in and outside protected areas. Trails direct visitors away from places where, from a nature conservation point of view, it would be better if people did not go. The Environmental Board, the...

The twenty-first century is a century of environment, climate, and nature protection – every purposeful activity that protects nature and contributes to preserving the living environment is worth following With simple actions, or occasionally lack of action, you can help preserve habitats and species. Both everyday nature-friendly behaviour as well as active participation in nature conservation...

17 Natura 2000 nature sites, 6 bird sites, and a large part of the water-dependent habitat types are located on top of the Estonian oil shale deposit In 1996, an Australian study found that underground mining has an impact on water and biodiversity [1]. This impact is smaller than that of surface mining; the changes it causes will be felt over time and will be more concentrated in the area of the...

The area affected by drainage may be 20–150% larger than the peat extraction area Before the 1950s, peat was mined by hand from the edges of bogs in Estonia, and the extensive drainage known today was not done – that is why these areas recovered quickly and the impact on biodiversity was small. Since the 1950s, large-scale peat fields have been created as a result of the introduction of milling...

Many former quarries have been successfully reclaimed in Estonia Quarry reclamation means the restoration of post-mining land to forest land, cultivated grassland, or arable land, as well as the creation of a new type of land or landscape (water body, park, recreation area, etc.) [1]. The reclamation of the world’s mining landscapes began in Germany as early as in the eighteenth century [2], but...

Oil shale, or kukersite, is the most important mineral resource of Estonia, which has been the main source of electricity since 1924, but also a source of environmental problems The oil shale industry has significantly affected the socio-economic and natural environment of the Ida-Viru County for almost a century [1]. Due to oil shale mining and processing and activities related to oil shale...