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...

Everywhere in the Estonian state forest, a felling peace is in force from mid-April to mid-June Sustainable forest management means growing, using, managing, and protecting forests in such a way as to ensure biodiversity, forest productivity, regeneration and viability, and the possibility of diversified forest use that meets ecological, economic, social, and cultural needs. Biodiversity is one of...

The main framework document for Estonian hunting is the Hunting Act Hunting allows to regulate animal abundance, ensure species diversity, the viability of populations, and hunting productivity, and prevent extensive damage to forestry and other economic activities (e.g. agriculture). The main framework document for Estonian hunting is the Hunting Act, which provides for the creation and use of...

Since the creation of the European Diploma for Protected Areas, 74 protected areas have received it. Among them is the Matsalu National Park The European Diploma of Protected Areas is a prestigious international award given by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe since 1965. The diploma values natural and semi-natural communities and landscapes that are of exceptional European...

The role of the European Environment Agency is to provide reliable and independent environmental information on Europe Established in 1990, the European Environment Agency (EEA) is the European Union’s body responsible for providing reliable and independent environmental information. The European Environment Agency is an important source of information for environmental policy makers, implementers...

14 species of bats have been registered in Estonia, but 2 of them are occasional visitors. All Estonian bat species belong to the list of protected category II species UNEP/EUROBATS is an international agreement for the protection of European bat populations. The agreement was concluded in 1995 as part of the Bonn Convention, an agreement on the protection of migratory routes of wild animal...

The main task of the GBIF is to make information on species available freely and free of charge in a uniform format for all interested parties The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international network that aims to share information on all types of biodiversity in the world. The main task of the GBIF is to make biodiversity information available freely, free of charge, and to...

There are seven HELCOM areas in Estonia, covering 24% of Estonia’s territorial sea The Helsinki Convention, or the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (also the HELCOM Convention), is designed to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. The first version of the convention was adopted in 1974 and entered into force in 1980. Estonia acceded to this...

The IUCN identifies and maps the world’s major environmental conservation challenges and develops measures to address or mitigate them The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organisation established in 1948 to promote nature conservation and the ecologically sustainable use of natural resources. The union brings together national governments, non-governmental...

The aim of the fisheries agreements is cooperation on the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources and the fight against illegal fishing Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982, states have the right to control fishing in the waters adjacent to their coasts. Under the convention, countries are required to conclude reciprocal fisheries agreements...