Project Description
The overall objective of the project was to develop nature conservation in Estonia to comply with EU requirements. The main objective of the project was achieved by establishing Natura 2000 network under the Habitats Directive in Estonia in connection to transposing EU nature conservation directives into Estonian legislation. The project included the following tasks:
- Preparation of national list of proposed Sites of Community Importance (pSCI).
- Compilation of Natura 2000 database, which contains all the required information (e.g. habitats, species) about pSCIs.
- Digitisation of the boundaries of all selected sites and elaboration of Geographic Information System (GIS) about Estonian Natura 2000.
- Preparation and printing of publications on "Interpretation Manual of EU Habitats for Estonia".
- Training of public officers and relevant experts.
- Raising public Awareness through various publications (booklets and publications), TV broadcasts, web pages.
The project is a direct application of the following directives and Commission's decision:
- Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)
- Wild Birds Directive (79/409/EEC)
- Commission Decision concerning a site information format for proposed Natura 2000 (97/266/EC)
The project enabled to improve needed capacity providing necessary skills and tools for implementation of these legislative acts in the Candidate Country.
Services provided by SYKE
SYKE's experts had the main role in the following tasks:
- Site selection, including the identification of EU habitats concerned and specification of the borders of each Natura 2000 site.
- Calculation and estimation of the total coverage of each habitat type and occurrence of the species in Estonia.
- Database design, technical treatment of the material, GIS maps, database, and paper documentation.
In addition SYKE's experts supported the following tasks:
- Preparation of interpretation manuals of habitats;
- Preparation of training workshops, seminars and study tours on Habitats Directive and Natura 2000 Network – what is means in practice.
More information
Ms. Kati Pritsi, Project Coordinator, International Affairs Unit, Finnish Environment Institute