Intra-Industry Trade in the Baltic Sea Region

The purpose of this paper is to analyse economic integration in the Baltic Sea Region as it has emerged from mid-1990s. More importantly, we seek to assess the quality of integration as conferred by the development of intra-industry trade between the two groups of countries in the Baltic Sea region: Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany at the Western coast, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland at the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The analysis of the change in the quality of the traded goods reveals that the economic intergration in the Baltic Sea Region has so far not led to a vast increase of the competitiveness of industry at the relatively less developed Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The equalisation of market prices has predominantly taken place in the trade of raw materials, whereas the Eastern countries continue to trade with deficit in the majority of manufactured goods where the equalisation of unit prices has actually taken place. The above seems to support the results of our previous research, in which we have concluded that the economies of the Baltic States and Poland continue to act as lower value-added parts of the cross-border clusters in the Baltic Sea Region. Consequently, if catching up in living standards with the northern and western neighbours is envisioned, much more systematic investment into education and technology is needed in the Baltic States and Poland.Baltic Sea region, intra-industry trade integration

Factors important for epiphytic lichen communities in wooded meadows of Estonia

The epiphytic lichen communities in open and overgrown wooded meadows in Estonia were examined. From 29 study stands, 179 taxa of lichens, lichenicolous and allied fungi were identified, 41 of them are nationally rare, red-listed or protected. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) was performed to examine the main gradients in species composition and to relate these gradients to environmental variables. The response of lichen species richness to the influence of the environmental variables was tested using a general linear mixed model (GLMM). We revealed that overgrowing of wooded meadows caused significant changes in lichen communities on trees: richness of lichen species decreased and the composition of species changed. Photophilous lichen communities with many species of macrolichens in open wooded meadows were replaced with associations of more shade-tolerant microlichen species. The composition of epiphytic lichen communities were also influenced by the tree species composition, diameter of trees and the geographical location of the stand.

Real Estate Bubble Bursts and Government Policy during Crisis: Examples of Estonia, Ireland and Sweden

The objective of current article is to view previous experience with real estate crises and taking into account such experience find suitable policy reactions to overcome the current Estonian crisis as smoothly as possible. Beside overall theoretical guidelines for overcoming the crisis, examples of Sweden and Ireland are viewed. The policy issues suggested for Estonia include some changes in tax laws, avoiding expansionary fiscal policy, making lending stricter and borrower responsible to higher extent, cooperation of different authorities to tackle problem of bad loans, initiating wage and price cut, paying more attention to exporting secto

Peltigera (Ascomycota) living in open and shady environments depend on different Nostoc photobionts

Species of Peltigera (lichen-forming Ascomycota) establish obligate symbioses with several monophyletic groups (phylogroups) of Nostoc cyanobacteria. Some of these fungi are strict specialists and only associate with one Nostoc phylogroup throughout their range, while others are generalists and associate with many different Nostoc phylogroups. We sampled 20 Peltigera taxa, mostly representing the Peltigera section Peltigera, from grassland and forest habitats across Europe. Mycobionts’ identities were confirmed using fungal ITS sequences. The Nostoc cyanobionts were identified and grouped based on single nucleotide differences in the trnL region and on the phylogenetic analysis of the rbcLX region. Our data confirmed that some Peltigera species clearly prefer open habitats, while others are largely confined to shady forest habitats. The two habitat preferences are consistently paired with association with different Nostoc groups. As a specific example, two ecologically versatile species, Peltigera canina and P. didactyla, both growing in open and shady habitats, consistently associated with different groups of Nostoc when growing in different habitats. As associations between specific mycobionts and cyanobionts are influenced by habitat conditions, the diversity of both taxon groups should be considered in the context of habitat management and conservation planning

A recent update in red-listing of Estonian lichens: threat status of 168 species was assessed for the first time

The threat status of 168 lichenized species growing mostly on rocks or ground were assessed in 2022 for the first time in Estonia. The IUCN Red List system (categories and criteria) were used for that purpose. Most of the assessed taxa were microlichens (163), while five macrolichen species were also evaluated. Among the assessed species, 91 were assigned to the threat categories (Critically Endangered – CR, Endangered – EN and Vulnerable – VU), 17 species were assigned to the category Near Threatened (NT), and 41 species were assigned to the category Least Concerned (LC). Category Data Deficient (DD) was assigned for 17 species and the category Regionally Extinct (RE) for two species. Among the threat categories, 35 species were assigned to the category EN, 34 species to VU, and 22 species to CR. In general, most of the evaluated species (81%, 137 species) were growing on different types of rock, 16% (28 species) of species were growing on soil, mosses or plant debris, and three taxa were growing on other substrata. Most of the threatened epigeic and epilithic microlichens were recorded on alvar grasslands growing on ground, limestone pebbles and flatrock or erratic boulders. Er- ratic boulders in various forest types and calcareous cliffs in clint forest were also important habitats for threatened species. Moreover, different rock substrates of anthropogenic origin (walls, buildings and abandoned limestone quarries) performed as significant habitat type for epilithic species. Bush encroachment of open habitats, especially in semi-natural grasslands, serves as the main threat for epigeic and epilithic lichens

New assessment of Least Concern lichens in the Red List of Estonia: are common species still common?

The threat status of 161 lichenized species that were considered common in Estonia was assessed in 2021. For most of these species, it was the second Red List assessment using the IUCN system (the first such evaluation was performed in 2008). The main data sources for species occurrence were the records reported in 100 study sites located throughout the country during 2020, and the PlutoF biodiversity database. 125 species remained, according to the new assessment, in the category Least Concern (LC) and their populations are not under threat in Estonia at present. Two species were placed in the category Not Applicable (NA) because of systematic revisions while 33 species were assigned to the categories Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU) or Near Threatened (NT); one further species received the status Data Deficient (DD). Thus, the threat status has changed for 22% of the studied species that had generally been considered common in Estonia. The reasons for this change are variable but there is clear evidence that 26 species have become more threatened during last 12 years

Updates to the list of Estonian lichenized, lichenicolous and allied fungi

Herewith, we continue to upgrade Estonian checklist of lichenized, lichenicolous and allied fungi and report twelve fungal species as new for Estonia, of them eleven are lichenized and one is lichenicolous fungus

Lichens in the new Red List of Estonia

The compilation of the current Red List of Estonia took place during 2006–2008; the IUCN system of categories and criteria (vers. 6.1), which is accepted worldwide, was applied. Out of the 1019 lichenized, lichenicolous and closely allied fungal species recorded in Estonia in 2006, 464 species (45.5%) were evaluated while 555 species remained not estimated – in the category Not Evaluated (NE). Of the evaluated species, 213 were assigned to the so-called red-listed categories: Regionally Extinct (RE), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT) and Data Deficient (DD). 113 of them were classified as threatened (belonging to the categories CR, EN, VU). 251 species were assigned to the category Least Concerned (LC). The full enumeration of the red-listed lichens of Estonia with appropriate category and criteria is presented.

Dispersal ecology of the endangered woodland lichen Lobaria pulmonaria in managed hemiboreal forest landscape

Changes in the forest management practices have strongly influenced the distribution of species inhabiting old-growth forests. The epiphytic woodland lichen Lobaria pulmonaria is frequently used as a model species to study the factors affecting the population biology of lichens. We sampled 252 L. pulmonaria individuals from 12 populations representing three woodland types differing in their ecological continuity and management intensity in Estonia. We used eight mycobiont-specific microsatellite loci to quantify genetic diversity among the populations. We calculated the Sørensen distance to estimate genetic dissimilarity among individuals within populations. We revealed that L. pulmonaria populations have significantly higher genetic diversity in old-growth forests than in managed forests and wooded meadows. We detected a significant woodland-type-specific pattern of genetic dissimilarity among neighbouring L. pulmonaria individuals, which suggests that in wooded meadows and managed forests dominating is vegetative reproduction. The vegetative dispersal distance between the host trees of L. pulmonaria was found to be only 15-30m. Genetic dissimilarity among individuals was also dependent on tree species and trunk diameter. Lobaria pulmonaria populations in managed forests included less juveniles compared to old-growth forests and wooded meadows, indicating that forest management influences life stage structure within populations. We conclude that as intensive stand management reduces the genetic diversity of threatened species in woodland habitats, particular attention should be paid to the preservation of remnant populations in old-growth habitats. Within managed habitats, conservation management should target on maintenance of the stand's structural diversity and availability of potential host tree

Red List of Estonian lichens: revision in 2019

The second assessment of the threat status of Estonian lichens based on IUCN system was performed in 2019. The main basis for choosing the species to be currently assessed was the list of legally protected lichens and the list of species assigned to the Red List Categories RE–DD in 2008. Species that had been assessed as Least Concern (LC) in 2008 were not evaluated. Altogether, threat status of 229 lichen species was assessed, among them 181 were assigned to the threatened categories (CR, EN, VU), while no species were assigned to the LC category. Compared to the previous red list, category was deteriorated for 58% and remained the same for 32% of species. In Estonia, threatened lichens inhabit mainly forests (particularly dry boreal and nemoral deciduous stands), alvar grasslands, sand dunes and various saxicolous habitats. Therefore, the most frequent threat factors were forest cutting and overgrowing of alvars and dunes (main threat factor for 96 and 70 species, respectfully).   Eesti samblike punane nimestik 2019 2019. aastal viidi läbi teistkordne IUCN süsteemil põhinev Eesti samblike ohustatuse hindamine. Hinnati liike, mis on riiklikult kaitstud ning liike, mis 2008. aasta hindamise järgi olid Eestis kas regionaalselt välja surnud, kriitilises seisundis, väljasuremisohus, ohualtid, ohulähedased või puuduliku andmestikuga (kategooriad RE–DD). 2008. a-l kategooriasse Soodsas seisundis (LC) kuulunud liike ei kaasatud uude hindamisse. Kokku hinnati 229 samblikuliigi ohustatust, nendest 181 kuulusid ohustatud kategooriatesse (CR, EN või VU); ükski hinnatud liik ei sobinud kategooriasse LC. Võrreldes eelmise punase nimestikuga tõusis kategooria 58% liikidel ning jäi samaks 32%-l. Ohustatud samblikuliigid asustavad Eestis peamiselt metsi (eriti palu- ja salumetsi), loopealseid, liivikuid ning erinevaid kivi-kasvupindu. Seetõttu on sagedasemad ohutegurid metsaraie ning loodude ja liivikute kinnikasvamine (oluline tegur vastavalt 96 ja 70 liigile)