Globalisation - a threat to traditional landscapes and local identity?

Traditional landscapes could be considered as one of the most apparent carriers of local identities. They act as memory of previous human activities. During the 1990s the economic changes have had a drastic influence on the appearance of these landscapes. On one hand, local people are keen to keep the existing patterns that indicate their feeling of belonging. On the other hand, there is a desire to introduce new patterns dictated by new technologies, economic conditions, enlarged knowledge. This might lead to a kind of standardized landscape so that one cannot distinguish between, e.g., Denmark and western Estonia. The presentation will focus on the local identities in three Estonian counties. We deal with locals' preferences and ideas concerning their landscapes. Based on some 400 interviews we try to investigate which is the role of traditional landscape in local life, what kind of landscape changes are seen by locals as acceptable, what trade-offs are possible on landscape development, how could local people be involved in landscape planning, do current economic policies support or harm the maintenance of the traditional landscape.

Globalisation - a threat to traditional landscapes and local identity?

Traditional landscapes could be considered as one of the most apparent carriers of local identities. They act as memory of previous human activities. During the 1990s the economic changes have had a drastic influence on the appearance of these landscapes. On one hand, local people are keen to keep the existing patterns that indicate their feeling of belonging. On the other hand, there is a desire to introduce new patterns dictated by new technologies, economic conditions, enlarged knowledge. This might lead to a kind of standardized landscape so that one cannot distinguish between, e.g., Denmark and western Estonia. The presentation will focus on the local identities in three Estonian counties. We deal with locals' preferences and ideas concerning their landscapes. Based on some 400 interviews we try to investigate which is the role of traditional landscape in local life, what kind of landscape changes are seen by locals as acceptable, what trade-offs are possible on landscape development, how could local people be involved in landscape planning, do current economic policies support or harm the maintenance of the traditional landscape

Landscape changes in Estonia: the past and the future

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1053453~S58*es

Semiotic study of landscapes: An overview from semiology to ecosemiotics

The article provides an overview of different approaches to the semiotic study of landscapes both in the field of semiotics proper and in landscape studies in general. The article describes different approaches to the semiotic processes in landscapes from the semiological tradition where landscape has been seen as analogous to a text with its language, to more naturalized and phenomenological approaches, as well as ecosemiotic view of landscapes that goes beyond anthropocentric definitions. Special attention is paid to the potential of cultural semiotics of Tartu–Moscow school for the analysis of landscapes and the possibilities held by a dynamic, dialogic and holistic landscape definition for the development of ecosemiotics

Kinetics and scale-up of electrochemical reduction of aqueous CO2 at Sn Cathodes

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 in aqueous buffer solutions of different pHs at tin electrodes was studied. The partial current densities exhibited the expected two Tafel regions; with increasingly negative electrode potential, the first to be encountered depended on pH strongly, while the second showed only weak dependence. Formate and CO were observed as the main products. In the range of potentials studied, the highest charge yield of 0.67 was achieved at -1.55 V (AgCl|Ag) in 0.5 M NaOH saturated with 1 atm CO2 with a total current density of 36.2 A m-2. pH was also found to affect the formation ratios of CO to formate, the value of which ranged from 1 to 0.15 as pH was increased from 2.9 to 7.8. However, pH was not an ideal variable to adjust the product distributions because lower pH led to a lower charge yield of CO2 reduction due to increasingly competing hydrogen evolution. Two mathematical kinetic models based on slightly different concepts were developed to quantify the dependence of the formation ratios on pH and to predict partial current densities of CO2 reduction at different pHs and electrode potentials. The first model assumed that there could be multiple reactions having different stoichiometric coefficients of proton consumption occurring simultaneously; the greater the coefficient, the stronger was the preference for CO production from the reaction. The other concept was that there were multiple protonation states of the intermediate in CO2 reduction; the higher the protonation state, the higher was the tendency to form CO from the intermediate. Both concepts allowed variations of the product ratios as a function of pH, but the latter model was preferred because more accurate predictions of the partial current densities were achieved and a generalised reaction mechanism could be derived. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 in 0.5 M NaOH saturated with 1 atm CO2 at tin-coated graphite felt electrodes was also studied. Tin was deposited on graphite felt from aqueous solutions of 0.3 M K2[Sn(OH)6], 0.4 M KOH and 0.5 M K3PO4. The effects of electrode potential and electrolyte flow rates on the performances of CO2 reduction at 3D electrodes were explored. The best performance was achieved at -1.62 V (AgCl|Ag) and 99 ml min-1 electrolyte flow rate; the total current density and the charge yield of formate were 971 A m-2 and 0.58, respectively. Accumulation of gas bubbles composed of H2 and CO was found to have detrimental effects on superficial electrolyte conductivities and mass transport of CO2, but can be partially alleviated by increasing the electrolyte flow rate. Two mathematical models were developed to include the effect of flow rates into account in predicting total current densities and formate charge yields from 3D electrodes. The first model assumed that the gas bubbles inside porous electrodes travelled at the same velocities as the electrolyte solutions; this led to highly under-predicted potential drops across the electrode thickness and over-predicted total current densities. On the other hand, the second model allowed slip between bubble flows and electrolyte flows, resulting in more accurate predictions. Bubbles were found to travel 0.0016 times slower than electrolyte flow velocities.Open Acces

Maastik kui mänguväljak

This paper studies further the idea expressed by Paul Claval about landscape as a playground. For a decade, scholars have wondered whether games such as geocaching could be used if not in planning, then at least in getting feedback about people’s landscape preferences. This paper studies the role of geocaching in landscape changes through three lenses: geocaching as consumption of nature’s contribution to people, as influence on the environment, and as place making. The author concludes that, first, landscape can indeed serve as a playground and let the players inscribe on its layers of meaning understandable only for the dedicated (initiated). Second, the hope for getting feedback about preferences will probably fail, as the players care more about the contents of the game, but at the same time we could get insights into the preferences of the player communities. Finally, the game allows for recreating and remembering places and telling stories

From Collectivisation to Commodification: Transformations in Estonia’s Rural Landscape and Identity

Estonia’s rural landscape has undergone a significant transformation from its Soviet collectivisation era to its post-re-independence restitution process and EU membership. Following Soviet collectivisation and rural depopulation, land restitution in the 1990s was driven by nationalistic ideals linking land ownership to identity and justice. However, initial idealism was tempered by economic and logistical challenges. EU integration accelerated agricultural professionalisation and concentration, with fewer but larger, specialised farms driving increased productivity. Concurrently, rural depopulation and urbanisation led to abandoned infrastructure and declining traditional livelihoods, though small-scale tourism and community initiatives have revitalised certain areas. The countryside, increasingly commodified as a recreational “playground”, now serves diverse roles, blending heritage preservation with contemporary leisure. These changes highlight a shift from utilitarian rural landscapes to multifunctional spaces reflecting urbanised values, necessitating a reevaluation of national identity and the socio-economic future of rural Estonia

Mobiilne kuuluvustunne kui toimetulekuviis 1950. aastate argielus: ühe pere lugu

This study contributes to the micro-history during the structural reorganization of Estonia in the 1950s by examining everyday letter exchange between the members of a family consisting of a single mother and her two daughters. The study uses a mobilities approach toward the meaning of belonging while investigating everyday places and related practices, the mentalities of individual stages of life, and symbolical relations which are influenced by structural formation. The study indicates mobile characteristics of belonging in a family’s subjective attachment to a place. The letters reflect the developments in self-identity related to the sense of belonging of two different generations influenced by rural and urban everyday life. The sense of belonging of the mother, born before World War II, is moving to the past, where the historically shaped everyday life and personal meaning-making at the rural home farm can offer symbolic and practical safety in this insecure social period. The sense of belonging of the younger daughter, considering her personal life stage and the conditions of the ruling power, is adapting to urban life, as this environment offers better possibilities for self-realization