Socio-Economic Effects of National Park Governance and Management:Lessons from Post-Socialist Era Estonia

Despite the significant increase in protected territory globally, there is a common understanding that the designation of protected areas alone does not guarantee their effectiveness nor halt the loss of biodiversity. In addition to biodiversity conservation, protected areas are expected to perform a number of other functions, such as provide ecosystem services and improve local socio-economic conditions. Therefore, the need to strive towards mixed, decentralized conservation management and stakeholder involvement is increasingly emphasized. Although there is limited research, it has been noted that protected areas have not served wider objectives effectively enough. The current study provides insight concerning socio-economic effects of different governance and management practices of protected areas based on perceptions of residents and stakeholders of five national parks of Estonia. It was found that conservation status has an important impact on local socio-economic conditions largely depending on governance and management practices, resulting in both, positive and negative effects. It was concluded that the centralization of nature conservation and the abolition of protected area administrations have led to a gradual distancing of nature conservation from local conditions and the population, causing concern about the preservation of the living environment

The Impact of Program Modality on Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam Subscale Scores

Online counselor education programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs are growing in number, however little research exists comparing online and on-campus student outcomes. This study examined the impact of program modality (online versus on-campus) on Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam subscale scores of 451 students with an emphasis on the Helping Relationships subscale. Significant results included on-campus students performing higher on the Helping Relationships subscale and online students performing higher on the Career Development subscale. Analysis found no statistical difference on the remaining six subscales. Implications for counselor education are discussed

Assessment of ecosystem services provided by semi-natural grasslands as a basis for promoting conservation measures

Throughout the second half of the 20th Century the area of semi-natural grasslands in Estonia decreased substantially, partly due to the collectivization process during the soviet era leading to agricultural abandonment in some areas and intensification in more productive soil types (Henle et al. 2008). Both of these processes led to declines in species diversity as well as homogenisation and loss of character. Within calcareous grasslands loss of grazing leads to colonization by scrub including juniper (Juniperus communis) with very few species and a very different structure, and similar processes occur in other semi-natural grassland types.The unique biodiversity value of semi-natural grasslands in Estonia is well recognised (Dengler et al. 2014), however, an estimation of their value is required to demonstrate to policy makers the urgent requirement for conservation measures. The ecosystem services framework provides a new approach to assess the value and multi-functionality of these habitats. A methodology for assessing ecosystem services in semi-natural grasslands is provided in this paper.Management type and intensity have a major influence on semi-natural grassland species composition (Burnside et al. 2007). Therefore the first stage of this project was to assess the relationships between the management regime and the presence of key species in different semi-natural grassland types. The Annex 1 habitat classification was used as the starting point for the study because they are thoroughly mapped in Estonia and form the basis for agri-environmental payments. The five dominant semi-natural grassland habitats in Estonia were selected for this study and include: Northern boreal alluvial meadows (6450), Boreal Baltic coastal meadows (1630), Alvars (6280) and Fennoscandian wooded pastures and meadows (6530 and 9070 respectively). These account for 25%, 21%, 15% and 10% of the 109592 ha of semi-natural grasslands in Estonia.Four ecosystem services were selected for this study: plant biodiversity, soil carbon storage, biomass production and use for grazing animals. As part of the study, bundles and trade-offs between ecosystem services are identified, as well as hot and cold spots for the provision of ecosystem services. Fig. 1 provides a summary of the share of semi-natural grasslands in Estonia and uses the Environmental Stratification of Estonia (ESE) (Villoslada et al. 2016) to show regional distribution.The results of the project will be translated into policy and decision-making through an online ecosystem services valuation tool in the frame of the LIFE Viva Grass project. The project aims at preventing the loss of High Nature Value grasslands by providing an Integrating Planning Tool and considering socio-economic factors impacting nature conservation policy

SustainBaltic. ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal and Marine Human-ecological Networks in the Baltic Region

The project involved partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University, University of Turku, Finnish Environment Intitute, and Regional Council of SatakuntaSustainBaltic i.e. ICZM Plans for Sustaining Coastal and Marine Human-ecological Networks in the Baltic Region project is implemented for 27 months during 2016- 2018. SustainBaltic (CB354) is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Central Baltic Programme 2014-2020. SustainBaltic is a joint cooperation project of University of Turku, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Finnish Environment Institute, Regional Council of Satakunta and Tallinn University. The project targets to improve the share of the managed coastal networks in the Central Baltic area by the cross-border preparation of the ICZM plans for total four case areas with their public assessment in Estonia and Finland. This was planned to achieve by 1) Integrating multidisciplinary human-ecological data on the whole project area: in Finland the regions of Satakunta and Southwest Finland and in Estonia the areas of Lääne, Harju and Lääne-Viru with their land-sea interfaces; 2) Selecting the themes of ICZMs and case study areas which locate along the coast of Lääne and Lääne-Viru in Estonia and in the region of Satakunta in Finland; 3) Making four digital ICZM plans which were first tested with the current regional land use of the project area; 4) Public assessing of the plans using both e-platforms and arranging working groups with the stakeholders and end-users directed by the project members; and 5) As the final results of SustainBaltic the updated completed ICZM plans can be downloaded from the websites of the partner organisations and at the http://www.utu.fi/ SustainBaltic, also beyond the project life span. In addition, the interim results and the other activity phases of the preparation of the first ICZM drafts are found at the https://blogit.utu.fi/sustainbaltic. This ICZM plan (hereinafter: the management plan) covers the Lääne-Viru case area, which extends from Käsmu to Kunda (see Figure 1). The management plan has a 10-year perspective, with the aim of outlining the current trends and the necessary activities. The management plan is a knowledge-based guidance document that combines various development strategies and can be used in the development of several plans, development plans, and strategic projects (see Figure 2). The management plan consists of two parts: a description of the situation and context based on values and challenges; and an operational part of the management plan that includes integrated activities and a scheme. The management plan is based on the maritime vision of Lääne-Viru county, which focuses on three main areas: a) ensuring the development of diverse maritime transport, ports, and maritime tourism, b) strengthening the viability of historic coastal villages and communities, c) using the natural resources of the marine and coastal zones sustainably. In this management plan, the socio-ecological networks of the sea and the land are determined and the suggestive activities are based on aspects of sustainable and balanced development. Sustainability means diverse cultural and economic activities that are integrated with environmental values and do not harm nature and natural resources in the long term. The management plan is primarily focused on the greater integration of traditional fields of activity and the opportunities for diversification, especially considering the possibilities of using the coastal sea and the land together, as well as the seasonal nature of many activities (recreational economy, coastal fishing). It is also important to integrate the fields of activity (combining activities) – coastal fishing and tourism, ports and sports camps, nature conservation, and entrepreneurship – as well as develop cooperation both within the areas of activity (ports, bathing spots, etc.) and between them. In the context of spatial planning in the European Union, the ICZM is formally considered separate from Marine Spatial Planning – MSP. The preparation of MSP is obligatory for Member States. The realisation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, however, is up to the countries and local authorities themselves. Therefore, there is no explicitly accepted methodology for the management plan. Many people have contributed to the preparation of the management plan. A number of interviews and meetings with different stakeholders were conducted during the preparation of the plan and the steering group of the Lääne-Viru case area advised in drafting the plan. The people who prepared the management plan thank the steering group consisting of representatives of local authorities – Anneli Kivisaar (Haljala rural municipality), Ivar Lilleberg (formerly Vihula rural municipality), Mati Jõgi (formerly Lääne-Viru county government), and Marit Laast (Viru-Nigula rural municipality) –, Imbi Mets and Maret Vildak from the Environmental Board, and Jaan Kangur from the Ministry of Finance. Many thanks to Kristel Toom (Tallinn University) for the financial administration; to all Finnish colleagues, and project colleagues from Estonian University of Life Sciences working with Läänemaa ICZM case. We also thank all the interviewees, participants in public discussions, and respondents to the questionnaires.SustainBaltic is funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Central Baltic Programme 2014–202

Projekti „Liigikaitseliselt oluliste ranna-alade kaitsemeetmed – väärtuste hinnang ja lahendused“ alusuuring

Käesolev töö on koostatud projekti „Liigikaitseliselt oluliste ranna-alade kaitsemeetmed – väärtuste hinnang ja lahendused“ alusuuringuna. Töö osadeks on seletuskiri ja GIS-andmestik projektialade ja nende lähiümbruse (300 m) maakatte ja pika ajalooga puistualade kohta. Töö koostas Eesti Maaülikool ajavahemikus september 2018 – detsember 2020. Töögruppi kuulusid Janar Raet, Maaria Semm, Eva- Lena Sepp, Kalev Sepp (Eesti Maaülikool).Viitamine: Raet, J., Semm. M. 2020. Projektialade maakate ja pika ajalooga puistualad. "Liigikaitseliselt oluliste ranna-alade kaitsemeetmed - väärtuste hinnang ja lahendused (1.02.2019-10.12.2020)" projekti alusuuring. Eesti Maaülikool, Põllumajandus- ja keskkonnainstituut, Keskkonnakaitse ja maastikukorralduse õppetool.Projekti koostamist toetas Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus keskkonnaprogrammi looduskaitse alamprogrammist (projekt nr 15419)

The Development of Self-Efficacy to Work with Suicidal Clients

Suicide is a public health crisis which counselors must be prepared to address. In this grounded theory study, the researchers advance a model to show how counselors develop self-efficacy to work with suicidal clients. Counselor educators may use this model to improve programmatic training and supervision of students

Girls’ preferences for HPV vaccination

A discrete choice experiment was developed to investigate if girls aged 12–16 years make trade-offs between various aspects of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and to elicit the relative weight that girls’ place on these characteristics. Degree of protection against cervical cancer, protection duration, risk of side-effects, and age of vaccination, all proved to influence girls’ preferences for HPV vaccination. We found that girls were willing to trade-off 38% protection against cervical cancer to obtain a lifetime protection instead of a protection duration of 6 years, or 17% to obtain an HPV vaccination with a 1 per 750,000 instead of 1 per 150,000 risk of serious side-effects. We conclude that girls indeed made a trade-off between degree of protection and other vaccine characteristics, and that uptake of HPV vaccination may chang