91 research outputs found
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
- …