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Description
The situation in the Estonian forest is worrying. Intensive forest management is becoming an increasing problem due to the associated loss of biodiversity, damage to local values and, more and more, its contribution to climate change. It is crucial that environmental associations and local communities with expertise are involved in forest related decision-making. In practice, however, involvement/public participation mechanisms do not work.
The aim of the project is to reintroduce the principles of public participation in forest decision-making. To this end, it is planned to address both legal bottlenecks and to enforce the requirements for involvement in practice, through participation in specific decision-making processes. The target groups are decision-makers at the national level (the parliament, government, Environmental Board), environmental associations and local active groups.
Project activities involve a legal analysis of the bottlenecks in public involvement in forest decision-making, participating in real-life decision-making processes and empower local active groups with expert support and advice. All activities are supported by strong public communication work.
As a result of the project, the following will be achieved: 1) an understanding of the legal bottlenecks in making forest decisions and solutions, which will also be taken to decision-makers; 2) compliance with the requirements for involvement in specific forest decision-making processes, which results in better decisions on the one hand and model cases on the other, on which to proceed in the future; 3) more motivated and capable local communities.
Summary of project results
Forest management in Estonia has become increasingly intensive in recent years. Decisions regarding forests—whether national-level political plans or specific logging notifications—are currently excessively damaging both biodiversity and local values. Estonian forestry has adopted a clear-cutting approach, which results in the destruction of many forest functions and values for decades to come.
Balancing environmental considerations and various interests should be ensured, among other things, through mechanisms that involve people affected by logging, environmental organizations, and local communities. In theory, such mechanisms exist in Estonian legislation: Estonia is a party to the Aarhus Convention, and the General Part of the Environmental Code Act includes obligations for public participation, among other provisions. However, the number and topicality of decisions affecting Estonian forests are vast. Not all stakeholders manage or know how to participate in these processes. Many decisions remain purely administrative and lack clear procedural requirements, while some decisions outright violate established rules.
The Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF) has been involved in forest-related advocacy since its inception, participating in the development of forestry regulations, contributing to the creation of protection rules for conservation areas, and engaging in many other important processes. Forests are a strategically important field of activity for ELF.
Today, environmental organizations have accumulated sufficient expertise, and forest-related issues have been comprehensively and publicly addressed in the media with the help of these organizations for several years. Public interest in the topic has grown compared to earlier years. However, bottlenecks in the quality of forest-related decisions persist and require resolution. Implementing the principles of participation and preserving what has already been achieved in this area demand ongoing effort.
This requires reactivating the principles of public participation in the forestry sector to ensure that various interests are more balanced in decision-making. It is necessary to focus on the quality of decisions at both national and local levels. Small local organizations or grassroots groups can effectively intervene in local-level decisions, but they often lack the competence and awareness of their rights compared to forestry lobbyists, leaving them disadvantaged in these debates. Meanwhile, larger national organizations lack the resources to participate in all critical decision-making processes.
Public Engagement and Advocacy
Trainings and seminars
Three training sessions/seminars were held for other environmental CSOs and local communities:
- A GIS mapping application training
- Practical forest training related to areas of heightened public interest (KAH-areas)
- An overview of court practices
These organizations were supported with skills and knowledge on an ongoing basis and motivated to engage further.
Forestry advocacy campaigns
An extensive forest protection campaign was conducted during the 2021 local government elections and the 2023 parliamentary elections. The campaigns engaged all local government and parliamentary candidates, with nearly 700 candidates in the local elections and around 300 candidates in the parliamentary elections publicly responding to questions posed by the campaigns. The campaign websites collectively garnered nearly 10,000 visits.
Media coverage, posts on ELF’s website, and its social media channels were actively shared by other organizations and individuals. The content produced during the project was frequently referenced; respective social media posts reached over 101,100 people.
Plans for forest work in Areas of Heightened Public Interest (KAH Areas)
Involvement and legal action
- ELF participated in the proceedings of five KAH areas, supporting local communities and providing recommendations.
- ELF was involved in a legal dispute with the Environmental Board over logging in the Valgevälja KAH area, winning the first court instance, with preparations underway for the second.
- ELF proposed that the Ministry of the Environment halt all logging in KAH areas until legislative amendments are enacted.
Petitions and legal proposals
- A public petition regarding KAH areas collected 3,796 signatures and was submitted to the parliament.
- Based on a detailed analysis of KAH area proceedings in 2021 and 2022, opinions were provided to the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Justice, Government Office, and parliament. The data were shared with the “Save Estonian Forests” organization, aiding their participation in RMK (State Forest Management Centre) proceedings.
- A legal analysis identified shortcomings in the regulations governing KAH areas, resulting in a memorandum to the Environmental Board and a proposal to the Ministry of the Environment to amend the regulations.
Local Government area management plans and other decisions
Two qualitative studies focused on local government area management plans and KAH areas. These involved interviews with seven local planning or environmental specialists and three community representatives.
ELF participated in the planning processes of five municipalities (Haapsalu, Keila, Kanepi, Antsla, and Hiiumaa), with in-depth involvement in Haapsalu area planning.
It was concluded that the role of local governments in forest-related decision-making requires clearer regulation and legislative amendments.
Legal challenges to logging permits
In the Valgevälja case, ELF challenged logging permits for clear-cutting in valuable landscapes managed by RMK.
A review of court practices on logging permit disputes was prepared, discussed with other environmental organizations, and used to strengthen arguments in ongoing legal cases.
Advocacy for biodiversity conservation and logging restrictions
ELF’s objectives included monitoring the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and proposing areas for protection. Collaborations with scientists helped identify potential conservation areas and address issues of effective protection.
Two biodiversity roundtables involved representatives from environmental NGOs and government agencies. ELF also participated in a working group focused on protecting primeval and natural forests.
ELF contributed to five new conservation regulation drafts, analyzed the legal competence of planning commissions, and prepared case studies highlighting systemic issues.
State Forest Management Center and National Forestry Policy
A legal analysis of RMK’s obligations in state forest management was conducted, with findings shared with the National Audit Office, which is preparing an audit on RMK.
Forestry Development Plan (MAK)
The project supported expert contributions to the Forestry Development Plan until 2030 (MAK). A commissioned expert opinion from the Environmental Law Center helped highlight shortcomings in the draft plan, leading to some improvements. However, the MAK process continues in the current parliamentary session.
The project was important because, in addition to scientific activities, it focused on the social aspect of nature conservation—transparency and inclusion. Nature conservation is, among other things, the protection of people''s living environment. Unfortunately, a growing problem is the push for narrow, often economic private interests at the expense of public interests, making democratic processes increasingly important in nature conservation decisions.
The goal of the project was to bring more democracy into the decision-making process for forest management. Of course, no one expected that a single project would immediately shift such a large-scale social process in a different direction. However, the project certainly contributed to ELF and its partners'' ability to participate in societal and policy processes. It helped establish closer ties with other like-minded organizations and fostered collaboration toward a common goal. It enhanced the capacity to sit at the same table with decision-makers (both at the political level and with senior public officials) as equals to discuss and solve problems. It also increased the ability to study and influence public opinion toward better forest protection and in various other areas. Majority of project activities have long-term impact on ELF''s advocacy work and respective policy areas.