Wildlife Estates and land ethic mentorship

Estonian Landowners Discuss New Conservation Partnerships at Eurosite Event

Estonian landowners co-operation conservation partner The Nature Fund was invited to Eurosite to discuss on new forms of partnerships and cooperation that are a prerequisite. How do you learn from each other, which mentor systems find the right language, and which tools work as incentives for farmers, private landowners and local communities?

Eurosite is the network of landowners and conservationists protecting and restoring private land for nature and the climate in Europe 
https://www.eurosite.org/

Key takeways from landowners perspective:

⚖️ One can not have all good things at once. 
-> To have grouse population high in UK, you reduce the number of forested hectars and catch the small predators.
-> To solve the water contamination problem of old lead quarry, one needs to bind the earth, create the soil and regreen, but cant probably control the birds eating the insects that are on those restored areas.
-> In order to maintain the long term management possibilities, it is needed to make compromises in short-term profit.

🌄  Landowners presentations ecoed similar things - 
-> No urge to notify authoroties of special species, as I will end up losing my rights to my land.
-> Peer-to-peer learning that is lead by landowners organisations is one of the key aspects. Other way the mistrust is too big.
-> Landowners are part of solution, not anti-nature.

🍁 SER presentation confirmed our understanding of the EU policy requirements: 
-> it is 20% not 30% and it is 1/3 of this 20% under strict protection. Favourable conservation status (Habitats directive) means on national level conservation objectives. Not on stand level. 
-> It is not the same as a "good condition habitat type" that is measured on site level.
-> No significant deterioration of areas in good conditions or areas subject to restoration measures means on site level, the structure, fundtions and typical species or typical species composition of a habitat tyle remain stable or show continuous improvemnt. And it means we commitment is effort-based, not result based.

#WeActForBiodiversity #landowners #ourlandournature #restorationdecade #eurosite

The third WESEM meeting took place in Andalusia

Whom does landowner trust the most, according to experience but as well as scientific review papers? 

💡 Another landowner. 

For that we are happy to have enforcement by ERASMUS project funds for our WESEM (Wildlife Estates and land ethic mentorship - https://wesem-erasmus.eu/) project. On our third meeting in rather an exotic Andalucia region in Spain:

- We were analyzing the material created for filling the gaps in the labour market related to the lack of professionals able to advise on issues related to nature and biodiversity conservation.

- Discussed how the peer-to-peer learning system could look like in a flexible, practical and fully online vocational training system;

- Demonstrated a toolkit version that has practical advice for forestry related actions for those landowners who want to follow Wildlife Estates label and PEFC.

- Discovered once again that all countries are different while driving alongside of mountain areas, where spanish agriculture must use also terrace building, irrigation systems and increase forest planting. As its hot like in Egypt.

- Visited an estate of landowner of Castillo de Canena Olive Juice. They have measuring stations all over the estate that analyse the soil situation, they sell the pruning residues instead of burining them and provide access to their mills also to other landowners.

#EU #Erasmus #WESEM #ELO #WildlifeEstates

Airiin Vaasa – A Climate Ambassador with a Passion for Forestry

Photo: Mailis Vahenurm

Growing up in Vara Forest District in a family of foresters, Airiin Vaasa found her way to forestry studies by chance—despite her family’s opposition. The young woman, who already stood out during university for her active involvement, has now added a prestigious new title to her list of achievements: European Climate Ambassador.

What exactly does a European Climate Pact Ambassador do? The role is largely shaped by the ambassador themselves. It is a voluntary position aimed at increasing climate awareness in communities and providing practical solutions to environmental challenges. In Vaasa’s case, her focus is primarily on the forestry sector, where she has studied and worked. “In forestry, a lot of opinions come from people without a forestry background, so it makes sense to take on an active role in the discussion and bring more scientific perspective into the debate,” she explains. “Since I’m not permanently tied to any specific organization at the moment, I can integrate these topics into different projects I’m involved with.”

There are several European Climate Pact Ambassadors in Estonia, the most well-known being Member of Parliament Hanah Lahe.

Doesn’t the Forest Grow on Its Own?

Vaasa (26) became a familiar name to forestry professionals a few years ago at the Forestry Vision Conference, where she delivered a presentation on behalf of forestry students about the sector they would like to work in the future. Her speech included a fair amount of criticism toward the "old guard," reflecting the frustration among forestry students that the industry sometimes views new generations with condescension. Many young professionals find it challenging to establish themselves in the existing hierarchy after graduation.

Her critical speech was met with applause and praise, and from that point on, Vaasa’s name began to appear more frequently in forestry-related roles. “I’ve partly made my way by speaking my mind,” Vaasa admits. “That can sometimes cause conflicts, but honesty is generally appreciated.”

Vaasa grew up in Vara Forest District in Tartu County, where both of her parents worked, as did most of the villagers. Despite this, she never considered a future in forestry. On the contrary—she didn’t understand why forests even needed to be managed. After all, don’t they grow on their own? Her parents preferred that she study law, while she was drawn to cultural management but narrowly missed admission. “Somehow, things worked out in a way that my best friend at the time suggested we study something random for half a year and then switch to a field we actually liked,” she recalls. That "random choice" turned out to be forestry. Her friend never even applied, but Vaasa went to the Estonian University of Life Sciences alone and discovered that she enjoyed forestry so much that she pursued a master’s degree right after finishing her bachelor’s.

Standing Out Through Activity

Vaasa says she has always wanted to do things that have an impact, which explains her active involvement. At the Estonian University of Life Sciences, she became a forestry tutor, supporting fellow students. She chaired the Forestry Students’ Association and still organizes forestry competitions in Järvselja. During her master’s studies, she was invited to temporarily work as the Executive Director of the Estonian Forestry Society, and she is currently involved with both the Nature Conservation Fund and Luua Forestry School.

“My father immediately said that I would never become a real forester, and I have always known that myself,” she admits. “I am more drawn to softer, education-related activities—ones that integrate forestry with other fields, like event management or marketing.”

Currently, her focus is on the international WESEM project (Wildlife Estates Sustainable & Ethical Management), in which the Estonian partners are the Nature Conservation Fund and Luua Forestry School. The project aims to train vocational students, forestry, agricultural, and environmental professionals who advise landowners and farmers on how to manage their land ethically and sustainably while successfully applying for the Wildlife Estates label. To achieve this, a training platform and a mentor network are being developed, which could eventually evolve into a completely new curriculum at Luua Forestry School for training land management advisors based on the values of Wildlife Estates.

The Wildlife Estates label recognizes landowners who voluntarily contribute to increasing biodiversity. In essence, it promotes private nature conservation—something not yet widespread in Estonia. However, in the future, private and voluntary conservation efforts could exist alongside state-protected areas as an equal approach.

Passion for Impactful Work

Although Vaasa is engaged in multiple forestry-related projects, she has not yet found the one long-term position where she can create lasting value. However, she believes that the right opportunities will come at the right time.

For her future job, she hopes for the chance to work on large-scale, impactful projects. “It should be related to education, with an organizational and marketing aspect as well,” she reflects. “What exactly that will be, I can’t say yet. But I want to do something that makes a difference.”

When asked what advice she has for young people considering a career in forestry, Vaasa has a clear message: “They need to be active and seek innovative solutions. Such people are highly valued in forestry.” At the same time, she emphasizes that without a genuine interest in nature, it is difficult to succeed: “You may have general knowledge, but to truly connect the dots, you need to be a bit of a fanatic yourself.”

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