Some implications of coastal zone utilization and management in Estonia

1. Some implications of coastal zone utilization and management in Estonia 2nd International ASTRA Conference CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND FLOOD RISKS IN COASTAL AREAS October 26-28, 2006 Gdansk Oliwa, Poland Valdeko Palginõmm, Are Kont Entec Ltd., Institute of Ecology, Tallinn University

2. Overview • 1 Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia • 2 Historical background • 3 Current state of coastal zone land use • 4 Coastal zone management • 5 Recent activities in the frameworks of ASTRA and future perspectives

3. Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia • Saaremaa Island – the focal test area of our research group within the frameworks of the ASTRA projectcan be considered a small model of Estonia, where the shore types, development of coastal settlements and the history of human impact on the seashores are quite similar to that in Estoniain general • The fourth largest island in the Baltic Sea after Sjaelland, Gotland and Fyn • 2.673 km2 in area; population 35.076Jan. 2006 est.; 13,1 inhabitants per km2

4. Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia

5. Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia • Tectonic and isostatic land uplift ranging between 1 … 2.5 mm per year • Coastal zone topography, sedimentary rocks (limestone and dolomite), unconsolidated deposits (sand, gravel, pebble, till, varved clay etc.) and offshore hydrology have resulted in the formation of a diverse range of shore types

6. Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia Shore types by K.Orviku

7. Historical background • Centuries-old human land use has played an important role in the formation of the present-day coastal landscape of Saaremaa • According to archaeological findings, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited at least five thousand years • According to historical documents, many of the coastal areas of Estonia have been permanently inhabited since at least the 13th century. The main traditional economic activities that have supported human life on the coast have been fishing, seal hunting, agriculture, and rarely forestry

8. Historical background • Since 1227 through 1918, Saaremaa like the whole territory of Estonia was under the rule of different countries and powers (Germans, Danes, Swedes and Russians) • In the Middle Ages, the land in Estonia belonged to manors in general. Unlike the mainland, the communal form of land use was preserved on Saaremaa and some other islands until the expropriation of manors in 1919 • The cultivated fields were divided into parcels of different size and shape. The partition of the cultivated fields, which belonged to the village, reflected the democratic traditions of the village community. The village allocated a portion of each soil type to each household. Every household was supposed to have equal rights to use the land

9. Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia

10. Historical background Kõinasti Island 1687/1688

11. Historical background • Favorable climatic conditions and geographical isolation had fostered the island to become one of the most densely populated areas in Estonia until the Soviet occupation and the beginning of World War II. It was a typical agrarian region with about 10.000 farms. About 60.000 inhabitants were living in Saaremaa by the end of the first Estonian Republic in 1940 • Due to lack of new land naturally suitable for cultivation, the majority of the fields have been in the same place for centuries

12. Saaremaa Island as a model of Estonia

13. 1770 1800 Maps of land coverunits on Vilsandi Island by U.Ratas and R.Rivis

14. Historical background The events in summer 1940 interrupted everything that had been achieved. Soviet occupation and first deportation of local people to Siberia was followed by WWII After the end of the war in 1945, the Soviet occupation continued for nearly half a century. Due to the location on the western border of the huge territory of the former U.S.S.R., the whole island was proclaimed a restriction zone with strict limitation for navigation and even for moving around on the land As a result, the population of Saaremaa decreased by one third, being about 40.000 inhabitants by the end of the war, and this figure has even reducedup now

15. Historical background The traditional way of living was completely destroyed. Small villages, farms and enterprises were replaced by big ones. The areas where it was not possible lost their interest in terms of economic development, and were neglected completely The appearance of the coastal areas changed because they remained out of traditional land use The main trends of changes in coastal land cover are as follows: natural seashore grasslands turned to shrubberies or reed beds, wooded meadows and small fields to forest

16. 1770 1800 Maps of land coverunits on Vilsandi Island by U.Ratas and R.Rivis

17. small lake farm field reed-bed bare ground grassland grassland with shrubs shrubbery forest Land cover changes on Vilsandi Island in 1700-1990 (U.Ratas, R.Rivis)

18. Current state of coastal zone land use • A new stage of development started after regaining independence in the beginning of the 1990s • Some negative tendencies in the land use of coastal areas over the last decade • Privatization of costal areas, particularly to foreigners • Restricted access to the shoreline • Tendency of building summer cottages too near to the shoreline • Discordance of existing legislation with nowadays needs • Missing long-term strategies in coastal zone management

19. Current state of coastal zone land use • Some negative tendencies in the land use of coastal areas over the last decade • Privatization of costal areas, particularly to foreigners • Restricted access to the shoreline • Tendency of building summer cottages too near to the shoreline • Discordance of existing legislation with nowadays needs • Missing long-term strategies in coastal zone management

20. Current state of coastal zone land use • Some negative tendencies in the land use of coastal areas over the last decade • Privatization of costal areas, particularly to foreigners • Restricted access to the shoreline • Tendency of building summer cottages too near to the shoreline • Discordance of existing legislation with nowadays needs • Missing long-term strategies in coastal zone management

21. Current state of coastal zone land use Photos by V. Palginõmm

22. Current state of coastal zone land use • Some negative tendencies in the land use of coastal areas over the last decade • Privatization of costal areas, particularly to foreigners • Restricted access to the shoreline • Tendency of building summer cottages too near to the shoreline • Discordance of existing legislation with nowadays needs • Missing long-term strategies in coastal zone management

23. Current state of coastal zone land use Photos by K. Orviku

24. Current state of coastal zone land use • Some negative tendencies in the land use of coastal areas over the last decade • Privatization of costal areas, particularly to foreigners • Restricted access to the shoreline • Tendency of building summer cottages too near to the shoreline • Discordance of existing legislation with nowadays needs • Missing long-term strategies in coastal zone management

25. Current state of coastal zone land use 200 m restriction zone for erecting buildings on Saaremaa. Conflict of that prescription with the existing roads network

26. Current state of coastal zone land use • Some negative tendencies in the land use of coastal areas over the last decade • Privatization of costal areas, particularly to foreigners • Restricted access to the shoreline • Tendency of building summer cottages too near to the shoreline • Discordance of existing legislation with nowadays needs • Missing long-term strategies in coastal zone management

27. Coastal zone management • Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) as a systematic activity is missing today in Estonia • A few local authorities in Saaremaa (Kuressaare, Leisi and Ruhnu) have managed to compile a comprehensive plan of the municipalities, and to establish regulations for construction on the coast • Many local authorities cannot keep up with the very fast general economic progress proceeding in Estonia today • The attitude of local authorities and developers-stakeholders towards the sea has not changed during the 15 years of independence in Estonia

28. Recent activities in the frameworks of ASTRA • The first attempts have been done to systemize the existing datasets and to create new onesusing MapInfo software • Division ofthe coastal areainto constituent parts with differing regimes of utilization within the limits recommended by HELCOM, i.e. 3 km inland and 300 m towards the sea from the mean shoreline • Distinction of the following zones: • From shoreline to nearest public road • From nearest to the shore public road to 3 km limit • From shoreline to conventional line connecting capes and islands • From conventional line to the open sea

29. Recent activities in the frameworks of ASTRA

30. Recent activities in the frameworks of ASTRA Nature reserves, breeding grounds for birds, sites of valuable plant communities etc.

32. Thank you! Valdeko Palginõmm Rüütli 2, 80011 Pärnu, Estonia Telephone: +372 4476025 Email: palk@entec.ee Are Kont Uus-Sadama 5, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia Telephone: +372 7376387 Email: are@tlu.ee URL: http://www.tlu.ee/geo2/astra/