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Ancient tree conservation month begins

At midday on Monday 14 May at Tallinn’s Botanical Garden, Minister of the Environment Jaanus Tamkivi will be declaring Conservation Month for ancient trees open. The conservation period will last until 5 June.

This year’s conservation month will primarily focus on ancient trees, with its slogan being Trees in the minds and language of the people.

“The connections between the people who live in Estonia and the trees that surround them have always been very strong,” explained Minister Tamkivi. “That connection is still there today – there are a lot of people who do their utmost to protect trees.”

The Minister says that this is understandable, since it is trees that have helped us survive. “We are a forest nation – almost half of Estonia is covered in trees. They provide thousands of people with work, and they are an important part of our economy and living environment.”

A great number of the activities to be undertaken during the conservation month are related to trees and forests. The month is being organised chiefly by county service departments of the Ministry of the Environment and regional divisions of the State Nature Conservation Centre. “A lot of events are planned to take place during Conservation Month, and it is great to see that a lot of them are designed for school children,” said the Minister.

Deputy Director of the State Nature Conservation Centre, Leelo Kukk, will be giving an overview of the events to be held in the coming month at the opening ceremony. Dendrologist Olev Abner from the Tallinn Botanical Garden will also be giving a talk on trees.

The Minister of the Environment will be presenting the 2007 Eerik Kumari Award at the opening ceremony. The recipient will be introduced by Heiki Tamm, director of the University of Tartu Botanical Garden. Vaike Hang, secretary of the Nature Conservation Committee of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, will also be talking about the life work of Eerik Kumari.

For further information please contact:

Agnes Jürgens
Adviser, Public Relations Department, Ministry of the Environment
+372 626 2811

The schedules for Conservation Month can be found at http://www.envir.ee/ and http://www.lk.ee/.

Background information:
National conservation months have been organised in Estonia since 1980. The goal of these special months is for everyone to contribute to the protection of the natural environment. The emphasis is on practical work, involving social organisations, students and conservationists alike. A wide range of educational events are arranged, and natural sites are cleaned up. Each annual conservation month has a specific theme.

Themes of previous conservation months
1996 – Protection of waterways and aquatic environments
1997 – Protection of Estonian forests
1998 – Conservation in towns and cities
1999 – Waste management and conservation of the natural environment
2000 – Estonia’s wetlands and their protection
2001 – Estonia’s semi-natural communities and their protection
2002 – Children and nature
2003 – Get to know the natural environment of your country
2004 – Species protection in Estonia
2005 – Natura 2000: shared opportunities for people and the environment
2006 – Protection of beaches and river banks