Last week, the head of our Landscape Biodiversity working group, Aveliina Helm, gave a presentation at the City and Municipality Day, where participants explored ways to improve local government management, services, and people’s well-being.
Aveliina doing her presentation. Photo author: The Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities.
Aveliina’s presentation was titled: “Why Do We Need to Restore Nature? Practical Solutions for Municipalities”.
In her talk, Aveliina introduced the current state of nature in Estonia and emphasized that urgent action is needed to halt biodiversity loss. The decline of biological diversity and the collapse of ecosystems are considered among the fastest-growing global risks over the next decade. In Estonia, the situation has worsened most for birds, amphibians, and lichens, and already every fifth species is threatened.
Aveliina stressed that restoring biodiversity is not limited to protected areas, but can be done in many different places, such as urban meadows, roadside verges, agricultural land, solar parks, and even former mining areas. In most cases, this does not require large investments, but rather different planning and management approaches.
In addition, Aveliina noted that every individual can contribute by choosing native species when landscaping their garden or surroundings, and by reducing excessive mowing and the use of chemicals. Municipalities, in turn, can create connected green networks through spatial planning decisions, adjust maintenance practices, and integrate biodiversity into planning, development, and infrastructure. Such everyday conscious choices help create landscapes that are more resilient to climate change and have a positive impact on people’s health and well-being.