ID: 1749
Presenting Author: Anni Kurisman
Session: 653 - Biodiversity Impact Assessment: Information Disclosure, Risk Identification, and Legal Regulation
Status: pending
Estonia’s case shows how the green network in national planning evolves, supported by case law and ecosystem data, towards a binding and substantive BIA, while politics still adapts.
Estonia introduced the concept of a green network (rohevõrgustik) in the early 2000s with its first national spatial plan. Unlike many countries where “green infrastructure” refers to urban greening, in Estonia it denotes a nationwide ecological network integrated into statutory planning. This creates a rare opportunity to link biodiversity impact assessment (BIA) with strategic spatial planning and to move beyond the project level.
As part of the ongoing process of drafting the national spatial plan “Eesti 2050”, a baseline study examined how to strengthen the legal and ecological role of the green network. It drew on nationally mapped ecosystem and services data, an analysis of recent Supreme Court case law, and stakeholder consultations. Results show that the current interpretation—often reduced to wildlife corridors—is insufficient. More than two thirds of the green network lies outside protected areas, so its effective functioning requires clear and binding objectives and management requirements.
The current challenge is that, while courts and society increasingly recognize the green network as a serious conservation and planning tool, the political and institutional framework has not yet kept pace. Responsibility is largely delegated to municipalities with limited capacity. This reflects a broader issue: BIA cannot remain a technical tool; it requires binding legal and institutional support.
Estonia’s experience shows how BIA can shape legal frameworks and planning practice even when political adaptation lags behind societal and judicial expectations.
Environmental expert and team lead at Hendrikson DGE, specializing in BIA; biodiversity expert in national spatial planning and lead of the green network baseline study.