ManTra - setting up activities meeting in the Estonian Ministry of Environment, Rävala pst. 8 and field trip in Silma Nature Reserve in 20-21.9.2004

1. Start of the meeting

Chairman Iiro Ikonen told about the background, goals, budget and financing of the project. The grant of The International Scholarship Section of The Research Council of Norway shall be used to cover mobility activities (costs for travel, board and lodging, rental of premises and equipment, visas and interpreting) for persons participating in the network cooperation. The network has been awarded nok 190 000, but if work is proceeding in a planned way, financing for three academic years 2005-2007 should be clear.

The main goal for the project is to create and maintain a long -term network and internet forum that is used for exchange of experiences and good practises in the Nordic-Baltic-Karelian level. Seminars concentrating on burning issues on the traditional rural landscapes shall be held and virtual eLearning packages prepared.

2. Presentations of stakeholders

Available presentations (power-point, pdf) shall be added in the Finnish Virtual Polytechnic pages and in later established domain www.landscape.fi. The internet pages of each participating institute (in bold) /ngo are listed here:

1. Estonia
· Kihnu Strait Marine Park Foundation (Heikki Luhamaa)
http://www.merepark.ee/?lang=en
· Estonian Agricultural University (Kalev Sepp)
http://www.eau.ee/
· ELF (Eesti Looduse Fund, Jüri-Ott Salm)
http://personal.inet.fi/yhdistys/vsperinnemaisema/main.htm
· ESCCA (Estonian Seminatural communities conservation association, Lauri Klein)
www.pky.ee

2. Finland
· Association for Traditional Rural Landscapes in Southwest Finland (NGO, Eija Hagelberg; photo 1)
http://personal.inet.fi/yhdistys/vsperinnemaisema/main.htm
· Finnish Virtual Polytechnic and Häme Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences ; Department of agricultural and rural industries (Annika Michelson)
http://www.mustiala.hamk.fi/eng/index.htm

3. Iceland
· Hvanneyri Agricultural university (Anna-Gudrun Thorhallsdottir)
http://www.hvanneyri.is/landbunadur/wglbh.nsf/key2/index.html

4. Latvia
· Latvian Fund for Nature (Latvia/Inga Racinska was not present)
http://www.daba.lu.lv/ldf/pam_lat.html

5. Lithuania
· Lithuanian Fund for Nature (Vytautas Narusevicius)
http://www.glis.lt/index_en.html

6. Norway
· The Norwegian Crop Research Institute (Ann Norderhaug)
http://www.planteforsk.no/
· Selskap for Norges Vel (Hanne Sickel)
http://www.norgesvel.no/

7. Russian Karelia
· Ecos (Tatjana Kharkina)
· Russian Academy of Science, Karelian Research Center, Institute of biology (Sergey Znamenskiy)
http://www.krc.karelia.ru/service/map.en.html

3. Seminar workshops

3.1. Co-operation with NGOs in the educational sector: virtual eLearning courses

Secretary of the group: Kimmo Härjämäki
Chairperson: Annika Michelson
Other members: Hanne Sickel, Lauri Klein, Eija Hagelberg, Sergey Znamenskiy, Kalev Sepp, Anna-Gudrun Thorhallsdottir

Goal : To start discussions concerning preparations of open courses in English (via the Finnish Virtual Polytechnic portal), which are available for all interested stakeholders. Material and know-how of all NGOs and institutes participating in the project will be used. The objective is to make independent self-education eLearning packages that include self tests at the end. These will be linked later straight to the Internet forum on the internet pages of the Association for Traditional Rural Landscapes in Southwest Finland. Expert service is needed during 2nd year to accomplish that. A photo bank of traditional landscapes and biotopes should be established by the participants.

Workshop Results:

Responsible persons for arranging eLearning courses are Annika Michelson, Kalev Sepp and Anna-Gudrun Thorhallsdottir.

add results
First virtual eLearning material: drying of hay in each participating country should be added 30.11.2004.

3.2. Networking and seminars

Secretary of the group: Johanna Franzen
Chairperson: Teija Tiitinen
Other members: Vytautas Narusevicius, Ann Norderhaug, Iiro Ikonen, Heikki Luhamaa, Siim Kuressoo, Tatjana Kharkina

Goal: to start preparations of a long-term network and internet forum that is used for exchange of the management and conservation experiences in Nordic-Baltic-Karelian level. Content of the internet forum and server name will be discussed.

Workshop results: Established internet pages/forum will be feeded up twice a year before the seminar. First we use virtual polytechnic pages (temporary Mantra -pages) and later the material could be added in the own domain www.landscape.fi (Association for traditional rural landscapes in SW Finland). Introduction of all stakeholders (pdf, powerpoint) should in the first hand be added in the temporary Mantra -pages.

Meetings
The arrangements are made by participating country, which are sending invoice. In Karelia it was decided to make cash -payments on site, because of time-demanding and expensive bank services.
In each meeting there should be:
1) Short business meeting meant to a selected group of people (project participants)
2) Seminar working around a selected theme
3) Excursion(s) on site, where discussions can continue. Hands-on practises and special skills and tools can be examined during excursions.

Second meeting shall be held in Karelia in Petrozadovsk and Kizhi in 25-29.5.2004. Tatjana Kharkina and Sergey Znamenskiy are responsible persons for arrangements. It is possible that people will take flights to city of Joensuu, near Russian border where they are taken into a Finnish bus with Russian speaking driver.

The seminar subject was decided to be; the role of NGOs in biodiversity conservation. The theme is important because the Russian state has not had experiences on co-operation with NGOs. Some good examples could possibly be brought forward for Russian county officials in order to break old traditions. Tatjana stressed that there are hundreds of good studies in Karelia, but management and financing incentives are minor or missing. Also management plans for most valuable traditional landscapes are needed.

Third meeting (autumn 2005) could be arranged in Latvia. Subject should be discussed with Latvian representatives (were not present in the meeting).

Fourth meeting (possible spring 2006) is held in Norway. Areas of Hjartdal-Svartdal and Storfjorden/Geiranger were discussed. Regional centre for cultural landscapes could be visited in Hjartdal-Svartdal; the area is a good example how people have become proud of their traditional landscapes. In Norway has been established net pages: www.kulturlandskapet.no

Fifth meeting (possible autumn 2006) is held in Lithuania. There were suggested several good items that could be useful already in Latvian meeting. Main legal acts; how landowners can get financing by protecting and managing? Management plan and payment. How to go for a farmer? The role of Ecotourism in the future? How to prepare a management plan? Role of advising?

4. Compilation

Results of workshop groups were presented and accepted. It was decided that a domain www.landscape.fi shall be established. Before that the Mantra introduction material shall be on the pages of the Finnish Virtual Polytechnic.

Ikonen stressed that some of the project related other travels could be reimbursed (participation to important seminars). The presentation of Mantra project and report of the trip is then expected.

21.9.2004 Field trip in Silma Nature Reserve

Group moved smoothly with three cars to the Silma Nature Reserve (www.silma.ee). Ivar Ojaste presented activities of the Silma Nature Reserve. Overgrown wooded meadows was visited. There could be identified some interesting and typical Estonian species as Scorzonera humilis, Epipactis helleborine, Helianthemum nummularium, Agrimonia eupatoria and Hypericum hirsutum.

Reed cutting action by LIFE -project tractors in seashore meadows of Northern part of Tahu Bay were seen (photos 2,3). The reed was chopped as a basic restoration action, afterwards the area is grazed by cattle The machines are normally used to cut and chop small bushes and shoots of trees that are emerging because of overgrowth of fields. The area was previously known as spawning grounds for Bufo calamita. Also the Saare manor-house and old museum were nice. Hundreds of cranes were seen in the skyline. "Restoration of coastal grasslands of Silma is essential for increasing the breeding populations of typical coastal birds such as Calidris alpina schinzii (10 pairs nesting), Limosa limosa, Recurvirostra avosetta and Numenius arquata. Area can serve as potential breeding site for Gallinago media. "

Photos and impressions