Estonian Fund for Nature (Eestimaa Looduse Fond) or ELF is an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n environmental non-profit organisation.

Mission

Mission of ELF is to preserve the rich natural diversity in Estonia and the world through active cooperation with individuals, business enterprises, organizations and state institutions through the following activities: * protection of endangered species and their habitats; * preservation of characteristic Estonian landscapes and habitats; * promotion of sustainable use of natural resources; * raising public awareness about environmental issues; * finding solutions to preserve clean environment for future generations

Founding

ELF was established in 1991 by biologists and conservationists and in close co-operation with

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

. WWF has remained ELF's main international co-operation partner. ELF is a member of

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Board and Executives

Board members: *

Rainer Nõlvak Rainer Nõlvak (born September 28, 1966) is an Estonian entrepreneur and nature protector who is the chairman of the board of the Estonian Nature Fund. Rainer Nõlvak has advocated for the Estonian energy industry to move away from oil shale an ...

- Chairman of the Board * Rein Einasto * Üllas Ehrlich * Andres Tarand * Katarina Veem * Lembit Maamets * Riinu Rannap * Henri Laupmaa * Ahti Heinla * Anneli Palo * Pille Tomson * Riinu Rannap The board is directing the activity of ELF convenes four times in a year and one third of its members will be re-elected in every two years (even years). The task of the Board is to give guidelines to the Executive Committee, workers and volunteers in planning the activities (approving annually the action plan and budget) and to counsel workers of the Fund in treating various issues. Members of the Board work on the voluntary basis. Members of Executive Board in 2018: Tarmo Tüür, Siim Kuresoo, Kadri Kalmus, Silvia Lotman and Kärt Vaarmari

Achievements

After the restoration of independence of Estonia in 1991 a political decision was taken to restitute properties including land to the former owners or their descendants. Since it is much easier to form new protected areas when the land is owned by the state, ELF took quick action to safeguard the future of valuable areas by proposing the establishment of new big protected areas and natural parks. This led to the formation of Soomaa and Karula national parks and

Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve () is the largest nature reserve in Estonia. It is a vast wilderness area which covers and consists of a complex of 5 large bogs separated by unregulated rivers, their floodplains, and extensive forests. The nature re ...

. The area of these taken together is about 740 sq kilometres. During the following years, ELF has played a significant role in the establishment of tens of other smaller protected areas in Estonia. ELF has carried on inventories of valuable habitats - wetlands, old-growth forests and meadows and participates in designing the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

network of protected areas. In recent years ELF has more and more activities dedicated to

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discipli ...

, public awareness and public participation in environmental decisions and activities.

Founders

# Aare Mäemets # Ain Raitviir # Aivar Leito # Aleksander Heintalu # Andres Koppel # Andres Kuresoo # Andrus Ausmees #

Ann Marvet Ann Marvet is an Estonian botanist. She is an editor of the journal ''Estonian Nature'' and a member of the Estonian Commission for Nature Conservation. In 2008 she was made a member of the Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ...

# Helve Anton # Arne Kaasik # Eerik Leibak # Einar Tammur # Erik Sikk # Ervin Pihu # Fred Jüssi # Hans Trass # Indrek Rohtmets # Ivar Jüssi # Jaan Viidalepp # Jüri Keskpaik #

Kalevi Kull Kalevi Kull (born 12 August 1952, Tartu) is a biosemiotics professor at the University of Tartu, Estonia. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1975. His earlier work dealt with ethology and field ecology. He has studied the mechanisms of ...

# Kristjan Moora # Mart Jüssi # Mart Külvik # Mart Niklus # Martin Zobel # Mati Kaal # Nikolai Laanetu # Peeter Ernits # Aivo Pidim # Rein Kuresoo # Tiina Talvi # Tiit Maran # Tiiu Keskpaik # Tiiu Kull # Toomas Jüriado # Toomas Tiivel # Ülle Kukk # Vaike Hang # Veljo Ranniku # Vilju Lilleleht

References

{{Authority control Nature conservation in Estonia Environmental organizations based in Estonia