Read more about the farms on whose lands we are conducting fieldwork for the project
At the FutureScapes Centre of Excellence, we are very grateful to have so many partners who allow us to conduct our fieldwork and research projects on their land.
The adjacent map shows the permanent research areas for each ecosystem during the project, of which there are 24 in total, 6 from each ecosystem. In addition, Estonia is also well covered by previous research areas, the data of which we use.
View the map in best quality.
Andres Rajamets, Väljasepa farm
I graze on RMK leased land, I operate and live in the neighboring village of Kirikuküla. I have managed the area organically since 2005. I have also grazed sheep on the plot of land. Currently, beef cattle and horses are grazed. The area is not suitable for mowing, there are many stones and sod, as well as ditches. I respect the work of previous generations and do not want to improve the area by, for example, smoothing the sod or removing stones. The area has many former boundary stones, so-called cross stones, crossings over water channels, which are also made of stones, all of which can be rediscovered thanks to grazing, and I even use the same paths.
The area is very species-rich and has alternating habitat types, and the landscape is structured. The alvar transitions into a species-rich fallow meadow, where many legume species grow, and in 2025 I also found 2 new species in the area - the fly flower and the common tuberous root. I visit the area often and notice all sorts of changes there.
I’m definitely interested in the results of the project, as I’m not in a position to approach the observations scientifically.
Kaie Kattai
I am a “native” of the Saastna peninsula. It is my childhood home – my grandparents’ house, which I now own. The house itself is quite old, construction began before the war and was erected by the scoundrels directly on top of the ruins of the Tsarist cordon. In other words – history is teeming around every corner.
I have been away from here for two long periods – first during elementary school and later for seven years, when life took me to work in Central Estonia. For the last twenty years, however, I have been faithfully by the Saastna coast again, and in addition to my sheep herd, I also have a real job, because I cannot live off animal husbandry alone. I do not have farmland, so I have to buy hay for the animals.
I have had quite a few animals in my life: sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, geese, rabbits. Today, only the sheep remain – 25 of them at the moment. There is a new farm building, but it cannot accommodate more than 30 sheep. To be honest, I couldn’t do more - I mow the wool with my own hands and haul the manure out by hand.
Why do I keep animals at all? There are several reasons. First, so that the swallows don’t disappear (I really like their song). Second, so that I don’t have to mow my yard separately - we have a garden so that animals can’t get into the garden, not the other way around! And most importantly - so that the bank doesn’t grow overgrown with reeds and bushes. Taking care of my sheep alone is not enough, here the cattle that take care of the neighboring land also come into play. I have a close cooperation with the owner of the cattle: I provide electricity and keeping an eye on them, and he also provides the grazing results on my land (my sheep go on his land, of course). Unfortunately, this year has been so wet that there is little to see of the results yet.
Cattle are real specialists in reeds - young reed tastes good to them, because it is sweet and they are not afraid of wet feet. In addition, they have a strong advantage over jackals. Sheep, however, prefer drier ground.
The area has been under constant maintenance throughout my lifetime and the species richness is still high. There are several protected plants, such as at least seven species of orchids and the meadow asparagus pea. The birdlife is rich, although unfortunately it has decreased over time. The problem is invasive undergrowth (junipers, willows, thorn and boxwood, pines, birches).
As elsewhere in Estonia, there are fewer small farmers here – keeping animals puts people in a “lockdown”, the requirements are strict and, compared to the IT sector, it is not worth looking for profit. So there are significantly fewer animals in Saastna and they are brought from further afield (the cattle that maintain this area are brought from 27 km away every year).
However, I am interested in everything that concerns species richness, landscape and environment. I am also very excited about the results of the project – what the status is and where we are heading. You can’t see much with your eyes, but research is an ideal way to gain knowledge. Who knows, maybe I will even discover something new that I don’t know yet!
*The area on the left in the last picture is the area maintained by Kaie and the area on the right is the area maintained by the cattle owner
