Nature Management and Protection of Archaeological Sites in Estonia

Abstract

Archaeological monuments are mostly situated in the natural environment and in Estonia are sometimes also protected under the Nature Conservation Act, meaning they are double protected and double managed as well. The system has its challenges, benefits and dangers, since the protection regimes for nature or heritage protection sites are slightly different. In some cases, they complement each other, but there are cases where the protection regimes may diverge. The nature conservation-related management of archaeological monuments in Estonia is described and a few examples of such cases are discussed.