Alutaguse National Park was established in 2018, covering 45,000 hectares. Now, on the proposal of the Estonian Fund for Nature, the state plans to expand the park by nearly 25,000 hectares.

Until last Friday, the Environment Agency was gathering feedback from stakeholders. About a dozen submissions were received.

The Alutaguse municipal council did not give its consent to the expansion plan.

"Before starting to expand the national park, some old debts that have accumulated since its creation should be settled — namely, fair compensation for restrictions and limitations," said Paul Kesküla, a member of the municipal council's environment committee.

At the suggestion of the Estonian Council of Environmental NGOs, the expansion of Alutaguse National Park should be even greater than currently planned.

"It's clear that areas with clear municipal development plans or detailed plans already in place should be left out. But if there are places that our expertise has shown to be very valuable, those should still be included, and we submitted proposals to that effect," said Tarmo Tüür, a representative of the Estonian Council of Environmental NGOs.

It remains undecided whether and when the expansion of Alutaguse National Park will go forward.

According to Taimo Aasmaa, deputy head of department at the Ministry of Climate, the enlargement depends on further discussions with stakeholders. "It's a matter of whether agreements can be reached and what disagreements remain. The final decision will be made by the government after the minister has submitted a proposal, but that requires negotiations with the parties who made the proposals," he said.

At the end of September, a public meeting on the park's expansion is scheduled to take place in Alutaguse Municipality.

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