Linnaelustiku käsiraamat

The "Linnaelustiku käsiraamat" (City Wildlife Handbook), published by the Stockholm Environment Institute (Tallinn Center) in 2010, is a comprehensive guide designed for environmental specialists, landscape architects, officials, and citizens. It provides practical methods for maintaining and increasing biodiversity within urban environments, including gardens, parks, and buildings, specifically tailored to the conditions in Estonia.

• Urban environments can support a higher diversity of plant and animal species than rural areas because they offer a variety of micro-habitats and niches. Some species, such as the house sparrow and swift, have become dependent on urban structures for nesting.
• To support urban biodiversity, the guide recommends a zoned maintenance approach for green areas. High-traffic areas should be intensively maintained, while other areas should have low maintenance intensity, with mowing occurring only a few times a year to allow plants to flower and seeds to mature.
• The decline of urban bird populations, particularly the house sparrow, is largely attributed to the loss of nesting sites due to building renovations and energy-efficiency upgrades. The guide suggests installing specific nesting boxes and leaving gaps in building facades to mitigate this.
• Bats are highly beneficial for urban pest control, with all Estonian bats protected under Category II. They are threatened by the loss of roosts and hibernation sites. The guide recommends installing bat boxes and preserving old trees with hollows (especially common lime trees).
• Domestic cats are identified as a significant threat to urban wildlife, particularly to ground-nesting birds and young birds that have recently left the nest. The guide suggests feeding cats well and keeping them indoors during the critical period of June-July.

APA

Uustal, M., Kuldna, P., & Peterson, K. (n.d.). Linnaelustiku käsiraamat. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4359.pdf

Chicago

Uustal, Meelis, Piret Kuldna, and Kaja Peterson. Linnaelustiku käsiraamat. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4359.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Uustal |first1=Meelis |last2=Kuldna |first2=Piret |last3=Peterson |first3=Kaja |title=Linnaelustiku käsiraamat |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4359.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{uustalndlinnaelustiku, author = {Uustal, Meelis and Kuldna, Piret and Peterson, Kaja}, title = {{Linnaelustiku käsiraamat}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4359.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }