DEVEPARK

Sustainable Historic Park Management and Development in Finland and Estonia 2009–2012

The aim of the project is to find ways to manage and develop historic parks, gardens and cultural environments in a sustainable way in Southwest Finland and in the Estonian counties of Tartu, Saare and Jõgeva. There are many significant historic parks in Finland and in Estonia even in the European scale, and the cross-border regional cooperation adds synergy to the project and helps to preserve the multicentennial values of historic parks also to future generations.

The current situation of historic parks is determined with inventories, and the aim is to find out what kind of inventories have already been carried out and what kind of information already exists for example about the tree and shrub species in Finland and in Estonia. The survey of the current situation together with shared expertise forms the foundation for the management and development plans of the project’s pilots.

During the project, the most interesting historic parks in Finland and Estonia are gathered into a route map destined to be a part of the Baltic Sea region wide chain. Another focus lies in the possibilities created by the technology to manage, plan and present the historic parks and park areas. Future-centred thinking is represented also in the efforts to prolong the lifespan of the park trees. The Finnish National Urban Park model will be presented in the project and the signing of the international Florence charter in Estonia will be promoted.