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Supervision
Environmental protection has been the task of many different agencies and organisations in Estonia. Predecessors of the Environmental Inspectorate include former Water Economy Inspectorate, Head Office of Forest Management, Hunting Inspectorate, Marine Inspectorate and Nature Protection Inspectorate. In 1997 the Nature Protection Inspectorate was renamed Environmental Inspectorate. Last major reorganisation took place in 1999, when Environmental and Marine Inspectorates were merged and the new inspectorate was called Environmental Inspectorate. The mission of Environmental Inspectorate is to ensure sustainable use of natural environment through efficient supervision over activities that have impact on environment.
Pursuant to the Nature Conservation Act and the Environment Supervision Act the classical tasks of nature conservation supervision are divided between Environmental Board and Environmental Inspectorate. The body conducting extra-judicial proceedings upon violation of protection measures provided by the Act and related legal instruments is Environmental Inspectorate, but pursuant to the Nature Conservation Act such proceedings may also be carried out by local government. Since 1 September 2011 Environmental Inspectorate can try a case not only environmental misteeds but also environmental criminal cases.
Chapter 11 of the Nature Conservation Act “Liability” regulates personal liability, issues related with misdemeanours and compensation of environmental damage. Damaging and destruction of any of the protected areas, habitats, and specimens of species or nature monuments results in significant damage to environment. Therefore it is necessary to establish the rate of claims for the compensation of damage to the environment by damaging or destruction of protected natural object and specimen of protected species. The law provides for a procedure for collecting the damage caused to the natural object. By adopting the Regulation of the Government of the Republic of 31 March 2005, the Government of the Republic approved the draft regulation „Procedure and rates of claims for compensation of environmental damage caused by damaging or destruction of a natural object or other specimen of bird and mammal species“. Rates for collecting damages (in case of destruction of species included in category I, II and III) are based on the endangerment level of the species and are established for compensating the damaging or destruction of specimens and habitats of the species of fauna, flora, lichen and fungi. The regulation specifies rates applicable to damaging or destruction of species belonging to different categories.
Compensation for damages is also established for partial compensation of environmental damage caused by damaging and destruction of protected fossils and minerals and their places of finding, species protection sites, protected areas and special conservation areas.
The compensation for damage is forwarded to state budget and shall be used for reproduction of natural resources, preservation of environmental status and remedy of environmental damages.
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