Kiri

IUCN Tel. +41 22 999 0000 Rue Mauverney 28 Fax +41 22 999 0002 International Council on Monuments and Sites. 1196 Gland 11 rue du Séminaire de Conflans 94220 Charenton-le-Pont, France Switzerland www.iucn.org Tel : + 33 (0)1 41 94 17 59 www.icomos.org Charenton-le-Pont / Gland, 21 November 2025 H.E. Mr Jüri Seilenthal Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Delegate Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Estonia to UNESCO Ambassade de la République d'Estonie 17, rue de la Baume Paris 75008 France Preliminary Assessment 2025/2026 – Additional Information Estonian Ancient Wooded Meadows (Estonia) Dear Ambassador, ICOMOS and IUCN have commenced their work on the Preliminary Assessment request for the Estonian Ancient Wooded Meadows. A first meeting was held with representatives of the State Party on 17 November 2025. ICOMOS and IUCN wish to thank the State Party for its participation in the meeting and the insights shared. In addition to clarifications about the Preliminary Assessment process and timeline, and an initial exchange on the rationale behind the submission of the request, the meeting provided an opportunity to respond to some preliminary queries. Following an initial review of the Preliminary Assessment request, ICOMOS and IUCN have identified a number of areas where further details would be helpful to the assessment at this stage. We would be grateful if the State Party could provide additional information regarding the following points. A. Additional photographic and cartographic documentation 1. IUCN and ICOMOS appreciate the photographs provided within the Preliminary Assessment request. Both Advisory Bodies would be grateful if the State Party could transmit further photographic documentation of the potential nominated property and its attributes. In particular, IUCN would appreciate receiving photographs illustrating the ‘vivid seasonal dynamics’ (pg. 22) of the meadows, to support the written justification provided under criterion (vii). ICOMOS would appreciate receiving photographs of the meadows, their immediate setting and of the associated villages or hamlets. It would be helpful if the pictures could be accompanied by a map indicating their location and titles denoting the features they depict. IUCN would also appreciate confirmation of permission to utilise the photos in the final Preliminary Assessment report. 2. ICOMOS understands that this land use was widespread, and the areas of wooded meadows were much larger; therefore, it would be grateful to receive historic cartographic documentation, if any is available, showing the consolidated extension of the wooded meadows as these may have been documented in the past. 3. Cartographic documentation showing the location of historically associated settlements, villages or hamlets where the communities that took (and if existing, still take) care of the wooded  meadows lived (or still live) would be useful as well as information on whether their inhabitants are still engaged in the traditional practices. 4. IUCN and ICOMOS would be grateful if the State Party could provide an additional map demonstrating roughly the location of the full extent of the remaining 1100 hectares of wooded meadows across Estonia, if available. 5. In addition, IUCN and ICOMOS would be equally grateful if the State Party could provide land-use and vegetation maps of the wider areas surrounding each of the proposed component parts of the potential nominated property, if available. B. Historic development 1. ICOMOS would be grateful to receive some further explanations about the changes that occurred over the last 200 years, particularly under the Soviet regime, and in the post-Soviet period, and how and to what extent traditional practices were maintained and/or recovered. Additionally, ICOMOS would appreciate receiving information on where these practices are still used in Estonia and in the broader Fennoscandian region, if this is the case. 2. ICOMOS would appreciate receiving further information about past governance arrangements, including land-use, ownership, labour organisation, and whether any elements of these arrangements still exist today and about actions to recover what was disappearing or disappeared. C. Attributes under criterion (x) 1. IUCN would be grateful to receive a summarised species list, limited to those species considered threatened (according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), endemic or near-endemic, or of general importance to the potential nominated property, alongside a total species number, if available. The attached table, in the annex, may be used to provide this information. D. Historic and contemporary local communities 1. Further information about the communities that practiced (or still do, if this is the case) traditional management and related activities to sustain themselves and their socio-cultural system would be useful. E. Protection and management 1. Concerning the management of the ‘Estonian Ancient Wooded Meadows’, IUCN would be grateful to receive the current management plan of the Kalli-Nedrema / Nedrema Nature Reserve component part and the Laasma / Viidumae Nature Reserve component part. If documents are only available in Estonian, IUCN would appreciate a short additional summary of the management plan in one of the two working languages of the World Heritage Convention (English or French), in addition to the full Estonian language plan. We would be grateful if the above information could be provided to ICOMOS and IUCN by Monday 19 January 2026 at the latest. ICOMOS and IUCN would like to emphasise that the Preliminary Assessment process is distinct from the evaluation procedure on nomination dossiers for inscription on the World Heritage List. At this stage, only brief and/or summary materials are required, unless otherwise stated. Additionally, it is not expected all documentation to be comprehensive, and therefore incomplete and/or partial information is also acceptable and appreciated. We remain available to clarify any of the aforementioned points, including through a meeting if requested, and look forward to your responses which will be of great help in our Preliminary Assessment process. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation. Yours faithfully, Gwenaëlle Bourdin Tim Badman Director Director ICOMOS Evaluation Unit World Heritage, IUCN Copy to Estonian National Commission for UNESCO Ministry of Climate of Estonia Environmental Board of Estonia  ANNEX Scientific Species Name Common Name (if IUCN Red List Status Degree of Endemicity applicable) (Global) (if known) (to potential nominated property, to state party, to ecoregion) Please follow the instructions below when filling the species list in the table above: Scientific Species Please use the currently accepted scientific species name according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Name Species (or other accepted classifications if the species is not included in the IUCN Red List). Please enter the common name, in English or French, as provided by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Common Name Species (if existent). IUCN Red List Please enter the current global Red List category according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Status (if known) (please list only global status, and please do not list status as per regional assessments). Degree of Species by notifying whether the species is endemic to: a) potential nominated property b) State Party c) Endemicity ecoregion, or alternative geographic region.