Soviet military heritage: brown and green – recovery and enhancement

Abstract

Estonia has been for centuries a strategically important area in Eastern Europe, in particular due to its relatively long coastline (including islands about 3,800 km). Therefore it has been subject to military invasions by various foreign powers. Each of them has built numerous military facilities, most of which originate from the Second World War or subsequent Soviet occupation period. Almost the whole coastal area of Estonia and large inland areas were in use by the military and closed to the public. The Soviet military had left behind both, green and brown heritage. After the withdrawal of Russian troops, Estonia regained control of approximately 87,000 hectares of land formerly under military control, suffering from a high pollution load. Conversely, the military presence and strict limitations left large areas in a natural state largely untouched by human activities. After regaining independence, 40 new protected areas were established in the Estonian Green Belt zone, which was a heavily guarded Soviet military territory in Estonia. In Estonia, the regional differences are considerable. The pristine natural environment and valuable objects of cultural heritage are considered to be the strongest advantages for the development of rural areas, thus it is extremely important that former military sites are remediated and made safe. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the extent and character of pollution caused by the Soviet military was studied. This article provides an overview of the extent of the pollution, the recovery of brownfield sites as well as green heritage.

Conversion and sustainable use of abandoned military sites in the Zagreb Urban Agglomeration

“…Since large areas of the Estonian coast had been banned from any activity other than military, fishing, and mineral exploration, natural values were preserved and the coast is a paradoxical mix of valuable nature areas and areas with abandoned military and industrial structures, partly contaminated with hazardous waste 3 . In total, 40 new nature protected areas have been declared in the Estonian Green Belt area ( Järv et al, 2013). After the closure of about 400 military bases in the US in 1998, over 400,000 ha were added to the national ecological network.…”