Western Harju Parish has an exceptionally beautiful nature. The vigorous use of the beach area in Lohusalu brings a heavy visitor load and problematic parking of cars under beach pines. At the same time, the aim is to preserve biodiversity in the region with key habitats and to avoid marine pollution. Additional interest is homeowners wish to maintain the value of the property, a private living environment and unchanged landscape features on neighbour’s lands.

During our seminar preparation, we visited this area of healing forests, that are also high public interest for social use and the key habitat areas.

Conflicting interests and high public interest are a challenge for the municipality of Western Harju, which has commissioned reports on biodiversity and currently analyses the possibility of finding a balance between interests in Lohusalu. One of the pilot plots is a Dune Pines of Lohusalu, and Airiin Vaasa, a participant in the youth project with a forestry background, noted that coordinating any construction projects - be it roads, landing bridges or houses - and finding a balance of interests is a complex process.

Siret Valge, a student of environmental management at Tallinn University, added that the area is also a distinctive feature of possible increase in marine pollution. "It could be an opportunity and athletic interest for each of us to collect garbage found on the beach, in addition to the food packages, drinking cups and smoke cones that we bring with us. The herring does not have the opportunity to throw the smoke cone in the bin".

Forestry student Ain Näkk says during this project he aims to gain knowledge tested by Swedish forestry scientists and doctors to apply certain forest management methods to create forests with healing effects.