owners or their legal successors or compensated, therefore, land is transferred for or without charge into the ownership of persons in private law, legal persons in public law or local governments, and land to be retained in state ownership is determined (LRA section 3 subsection 1). By beginning of 2011, the land reform has not ended yet; according to information from Land Board, 86,6% of Estonian surface is registered in Land Register. However, there is no clear prognosis of the end term of the reform.
2.3 Environmental authorities The institutional system of environmental protection involves a legislative organ – the Parliament and the representatives of executive power – the Government of the Republic, Ministry of the Environment and Environmental Board. The state supervision authority is Environmental Inspectorate.
2.3.1 Ministry of the Environment The main authority, responsible for the elaboration and implementation of the policy on wetlands, is the Ministry of the Environment. In the area of government of the Ministry of the Environment are among other things: the administration of environmental and nature protection, administration of use, protection, reproduction and registering of natural resources, environmental supervision, administration of nature research, geological investigation and geological exploration, and elaboration of corresponding drafts of legal acts (Act on the Government of the Republic Section 61 subsection 1). In the area of government of the Ministry of the Environment are Land Board, Environmental Board, Environmental Inspectorate (Act on the Government of the Republic Section 61 subsection 2) and Environmental Information Center.44
2.3.2 Environmental Board Environmental Board is a government agency in the area of government of the Ministry of the Environment, which exercises executive power, and State supervision of state coercion on the basis and to the extent provided by law. The area of activity of the Board is the use of environment and nature conservation and the implementation of action plans, policies and programs of radiation safety. The Board shall carry out the following tasks among other things: • issues environmental permits and the permits on the use of natural resources in the cases and the extent provided in law; • gives opinion on plans and designs in the cases and the extent provided in law; • participates in the procedure of EIA and SIA in the cases and ways provided in law; • administers the prevention and remediation of environmental damage in the cases and the extent provided in law, deriving from the polluter pays principle; • administers protected natural objects determined by the Government and the Minister of the Environment;
44 Access at: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/13288527&leiaKehtiv (15.02.2011). ESTONIAN MIRES: INVENTORY OF HABITATS
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