We asked Eve Krupp, one of last year’s best evaluators, how it went. It turned out that most of the questionnaires were filled in by Eve’s daughter Eva Maria, who is in upper secondary school. Let them speak for themselves!
 

Where did you hear about applying for a value-based grant?

Eve: I learned about the value-based grant in the spring during an information day which focused on semi-grassland maintenance subsidies for the new project period. I further enquired whether my 18-year-old daughter, who is going to be involved in the value assessment, could take part in the training on how to fill in the questionnaires and monitor plants. In order to later have a similar understanding of all the aspects, our whole family participated in a training session that took place in the Loode oak forest in Saaremaa. The training was interesting and gave us confidence to fill in the questionnaires, but a lot of questions arose when we started to look around our own land with a view to answering the questionnaire. During the first days, I accompanied my daughter to the meadow, then Eva Maria and her father went to the next meadows, and then Eva Maria started to assess the grasslands herself. She collected, systematised and evaluated her data, and then the three of us reviewed the results together before submitting them.
 

Was completing the questionnaires a difficult/tedious/time-consuming task and how could the questionnaires be improved? Is the current level of detail necessary or could the questionnaires be simplified without making them less informative?

Eva Maria: Filling in the questionnaires was quite time-consuming and sometimes difficult. Some questions were hard to understand and therefore hard to answer. Some questions were repeated.

It also proved to be a challenge when there were several different habitat types in the same area – then it was uncertain which questionnaire I should fill in. It was difficult to determine the transitions and boundaries of the different habitate types. Mum thought we should follow the percentage rule and use the questionnaire for the type of community that was in the majority, but one habitat type was further split into three grassland types. Eventually, we discussed it with a specialist from the Environmental Board. In the future, it would be good to know which questionnaire to fill in if, for example, there are both a coastal meadow and a dry grassland in the same area.
 

Did you learn anything new about the grasslands managed by your family and how often did you make observations?

Eva Maria: Background research was a challenge, as knowledge of the areas under assessment has been built up only since we started managing them. For areas managed by our family for less than five years, we don’t know the historical name, background or the previous maintenance practices. I named the areas according to what my parents call them. I also searched the internet and maps for information about earlier times.

What did you learn from assessing grassland communities?

Eva Maria: Our first training was only at the end of June, so the sites were mostly visited twice, some three times. However, the plants start flowering already in May and June, so we should definitely go to the meadows three times, as the picture is very different in different months, depending on the life cycle of the plants. It would be a good idea to do the first observation round in May when the spring flowers are still in bloom. Assessment is also easier when plants are in flower. After flowering, plants are much harder to identify.

I learnt about plants and noticed elements of the landscape that I don’t usually pay attention to. It was also difficult and tiring in the large area, because there was a lot of information, the terrain was changing and I had to think and analyse how to assess it all.

The first meadows were difficult, as there was no point of reference. Later on, I already developed and understanding of which types of grassland are in better condition and where more species can be found. I also took a lot of photos and afterwards tried to identify a plant or bird on the basis of the photos.

Would you need training on grassland values assessment also in the future?

Eva Maria: I am going to participate in a training session in South-Estonia on 5 June to learn more and also ask the questions that came up last year. It’s also interesting for me to see the different biotic communities in South-Estonia. It broadens my horizons. When we have a training session in Saaremaa towards the end of the summer, I will definitely participate, because by that time, I will have already completed the first round of observations, and maybe the second, and I will definitely gain additional knowledge to fill in the questionnaires more efficiently this year.
 

Did you use any web applications or our book “Eesti pärandniitude taimed” to identify flowers?

Eva Maria: To identify plants, I used the mobile app Flora Incognita and other online plant identification apps. A couple of paper books on plant identification were also useful. I wanted to find out more about the different biotic communities to broaden my horizons, and I hoped to find some of the rarer plants that we don’t often see. My father helped me to identify the birds.
 

Why did you choose to spend your summer holidays in the meadows, did you enjoy the process and did you learn a lot?

Eva Maria: I like the idea of organic farming and thus the maintenance of natural ecosystems. I want Estonia to have clean nature and biodiversity also in the future. Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved to wander around in nature, and it was at my request that our family got our first pets. In primary school, my favourite subject was nature, and I took part in a nature hobby group during my earlier years at school and have participated in various school and national competitions, winning awards and prizes. And what was of no small importance – my parents actually paid me for something that I enjoy😊.

All in all – I enjoyed the process!

Photo: Eva Maria with her assistants (private collection).