Seminar series “Biodiversity in Ülejõe neighborhoods” [Horisont 101084220] 

In this seminar series, we will visit different types of gardens (private gardens, community garden) in Tartu city districts Ülejõe, Raadi-Kruusamäe and Kvissentali, while focusing on their diversity of species and meaningful relations. Each visit is guided by an expert or experts, who introduces a chosen topic and connects it with the biodiversity of the concrete garden. The target audience of these garden visits are the inhabitants of the districts, in order to support and encourage attention to non-human species in gardens and beyond gardens and to facilitate communication amongst locals on garden biodiversity.

Workshop for mapping urban biodiversity in Ülejõe district. Photo: Tiit Remm
Photo: Lona Päll


Collecting local stories of the urban nature in Ülejõe, Kvissental and Raadi region

The urban environment is under great pressure of change, and places familiar to humans and other species are rapidly disappearing. Through stories, these places can be mapped, valued and made meaningful. Local, small stories create both a sense of place and a relationship between people and nature. For this reason, ecosemioticians at University of Tartu will start collecting local stories in Ülejõe, Kvissental and Raadi regions. Stories of encounters with urban wildlife and other species will be collected until October 2025 and there will be various public events on the topic.

You can send your story to by email: coevolvers@ut.ee or via the online form: https://tinyurl.com/4t6th956

It is also possible to send stories via The Estonian Folklore Archives module KRATT

Garden visits

Emajõe Aed community garden
4. mai 2023

Workshop on permaculture and the meanings of garden biodiversity. The workshop is led by Rea Sepping, Nelly Mäekivi and Timo Maran.  

Raadi private garden
June 10, 2023

The visit to the private garden at Raadi takes place in the framework of Tartu Nature Festival, led by Ene-Reet Soovik and Kalevi Kull and involving species monitoring for Nature Observations’ Marathon.

Sensory gardens
September 14, 2024

During the garden visit, attention was paid to different sensations: smells, tastes, temperature, texture and humidity. Through a multifaceted sensory experience, it is possible to playfully reflect on the meanings that human-designed gardens have for other species. Humans can never experience the environment as other species do, but paying attention to the different senses makes us aware of the multiplicity of different perspectives. The garden walk was organised by anthropologist Hildegard Reimann.

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