Natural Scientific Collections

The development histories of the major natural science collections under the current administration of the Estonian University of Life Sciences are diverse. The first group consists of teaching collections that originated in connection with the provision of education in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and forestry. The second group comprises collections that came under the university’s administration during the reform of Estonian research institutions.

The balance between teaching and research activities associated with these collections varies, and there is no sharp division between them; all are linked to degree programs. At the bachelor level, the soil museum is most prominent, serving as the basis for several courses (covering topics such as Estonian soils and various chapters from the basic and general soil science curricula) as well as for Zoomeedicum, which participates in the training of veterinarians. Classic museum-type collections include the Lake Museum located at the Võrtsjärv Limnology Centre and Zoomeedicum. Other collections also contain sufficiently attractive material that deserves to be exhibited online.

On June 29, 2005, the EMÜ Council adopted a regulation which, among other points, stated that a plan for the development of natural and agricultural science collections should be devised. As a result, an interdisciplinary unit named “Loodusteaduslikud kogud” was established. Its statutes were approved by the university council on November 29, 2007, and the unit began its activities in 2008. The objective of the unit is to ensure the preservation, organization, and enhancement of all the university’s natural science collections, as well as to create databases for these collections and make them accessible to researchers. The plan for the development of the collections was approved by the university council on May 26, 2008.