Session Profile: Tiit Maran

The political position is strongly value-based, emphasizing the existential importance of environmental sustainability and sharply criticizing the political system (the judiciary, executive, and legislative branches) for its alienation from nature. It supports the amendment to the hunting law for the culling of nuisance animals, but expresses disappointment that petty political "sandbox games" and power plays overshadow substantive proposals, especially when those proposals originate from the opposition. The speaker emphasizes the necessity of acting in harmony with nature, contrasting this with a mindset narrowly focused on economic growth.

The speaker demonstrates profound expertise across the fields of hunting, environmental policy, and population ecology, employing technical terminology such as "habitat carrying capacity" and "social tolerance." He puts forward scientifically substantiated arguments regarding the necessity of regulating large predator (wolf) populations, contrasting these views with extreme positions. To bolster his expertise, he cites authorities like Aldo Leopold and Nikolai Baturin, illustrating the concept of "thinking like the forest and the bog."

The style is philosophical, passionate, and critical, emphasizing the existential importance of environmental issues and warning of dangers. It employs strong emotional appeals, literary citations, and detailed ecological argumentation to support its position. The speaker contrasts political "monotony" and "sandbox games" with the deeper meaning of nature, while maintaining an official tone when providing the overview to the commission.

The speaker is an active member of the Environment Committee, providing the plenary session with an overview of the committee meeting and the procedural decisions concerning the draft Hunting Act. He participated in the engagement of stakeholders on February 18 and personally submitted amendments, which demonstrates active participation in the legislative process.

The criticism is aimed at the political power games and the coalition, which allow substantive proposals to be sidelined if they originate from the opposition. The speaker notes that his proposals, which the ministry initially deemed easily implementable, suddenly became unexpectedly complicated once they were associated with the opposition, suggesting procedural obstruction. He also criticizes the inability of the judicial, executive, and legislative branches of government to grasp the significance of the living environment.

The speaker commends the initiators of the amendment (the Isamaa faction) for its necessity and notes that procedural decisions within the committee were made consensually. Nevertheless, he expresses disappointment that his own substantive proposals, which the hunters deemed necessary, were disregarded due to political opposition, citing ineffective cooperation on matters of substance.

The focus is on national environmental management issues, particularly amendments to the Hunting Act and the regulation of large predator (wolf) populations in Estonia. Emphasis is placed on the overall relationship with Estonian nature, using the metaphors "forest and bog" to reference the wider national context.

The attitude towards the economy is critical and value-driven; it warns that thinking narrowly in terms of money, profit, and economic growth is devastating to the environment. It favors an ecological and sustainable approach that takes precedence over purely economic considerations.

The primary social theme is the relationship between society and the natural environment, emphasizing the need to increase social tolerance toward large predators and criticizing cultural alienation from nature. He/She also addresses the issues of hunting safety and the humane dispatch of animals injured on the road.

The legislative priority is amending the Hunting Act to resolve the wolf crisis and regulate the tracking of wounded game animals across hunting district boundaries. The speaker served as the rapporteur for the lead committee and personally introduced two amendments regarding hunting safety and the humane dispatch of animals injured on roads, which were ultimately deferred as subjects requiring further analysis.