The protection of cultural heritage and landscape means preserving the historically established settlement pattern and yard density. Studies of the settlement structure are conducted in protected areas to analyse the historical development of villages. In the villages’ most valuable areas, the rich cultural heritage is showcased in its purest form.

In the studies of protected areas, villages and their areas are inventoried, determining the values based on the following:

•  the history of the formation of the settlement and the characteristic structure of the villages,
•  entity of the building heritage,
•  established landscapes,
•  objects under heritage protection. 

The Estonian Environmental Board's considerations for permitting buildings are based on the values of the settlement structure in national parks and landscape protection areas, i.e. natural parks. 

Valuable villages and parts of villages can be seen in the environmental portal’s data and map section under the topic of nature conservation, where the layer ‘Settlement values in protected areas’ (Lahemaa, Matsalu, and Vooremaa) should be selected.