The need for change is determined not only by the European Union (EU) regulations and the new “green course”, but also by the change in people’s lifestyles and habits, which is aimed at active involvement in nature conservation activities and more frequent going to nature.
As a result, the search for compromises and new solutions to strike a balance between public, economic, private and nature interests is becoming increasingly important.
Ezeriņa emphasizes that last year the Nature Census or the inventory of nature values was completed, allowing you to understand what and to what extent nature values are found in Latvia. This will be the basis for future decisions to strengthen or reduce safeguards.
Five species protection plans have been developed and approved, fieldwork for habitat surveys has been completed and 16 special protection area plans have been developed. The updated data are currently being processed and nine more final nature protection plans are being developed for existing special areas of conservation.
The added value of the nature census is 52 newly discovered species in Latvia – two plant species, seven species of moss, 12 species of lichens, 15 species of mucus and 16 species of fungi. The number of newly discovered species continues to increase, as their approval is performed by foreign experts and opinions on all identified new species have not yet been received.
Some of the newly discovered species are rare not only in the Baltics, but also in Europe, adds a representative of the DDA.
Continuing the work started, as well as solving new topical topics and problems in nature protection, DAP together with partners has launched several new projects, thus attracting significant funding for the improvement of the nature protection system in the country.
Last year, with the support of the Cohesion Fund, the most ambitious project for the restoration and management of habitats and species in recent years was launched with an ambitious goal – by the end of 2023 it is planned to manage and restore natural values on approximately 1,700 hectares in 30 different Natura 2000 protected areas and 13 protected areas. in the alleys.
The overall beneficial effects are thus projected for almost 14,000 hectares of SPAs. The contractors will restore meadows, heaths, gray dunes, park-like pastures and forests, improve the condition of rare species habitats, as well as restore several sections of river streams and promote the enhancement of biodiversity and landscape value in Lake Rāzna.
In turn, the funding attracted in the project “Life For Species”, with the involvement of industry experts, provides an opportunity to develop a new approach to updating the list of protected species in Latvia and to determine the necessary protection measures.
In the coming years, activities are planned that will help strengthen the capacity of experts and state institutions on species conservation issues, including improving the Nature Data Management System “Oak”, as well as promote public awareness of these special Latvian natural values - endangered species.
The Life Reef project team has already gone on several expeditions to explore the sea, which has led to the conclusion that the sea depth maps used so far are inaccurate. Namely, the Baltic Sea is deeper than previously thought. Interesting phenomena such as sea snow have also been observed.
With the help of the Life LatViaNature project, the DPO has united ten institutions that are jointly looking for solutions to the current challenges of conserving biodiversity.
Last year, significant preparations were made to combat invasive species and reduce their distribution in Latvia – the Invasive Species Manager “http://bit.ly/invazivs” was established, which gives everyone the opportunity to report the identified invasive species in their area.
In parallel, guidelines have been prepared for the inclusion of species in the Latvian list of invasive species, which is the first step to justify the inclusion of aggressive alien species in Latvia’s official lists and to create preconditions for active action in their eradication, management and funding.
Proposals for a small grant competition to combat invasive species have been developed – with the support of this program, landowners will have the opportunity to test various methods of eradicating invasive species of their choice and not yet tested to contribute to the most effective methods, Ezeriņa adds.
As before, there were large flocks of geese in the fields last spring, where the birds rested and took in nutrients for the way forward.
The migration of non-hunting birds is a pan-European problem, with each country looking for its own solutions, so discussions on the calculation of compensation for migratory geese are continuing in search of the most appropriate model, and new solutions are likely to emerge in the future.
For the second year in a row, the lethal repulsion of migratory geese from sowings was allowed in Latvia and in total the DAP issued permits to 142 farms for the acquisition of a total of 1000 individuals. However, the reports received show only 26 geese hunted.
Last year, the number of applications for compensation for damage to crop, beekeeping and animal husbandry was twice as low as in 2020. Ezeriņa admits that it was most likely influenced by the changes in the calculation of compensation, which was a long-awaited decision.
Because until now, the same compensation was applied to the owner of the pond for fish farming, both for one cormorant found and for half a hundred of these edible birds.
At present, in all sectors where non-hunting and migratory species may cause damage, the amount of compensation should not exceed 80% of the estimated damage.
Two bears with inappropriate behavior created a great challenge and at the same time a lesson, explains DAP. Initially, they ate plums in the backyard gardens of Valka district, but later, in search of food, they tore beehives, greenhouses and did not hesitate to look at the windows of nearby residents.
The DPO, recognizing extensive international experience, as well as involving experts from various institutions from both Latvia and Estonia in the action group, successfully managed to put the bears to sleep, sort them and transport them to more remote forest massifs in Valka and Smiltene counties.
Since 23 October last year, the DPO has not received any reports of repeated attempts by these bears to approach the farms.
However, this situation has highlighted a number of issues to be addressed, namely the division of responsibilities between institutions in dealing with similar situations in the event of a conflict between human safety and inappropriate wildlife behavior, equipment and quarantine facilities available in Latvia for capturing and holding captive wildlife. the consequences of raising young wild animals at home and then releasing them.
The activities implemented in the field of nature education show that in Latvia the participation of the society and the desire to get involved in nature conservation activities is significantly increasing, which indicates a turning point in the society’s thinking and attitude towards nature values, according to the DPO.
A very high level of involvement was found in the spring, with reports of seal pups on the beach at a total of 500 in two months, as well as volunteering to help toads cross the road safely to continue their migration.
Despite the restrictions on gathering, 13 clean-ups were carried out last year to improve the condition of various habitats or eliminate invasive species. Last year, the DDA received reports on 453 naturally occurring trees, exceeding the number of reports in 2020.
As well as the newly established Invasive Species Manager, almost 500 reports of invasive plants and 309 reports of invasive animals have been received since May.
The volume of nature tourism and the number of visitors to specially protected areas (SPAs) have significantly increased. In order to be able to obtain comparable data in the future, the DPO has installed 20 more visitor counters in the field in addition to the existing ones.
Calculations made in cooperation with Vidzeme University College show that the number of visits to SPAs exceeds at least six million per year. For example, in October alone, the number of visitors on the Great Moor’s footbridge increased by 150% compared to the same period last year, exceeding 15,000 visits per month.
A similar picture can be observed in natural objects in other regions – in Kurzeme on the Kolka Pine Trail, in Vidzeme and also in Latgale.
Nature tourism is also associated with one of the most typical types of violations, because with the growth of demand, environmentally unfriendly offers have appeared on the market – freestyle hikes, bicycle rides along streams, individual hikes in areas where people are not allowed and others.
As a result, unintentional destruction of natural values has been identified in some places, so the DPO has started negotiations with nature tourism service providers to prevent these violations.
In the coming years, a significant challenge for Latvia will be the implementation of the Green Course announced by the EU. Namely, by 2030, according to the agreement of the EU countries, the Member States must have 30% of protected areas both at sea and on land.
Currently, there are less than 12% of protected areas in the land territory of Latvia, if Natura 2000 areas are included, but if the North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve is added, 18%. The seven marine protected areas cover 436,406 hectares of the marine territory belonging to Latvia.
The European Commission (EC) has announced that a new EU directive aims to combat environmental crime, thereby boosting the European Green Commitment and improving the effectiveness of environmental protection.
At the same time, the state budget is approved in Latvia, in which only 0.4% of the total state budget is allocated for environmental protection, the DPO points out. This is the least funded sector, as a result of which there are justified concerns about Latvia’s ability to successfully move towards the green course set by the EC, explains the representative of the DDA.
For example, regular monitoring provides the opportunity to obtain data on the environmental impact of decisions and actions taken. The two most important monitors show a negative trend.
Namely, the Rural Birds Index, which shows changes in the number of birds in the rural landscape, is declining every year, suggesting that current agricultural policies are having a negative impact on the environment. The Forest Bird Index, which shows changes in the number of birds in forests, has been volatile in recent years.
