NATIONAL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

FOR GRASSLAND HABITATS OF EU IMPORTANCEIN LATVIA

Solvita Rūsiņa

Nature Conservation Agency

Latvia

Project LIFE 11 NAT/LV/371 NAT-PROGRAMMEhttp://nat-programme.daba.gov.lv/public/eng/about_the_project/

13th Eurasian Grassland Conference “Management and Conservation of Semi-natural grasslands:from theory to practice”, Sighisoara, Romania, 20-24 September, 2016

Area 64 589 km2

Population ~ 2 milj.

Lowland country (highest point 312 m);

Mean annual temperature 6.2 oC(February –4.6 oC, August +17.1 oC);

Precipitation 650 mm

Vegetation period 180–200 days.

• boreonemoral ecotone (needle-leaved forests and broad-leaved forests)

• Forests 50 %, mires 6 %, and agricultural land 38 %;

• semi-natural grasslands 0.7 % (~70 000 ha).

http://dziedava.lv/daba/libagu_pag/uz_kampariem_190710.jpg

Guidelines for management and

restoration

Conservation programme

HOW to restore and manage

WHERE to restore and manage

1. farmers

2. consultants, experts

1. municipalities2. Nature Conservation Agency3. environmental and conservation

organisations

Aims of the projectProject «National Conservation and Management Programme for Natura 2000 sites in

Latvia» NAT-PROGRAMME

BUDGET: 1,609,700 EUR EU Co-FUNDING: 804,850 EUR =50 % of total

COORDINATING BENEFICIARY: Nature Conservation Agency of Latvia. No asociated beneficiaries involved.

DURATION: 01/09/2012 - 28/02/2017

http://nat-programme.daba.gov.lv/public/eng/

Guidelines - organizing the process

2013 – the first meeting

Establishing the working group – 70 participants (whole day meeting). Contents

of the book – what do we need to know?

Participants: farmers, policy representatives, experts (botanists, entomologists,

ornitologists), NGOs, scientific community

Photos from the NAT-PROGRAMME project archive

Guidelines – the process

konkrētu

jautājumu

apspriešana

mazākās

grupās

konkrētu

jautājumu

apspriešana

mazākās

grupās

konkrētu

jautājumu

apspriešana

mazākās

grupās

konkrētu

jautājumu

apspriešana

mazākās

grupās

konkrētu

jautājumu

apspriešana

mazākās

grupās

Meeting : grassland birds – 17.12.2014

Meeting: grassland invertebrates – 3.02.2015

Meetings with farmers (Rucava 22.04.2014;

individual discussions)

Survey (220 respondents)

Comments on manuscript (available online)

Scientific reviewing

Lectures for farmers in

cooperation with Rural

Consultancy and Education

Center

2015

The second meeting – discussions on manuscript, field visits

2013 – the first meeting

2015

The second meeting – discussions on manuscript, field visits

Photos from the NAT-PROGRAMME project archive

Guidelines – the result (500 pages)

Part I. Grassland ecology

and conservationGrassland definition

Semi-natural vs sown grasslands

Grassland ecosystem functioning

Meadows vs pastures

Ecosystem services

Pressures

History of conservation of semi-

natural grasslands in Latvia

www.zudusilatvija.lv Drawings D.Segliņa, photos from the NAT-PROGRAMME project archive

Guidelines – the result

Part II. Planning of

grassland restoration and

managementConservation and management aims

What is management, restoration,

maintenance, creation...

Grassland management plan

Legal aspects

Monitoring

Drawings D.Segliņa, photos from the NAT-PROGRAMME project archive

Guidelines – the result

Part III. EU importance

grassland habitats and their

management (chapter for

each habitat type)Short description (vegetation, birds,

invertebrates)

Pressures

Aims of conservation

Restoration possibilities

Management requirements

Restoration examples

6120* Sandy calcareous grasslands

Drawings D.Segliņa, photos from the NAT-PROGRAMME project archive

Guidelines – the result

Part IV. Methods of

restoration and

maintenanceRestoration by

mowing, grazing

burning

managing trees and shrubs

hydrological restoration

reduction of soil fertility

seeding, sowing, planting

invasive, expansive species

Maintenance by

mowing (timing, removal of grass,

height...)

grazing (stocking rate, timing, ...)

Sēklu izbiršanas iespējas krasi samazinās.

decreasing dispersal ability

Drawings D.Segliņa, photos from the NAT-PROGRAMME project archive

Guidelines – the result

AppendicesHow to evaluate your grassland

Grassland bird photos

Plant indicator species photos

Tables of optimal, suboptimal and

prohibited management for each

habitat type

Synergy

Conservation programme for Natura 2000 sites (for

time period up to 2025) – priorities for restoration

• Priority habitat types (not only

those with *)

1630* Boreal Baltic coastal meadows

6110* Rupicolous calcareous or basophilic

grasslands of the Alysso-Sedion albi

6120* Xerix sand calcareous grasslands

6210 Dry rgasslands on calcareous substrates

(Festuco-Brometalia)

6230* Species rich Nardus grasslands

6270* Fennoscandian lowland species rich dry

to mesic grasslands

6410 Molinia meadows

6430 Hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities

6450 Northern Boreal alluvial meadows

6510 Lowland hay meadows

6530* Fennoscandian wooded meadows

• Priority Natura 2000 sites

12 % of the area of the country

333 sites (EU grasslands in 150 of

them)

Priority habitat types

Criteria:

1. Rarity – total rea of the habitat type in % of the total area of EU

importance grasslands;

2. Vulnerability – managed area vs. abandoned area:

• area of the habitat type receiving subsidies from the Rural

Development Programme of Latvia in measure «Managing

Biodiversity un Grasslands;

• area of the habitat type outside the rural register.

3. Conservation value – Biodiversity quality (results of Natura

2000 monitoring and other surveys)

We did not use:

– Importance for Boreal Biogeographical region (because of

differences in habitat type interpretation)

– Area of the habitat type in Natura 2000 network (because only

40 % of the total area of EU habitatas are in the network)

Priorities – habitat types

• 6120* Sandy calcareous grasslands

– Critical biodiversity quality

– Only 40 % managed in RDP (for comparison: 70 % 6450 Floodplain grasslands and 6270* Fennoscandian lowland species-rich dry to mesic grasslands)

– The most dramatic decrease in area

• 6530* Fennoscandian wooded meadows

– Critical biodiversity quality

– Only 10-20 % managed in RDP

– Habitat management plan is elaborated (the only habitat type) - priorities already set

• 1630* Coastal grasslands

– Critical biodiversity quality

– Only 20 % managed in RDP

– The rearest grassland habitat type in Latvia

• 6410 Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils

– 40 % of the area in Natura 2000 outside rural register

– Only 45% managed in RDP

• 6230* Species-rich Nardus grasslands

– Dramatic decrease in area

Priority Natura 2000 sites

• Criteria:

– Total area of EU importance grasslands in Natura 2000 site

(proportion of the total area of Natura 2000 site;

– Area of particular grassland habitat type in Natura 2000 site

(proportion of the total area in Natura 2000 sites);

– Managed area (RDP subsidies) in proportion of the total area of

EU importance grasslands in Natura 2000 site;

– Expert judgement on biodiversity quality of the habitat type in

regional and national scale (no better data as Natura 2000

monitoring does not provide representative data at the scale of

Natura 2000 site);

– Landscape-ecological connectivity (Proximity index)

Projekts “Natura 2000 teritoriju nacionālā aizsardzības un apsaimniekošanas programma” NAT-PROGRAMME

http://nat-programme.daba.gov.lv

Dabas aizsardzības pārvaldeBaznīcas iela 7, Sigulda, LV-2150 ,Latvijae-pasts: rusina@lu.lv

Paldies par uzmanību!