PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Management of grasslands and fens in Latvia and Lithuania is seriously hampered by a lack of economic incentives. 31 000 ha (30%) of all grasslands in Latvia are abandoned and continue to be overgrown. 24 328 ha of semi-natural grasslands in Lithuania are not under any Rural Development Programme (RDP) schemes and are most likely abandoned. A large share of unmanaged grassland habitats is privately owned (e.g. 59% in Latvia). Therefore, more effort is needed to involve private landowners in restoring and managing grassland habitats. In spite of a clear policy demand stipulating the need for reaching nature restoration targets (EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030), strengthening investments in Natura 2000 (EU Action Plan for Nature, People and Economy), improved incentives for farmers to protect grassland habitats, and scaling up local bio-economies, grasslands continue be threatened by land abandonment, or detrimental practices such as grass mulching. Although the management of valuable semi-natural grasslands is subsidised by agri-environmental support measures under RDPs, both in Latvia and Lithuania, the restoration of habitat quality is not supported. Furthermore, an important pre-condition to receiving a management subsidy from the RDP is that a grassland has to be in a good agricultural status. The grassland habitats targeted by this project are not in good agricultural status, or are difficult to manage due to the current water table. Achieving a good agricultural status in wet meadows is labour-intensive work, and landowners often choose not to take this burden on. Still, the RDP scheme is a crucial tool for ensuring the long-term management of restored wet meadows, provided that the investments for their restoration are covered, for example, by the LIFE programme.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE MarshMeadows aims to establish and demonstrate the intrinsic link between fully-functioning natural ecosystems and economic benefits for local communities. Two major complexes of wetlands will be restored by different means (1 460 hectares in total) in three Natura 2000 sites, for the benefit of habitats and species, and to enhance the economic potential of local communities in rural areas in Latvia and Lithuania. The project targets five grassland and fen habitats of the EU Habitats Directive, all of them in ‘unfavourable’ conservation status in Latvia and Lithuania. The project also targets three species of birds (all included in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive) and two species of amphibians (included in Annex II of the EU Habitat Directive).
The project therefore contributes to the implementation of the EU Habitats Directive, Birds Directive, and to enhancing three Natura 2000 sites in two EU Member States. By demonstrating the benefits to the economy of a large-scale restoration of ecosystem functions, the project also contributes to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU Farm to Fork strategy, and the EU Bioeconomy Action Plan.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Restoration of hydrological regime on 790 ha (160 ha in Latvia and 630 ha in Lithuania) that would lead to favourable conditions for conservation and management of habitats and species listed in the EU Habitats Directive and Birds Directive;
- Restoration of habitats of the EU Habitats Directive on 1 080 ha (580 ha of habitat type 6450 restored in Latvia to favourable conservation status, and 500 ha of habitats (7140, 7160, 7230, 6270) created in Lithuania);
- Removal of the risk of repeated overgrowing, by introducing a long-term grazing management system on all restored areas (1 324 ha);
- Restoration of large-scale nature areas on 1 460 ha that host breeding, staging and feeding habitats for a wide range of wetland species, for example: great snipe (Gallinago media), spotted crake (Porzana porzana), bluethroat (Cyanecula svecica), European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), and northern crested newt (Triturus cristatus):
- Demonstration of the value of fully functional natural ecosystems to improved economic revenues for farms (ecosystem services) in three Natura 2000 sites;
- Gain in knowledge on the effects of different grazing regimes on the target species and habitats, shared at Boreal region and EU level;
- Promotion of extensive grazing as an effective and self-sustaining conservation model in the Natura 2000 sites;
- Project areas developed as nature tourism destinations, to promote a multi-functional use of the Natura 2000 sites;and
- Raised awareness on Natura 2000 in the regions, and its value in contributing to the regional development of less-developed areas.
