PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The aim of the project is to take measures to ensure the protection of the priority species of the EU Habitat Directive - Osmoderma eremita by creating a transboundary ecological network connecting Lithuanian and Latvian populations of this species, also reaching the border populations of North Poland and South Estonia, and envisaging research and the creation of the new Natura 2000 sites or the extension of existing ones in order to create a Natura 2000 network in accordance with the requirements of the Habitats Directive. The project is based on a stepwise approach that includes the identification of important areas for Osmoderma with large scale inventory and setting the necessary network for protection both inside and outside the Natura 2000 network, planning management activities both on a local scale (parks, avenues) and on a broader scale at Natura 2000 level (management plans for Natura 2000 sites), identifying the problematic aspects in the protection of the target species and finding solutions and providing tools to solve the identified problems (species conservation plan), and implementing habitat restoration throughout the entire ecological network. To improve the nature conservation system and its effectiveness, the Project focuses on solutions that will have a long-term impact that reaches far beyond the project lifetime. The Project is ambitious and tends to find effective legislative, administrative, and knowledge-based tools. The Project will strengthen the collaboration among governmental bodies, local municipalities, scientific institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the wide community. The Consortium of Beneficiaries representing different fields of activity will complement each other and create synergies. The project includes a large number of activities aimed at the general public, as they have a key role in ensuring sustainable management and conservation of Osmoderma habitats.