On 21 April of this year, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Juris Pūce approved the new Nature Preservation Plan of the Nature Park “Piejūra”. The plan was developed by experts of the Latvian Nature Fund within the framework of the project “LIFE CoHaBit – Protection of Coastal Habitats in the Nature Park “Piejūra”” with financial support from the European Union LIFE programme and the Administration of the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund of the State Regional Development Agency.

Stepes čipste (Anthus campestris). Foto: Selga Bērziņa

The main goal of development of nature protection plans is to harmonize the interests of nature protection, recreation, tourism, development of the county, and other interests, to ensure the preservation of the values of the territory. The plan defines a set of necessary and recommended economic activities in accordance with the Nature Park zoning.

Until the adoption of the new Nature Protection Plan, the plan approved in 2004 operated in the park. The new plan is designed for a 12-year period.

During the development of the plan, information about the natural values present in the Nature Park has been obtained and evaluated, proposals on the protection of the park and management opportunities have been prepared. The new Nature Park Protection Plan focuses on well-considered planning of tourism infrastructure, mitigation of dune erosion caused by visitors of the park, management of wooded dunes, grey dunes and meadows (ensuring protection of plant species for species such as Sand Pink Dianthus arenarius, Marsh Angelica Angelica palustris and Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis), reduction of eutrophication in lakes, as well as public education and development of cognitive infrastructure.

For protection of natural values of the territory it is proposed to define functional zoning of the territory with four zones – regulated regime, nature reserve, nature park and neutral zone.

The Nature Preservation Plan is available here

Annexes:

• 1.1 Development of the plan 
• 1.2 Overview – received proposals 
• 2.1 and 2.2 Shore processes 
• 2.3. Distribution of ecosystems and habitats in Saulkrasti region 
• 2.4 Ecosystem services 
• 2.5 and 2.9 Tables 
• 2.10 State of waters 
• 2.11 Morphological limnological characterization of lakes 
• 2.12 Impacts and threats 
• 2.1. Characteristics of forest stands 
• 3.1 Types of land use 
• 3.2 Forms of land ownership
• 3.8 Proposals for border changes 
• 5 Potential cadastres for repurchases 
• 6 Plan for organizing the flow of visitors

Projekts LIFE CoHaBit (Nr. LIFE15 NAT/LV/000900) „Piekrastes biotopu aizsardzība dabas parkā “Piejūra”” tiek ieviests ar Eiropas Savienības LIFE programmas un Latvijas vides aizsardzības fonda administrācijas finansiālu atbalstu.

Informāciju sagatavoja: S. Voskāne