Map / Latvia
Welcome! Here you will find information about Latvia on:
- Protected Areas management
- The Training and capacity Needs Assessment reports
- Capacity building initiatives/projects
Protected Areas management
Protected Areas in Latvia are classified according to the following categories: strict nature reserves, nature parks, nature reserves, national parks, biosphere reserves, natural monuments, areas of protected landscapes, marine protected areas and have not been linked to IUCN categories yet. Protected Areas cover 19% of Latvia’s terrestrial land.
Nature Conservation Agency ensures implementation of unified nature protection policy in Latvia. It has several departments and four structural units: Pieriga Regional Administration, Vidzeme Regional Administration, Kurzeme Regional Administration and Latgale Regional Administration. Under their regional supervision there are all Protected Areas, including Natura 2000 areas, in order to ensure united nature protection policy and to supervise compliance of nature protection laws and regulations.
The Training and capacity Needs Assessment
The Training and capacity needs assessment report (2014) The ”Assessment of capacity development needs of Protected Area staff in Eastern Europe. Latvia” is based on a survey that has been filled in by the staff employed in the national Protected Area management system of Latvia in 2013.
The results of the surveys provide detailed information on staffing profiles, training provided in the past three years and structured assessments of competence, based on which recommendations have been developed.
The preparation and publication of this report was supported by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz: BfN) as a component of the project ‘Capacity Building Plans for Efficient Protected Area Management in Eastern Europe’ (Number: Z1.3-544 11-63/12 (FKZ: 3512 82 1800)).
The report will be available for download as soon as possible.
Capacity building initiatives/projects
Short trainings (1 to 2 days long) were organised within various projects, most often financed by EU Life, Life+, Latvian Environmental Protection Fund, Estonia – Latvia and Estonia – Latvia – Russia Cross Border Cooperation Programmes. They are based mostly on subjects like biotopes, species determination, management, rural tourism management, law enforcement, as well as communication and interpretation skills.
An important initiative on the field is represented by the project “Nature Conservation Agency’s ranger professional training programme development and improvement”. Within the project implemented in 2010-2011, more than 50 rangers and some representatives of the Central Administration had the opportunity to learn more about: nature education and interpretation; conservation status and indicators in NATURA 2000 sites; conflict solving in nature conservation; forest and grassland habitats of EU importance – current status, ecological and security issues; geographic information system (GIS) application in NATURA 2000 sites by registering and monitoring natural values. Contact info: Nature Conservation Agency (email: daba@daba.gov.lv)
Another important projects:
2012 – 2014, “Promoting nature education as efficient mean of awareness raising” (Acronym: “People with nature”), Nature Conservation Agency under the Ministry of the Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia and 10 other organizations from Latvia, Estonia and Russia were involved in the project partly financed by Estonia-Latvia-Russia cross border cooperation Programme.
About the project: Capacity of nature education centres has been raised by ensuring more favorable conditions for successful use and development thereof in participatory nature education activities. Modern nature education methods and study materials have been created, as well as nature education specialists and rangers have been trained in order to ensure sustainable nature development and inform public about the necessity of nature conservation.
Within the project, 6 nature education centres were developed and opened for public in the specially protected natural areas in Latvia. Four of these centres have been established by the Nature Conservation Agency close to the offices of the Regional Administrations – in Ķemeri, Salacgrīva, Vecupītes (by Valmiera), and in Lipuški. The educational materials and equipment of these centres can be used for rangers trainings in the future.
For details about the project, click here.
June-October 2014, “Qualification raise of Nature Conservation Agency employees” ,funded by the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund
About the project: Employees of Nature Conservation Agency were improving knowledge in administrative legislation, biotopes, mapping of nature values, creative environmental interpretation and sustainable development, as well as communication with the society. Training was held not only theoretically, but also in practice by solving tasks, engaging in discussions and developing practical skills in study trips in nature.
For other initiatives in the field of capacity building for Protected Areas that should be included here, please write to us at office@propark.ro (state within the subject of the message: Capacity Building Section – Latvia).