The fourth natural census season starts

The fourth, closing season of natural census has started, in which experts on behalf of the Nature Protection Board will follow natural values in 78 municipalities by October, assessing the compliance of the swamps, forests, freshwater, coastal, beer, rocks and biologically valuable grassland of the European Union to protected habitats of the European Union.
In the natural census, the territory of Latvia is divided into 495 squares and experts are surveyed within the boundaries of the squares determined each year, not within the boundaries of the provinces. Therefore, biotopes – long-term and well-managed areas with more natural diversity – are assessed within a number of seasons.
The survey of natural values is also affected by the nature and weather itself, such as the late spring and floods of 2017 and the droughts of the May and June 2018 months delayed the performance of seasonal rural works, as weather conditions prevented several groups of habitats from being surveyed. These areas are planned to be surveyed this year.
More than hundreds of experts will be involved in the mapping of habitats, which will carry out the planned territories in nature, fill out the questionnaire, noting the visible species society and biotopa boundaries in the map, taking into account the “Methodology of the distribution and quality of biotopes of EU significance approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development and the organisation of work organisation” (https://www.daba.gov.lv/upload/File/DOC_MON/BIOTOPI_met_160722.pdf).
In the performance of the season, all completed questionnaires will be placed at the disposal of the Nature Protection Administration and, after the data quality check, the habitat owners will receive information on the results. Two thirds of the data submitted from previous seasons are currently checked. As the owners are informed, the results are gradually entered into the natural data management system oak (https://ozols.gov.lv/pub) available to anyone. The availability of data in digital format will allow land owners to save time and financial resources and facilitate the handling of different issues, authorisation, etc.
The identification of habitats is one of three “prerequisites for natural census or THE EU Cohesion Fund project for better conservation of biodiversity and the protection of ecosystems in Latvia”. The implementation of all activities is foreseen until 2023.
The information was prepared by:
Ilze Reinica
Nature Conservation Agency
ilze.reinika@daba.gov.lv
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