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Quote: Oct 04,2021
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Latvia has made a huge investment in the protection of small eagles
In five years, more than 500 new nesting little eagles have been found and more than 400 micro-reserves have been established for the protection of little eagles, Liene Brizga-Kalniņa, Communications Manager of the Latvian Fund for Nature (LDF), informed LETA.
In September of this year, the European Union LIFE program project "Ensuring the Protection of the Lesser Spotted Eagle in Latvia" implemented by the LDF was completed , which has done significant work for the conservation of this species.
Latvia is home to about a third of the European Union's (EU) small eagles (Clanga pomarina), so Latvia is very important for the protection of the species on a European scale. During the five years of the project, significant habitat restoration works have been carried out, more than 500 new small eagle nests have been found, more than 400 micro-reserves for the protection of small eagles have been established, and the protection plan for small eagle species has been updated. However, in addition to carrying out protection works, the project also highlighted significant shortcomings in the nature protection system in Latvia, said Brizga-Kalniņa.
The project "Ensuring the Protection of the Little Eagle in Latvia" started in 2016, when only nature experts and bird connoisseurs may have heard of the little eagle. At present, the public, nature experts themselves and forest owners, on whose property the little eagles live, know much more about little eagles.
Brizga-Kalniņa pointed out that, thanks to the project, little eagles have more suitable habitats and feeding places - habitat restoration works have been carried out in two "Natura 2000" areas. The natural water regime of floodplains on the Grīva island in the Lubāna wetland was restored by filling in drainage ditches with a total length of 30 kilometers (km), as well as natural meadows in the area of 57 hectares (ha). In its turn, 30 ha of natural meadows have been restored in Kuja Nature Park in cooperation with four landowners. The achievements of the project have ensured that the restored areas are suitable for mowing and grazing, thus benefiting the owners of the areas, as well as becoming suitable feeding grounds for the little eagle. It is expected that in these areas, in general, the diversity of nature will improve - the plants characteristic of meadows will appear,nests and feeding of different species of birds, said Brizga-Kalniņa.
In the project, the experts have carried out one of the most extensive surveys of nesting sites of one bird species that has taken place in Latvia - 543 hitherto unknown and unprotected nests of small eagles have been discovered. The search for nests has significantly increased the knowledge about the distribution of the Lesser Spotted Eagle species, especially in Selia, as well as in western and northwestern Vidzeme. In total, about 4,000 pairs of small eagles currently live in Latvia.
Most of the newly discovered nests are currently protected - 467 micro-reserves have been proposed and approved by the State Forest Service (in some cases also by the Nature Protection Board) - in the nesting area of small protected areas where logging is not allowed. Only small quantities of dead wood may be removed.
It should be noted that the creation of micro-reserves during the project also created confusion and dissatisfaction of forest owners about the removal of forest areas from economic circulation, without providing adequate compensation. The LDF also believes that the compensation system in Latvia needs to be improved, so it urged the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development ( MEPRD ) to pay attention to this issue. A working group was established at the MEPRD to work on the issue of compensation, in which proposals for changes in the system were prepared. We expect that the MEPRD will also implement these recommendations and thus solve one of the most significant problems that currently hinder the implementation of an effective nature protection system.
Unfortunately, during the project, experts have found that 10% of all vulnerable small eagle nests are affected by economic activity, in many cases actually destroying their habitats. During the project, experts have also repeatedly submitted reports to the responsible institutions about the felling of small eagle nests, as well as provided recommendations for solving the problem, Brizga-Kalniņa emphasized.
Among other works, Brizga-Kalniņa mentioned the review and approval of the plan for the protection of the Lesser Spotted Eagle species, the preparation of a scientific publication, the installation of artificial nests for the Lesser Spotted Eagles, as well as the release of the documentary film "Little Eagles in Latvia".
Project manager Jānis Ķuze pointed out that the work on the protection of small eagles in Latvia must be continued, and the project has laid a good foundation for this. The developed species protection action plan provides recommendations for both practical habitat protection measures and changes in legislation. Small range, wintering on another continent and migration risks, declining numbers and very intensive habitat conversion in nesting areas in the 21st century. At the beginning of the 19th century, as well as the low nesting success, the little eagle is ranked in Europe and Latvia in the category of specially protected bird species, the protection and research of which will continue to receive increased attention.
The project was implemented by LDF together with partners - Latvian Ornithological Society, SIA "Tīravoti" and art fund "Rucka". The total budget of the project was 2,229,719 euros, of which LIFE program co-financing 1,566,496 euros, co-financing from the Latvian state budget through the Environmental Protection Fund administration 254,328 euros, as well as partners co-financing 408,895 euros."