Weekly review
Poll
November is here... What would be the best thing it could bring us...
A continuation of this beautiful autumn
A knowledgeable and stable government that knows how
Peace for our friends in Ukraine
Many small, personal successes that turn into one Great Success
11–17 February
On current and upcoming events
### We invite you to take part in the European Tree of the Year competition by supporting the Sēja Oak: treeoftheyear.org · vote
### It is still possible to sign for the future of hunting in Europe: signforhunting.com
### Daugavpils University Annual Awards in Science and Award Ceremony on 14 March
### Latvia's Forest Days in Tērvete. 26 and 27 May:
lvm.lv · 6761 meza nozime cina ar klimata parmainam si gada tema latv…
lvm.lv · 6761 meza nozime cina ar klimata parmainam si gada tema latv…
### 100th anniversary celebrations of the student society Šalkone on 16 June
On industry issues
Sustainable management practices and the implementation of reclamation measures are concrete solutions for the industry to work together to reduce GHG emissions. It is also essential to provide scientifically based arguments for the sector's ability to balance commercial activity with mitigation measures, thereby contributing to the reduction of GHG emissions.
lvm.lv · 6770 lvm tiekas ar oecd parstavjiem lai parrunatu efektivas…
For Latvia and other OECD member states where boreal forests are widespread, forestry plays a significant role in economic development. OECD representatives acknowledged that in negotiations on forestry, agriculture and environmental issues, the environmental ministries of member states have been particularly active lately. However, during the discussion, we received clear confirmation that in these matters, in accordance with OECD strategy, it is always essential to evaluate economic benefits and losses.
Historically, the territory of Latvia was covered by a forest ecosystem. According to rough estimates, 8,000 years ago, 80-96% of modern-day Latvia's inland territory was covered by forest, with the rest consisting of bogs and inland waters. The figures are not exact, as there was no one in the uninhabited territory of Latvia to document the situation. In insignificant amounts, other non-forest ecosystems existed in uninhabited Latvia – primarily floodplain meadows.
One of LVM's strategic goals is to increase the contribution of managed forests to the mitigation of global climate change. This aligns with Latvia's commitment to reach climate neutrality by 2050. To achieve this long-term goal, LVM is implementing measures to reduce CO2 emissions in production processes and increase CO2 sequestration in forest stands, while simultaneously ensuring the preservation of biodiversity and the inventory of environmental values.
To increase the capital value of the forest, the mentioned amendments have been pushed in the government since 2017, but have been repeatedly halted due to the lack of a strategic environmental impact assessment. Last summer, however, they were quickly adopted to strengthen Latvia's energy security, as the felling of younger trees would make woodchips more accessible and cheaper for Latvian heat producers. So far, however, this has not had any impact on the price or volume of woodchips, assessed Valdis Vītoliņš, board member of the Association of Heating Companies.
On environmental issues
On Tuesday, the European Parliament gave its final approval to a project that provides for a ban on the sale of new CO2-emitting cars from 2035.
The goal of such a ban is to phase out petrol and diesel cars by the middle of the century.
European politicians want all cars and vans in Europe to produce zero emissions by around 2050, or in less than 30 years. Since the average lifespan of a car is 15 years, to achieve this goal, action must begin as early as 2035.
The amendments provide for reducing the administrative burden on building owners in the coastal dune protection zone by clarifying the conditions for activities in the coastal protection zone and the protection zone around water intake points, as well as by facilitating public access to the beach.
Clarifications in the regulation of the protection zone along the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga coast, surface water body protection zones and protection zones around water intake points have been developed to reduce the administrative burden and provide public access points to the Baltic Sea that meet modern requirements.
In the period from 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023 and from 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2023, all eels accidentally caught in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga must be released alive back into the sea. Eels accidentally caught while hook fishing or angling that have swallowed the hook in such a way that it is impossible to remove it gently must be released by cutting the line with the attached hook.
Over the past few months, the administration has received several complaints from social media users about violations observed in social media posts. Violations have been identified both within nature reserve zones where the use of unmanned aerial vehicles is prohibited without the administration's permission, and through the use of drones too close to animals.
On Riga and its streets
In the vicinity of the Central Station, three intersections will be rebuilt and modern infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport will be installed by the end of the year. During the construction work, there will be significant changes to traffic in the area around the Central Station.
On economic issues
Educational institutions are unable to provide the economy with young specialists with the appropriate qualifications; at the same time, there are fields where there are more graduates than available jobs in Latvia, which means having to work in a different specialty or going abroad to earn a living.
The decrease in annual inflation in Latvia has been delayed, and so-called core inflation – the price increase for a consumer basket excluding energy and food – continues to rise. Core inflation also continues to rise in the Eurozone as a whole, and this is one of the main arguments of the ECB in favour of raising interest rates. However, this concept has briefly lost some of its original meaning. Core inflation no longer has as much of a foundation as it did before the pandemic, and perhaps will have again in the future.
On 15 February, the Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development Māris Sprindžuks signed an order cancelling the decision “On suspending the operation of the Riga City Council's 15 December 2021 binding regulations No. 103 'Binding regulations on the use and construction of the territory of Riga'”, thereby unblocking Riga's territorial plan.
The lack of clarity has caused investors to postpone investments or implement them in other markets. However, the approval of the Riga territorial plan gives Riga the opportunity to recover frozen investments in the near future.
The company attributes its success to the development of its production plant in the electric vehicle sector, proving itself as a serious supplier of raw materials in this field by winning several tenders in the automotive industry for separating battery cells and protecting battery packs in electric vehicle manufacturing, for example, for the new Volkswagen Premium Platform Electric and Toyota bz4X.
On hunting
On 1 April 2022, amendments to Article 17, Part 1, Clause 1 of the Law on Hunting came into force. They stipulate that a hunting area is registered if the hunting grounds to be included therein are not less than 350 hectares, provided the hunting area is registered by the owner of hunting rights or owners of hunting rights whose hunting grounds are adjacent and who have concluded a mutual agreement on the joint exercise of hunting rights.
For several decades, this has been one of the most recognized and largest hunting, fishing, adventure, nature and off-road event exhibitions in the Alps-Adriatic-Danube region. FACE participates in this exhibition together with its Austrian member organization Dachverband Jagd Österreich. During the exhibition, several high-level meetings are scheduled to discuss current issues in EU and Austrian hunting and nature conservation policy-making.
The culled specimen is not the first jackal observed near Liepāja. These animals have been seen before near Lake Tosmare and Lake Liepāja, where they have been filmed at animal luring sites while agricultural work was being carried out in broad daylight, and a couple have already been culled.
On interesting issues
After more than ten years working in the hemp product business, the well-known actor Ivars Auziņš, in cooperation with German partners, has obtained a unique industrial production technology for hemp beverages. As plant-based drinks are becoming increasingly popular worldwide due to people changing their dietary habits and partially or completely giving up animal products, the “Hempy” hemp drink is an alternative to milk both in Latvia and in many places outside its borders.
If a single variety of wheat or barley is grown in a field, these crops will be affected equally by drought or moisture, as well as by diseases and soil characteristics. To avoid this, one can create composite cross-bred populations of cereals, where many different varieties are sown in the same field. Since the plants are different, they are able to compensate for each other's deficiencies.
Blackcurrant and other Ribes genus crop yields are often destroyed by bud mites and the blackcurrant reversion virus. Latvian scientists have carried out an extensive study, learning about both harmful organisms and plant genetics. In the future, this will allow for the breeding of berry varieties that will be resistant to these diseases.
On bears
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are protected animals throughout the European Union, including Latvia. Once extinct in Latvia, but in recent years, as a result of purposeful and scientifically-based decisions and actions, including a hunting ban, the bear population is steadily recovering, reaching 60-70 individuals. The recently publicized media case of a mother bear being woken from hibernation, forcing her to abandon her den with her cubs, is sad, but from the perspective of the species' population, it is not considered critical.
Existing protected areas with large massifs of bogs and forests, such as the Northern Bogs (Ziemeļu purvi) and the Teiči Nature Reserve, already partially provide the necessary habitat for bears. Human presence there is limited, but an animal cannot be “restricted” to a specific space. Furthermore, wild animals do not respect national borders – the habitat of the bears counted in Latvia can extend into both Estonia and Russia, explains a representative of the Nature Conservation Agency (DAP).
How does Estonia manage to coexist with 1,100 bears, with both driven hunts and logging taking place! About what to do if a bear is woken up. What to do if you accidentally come across a den with cubs in the forest. How does Estonia manage to solve bear problems?
On history and politics
delfi.lv · rihards bambals vai latvija zaudes informativaja kara.d
Another significant vulnerability is the insufficient level of media literacy, which still leads a large part of society to believe in Kremlin manipulations and hostile messages. The latest available (optimistic) research data for 2021-2022 indicate that, on average, only six out of ten people in Latvia are able to recognize disinformation. Monitoring carried out by the State Chancellery shows that pro-Kremlin channels have long been “dripping” narratives such as “the government provides more support to Ukrainians than to its own people”, “sanctions only cut Latvia and do not harm Russia”, and “Europe will freeze without Russian gas”.
In historical matters, the attitude “Europe will not understand us” has dominated for too long.
Walking through the beautiful house built by architect Aleksandrs Vanags (1873-1919) with experts, we saw – removing all the layers from the occupation era reveals all the authentic details, and that is indeed the main value that the state protects. The main issue is the method of use.
The desire of the Daugavpils City Municipality's Tourism Development and Information Agency to abandon the research, preservation and inclusion of the Daugavpils Fortress complex in active tourism circulation has caused a wide resonance in Daugavpils.
Cartoons created during the week