Weekly review
Poll
Concern about gaps in the skills and knowledge of our pupils is voiced quite widely from time to time. Unfortunately, only when someone from outside Latvia has concluded as much. Why is that?
There is a political tendency to be busy, to invest, to make promises, but not to think about the results
If you have little knowledge yourself, you do not even know how or what you do not know...
A smart society is not always desirable or welcome
Many interests swirl around education. A "good result" is rarely mentioned among them
19-25 October
Worth knowing! On upcoming and current events
On 5 December at the LBTU Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences
LMSP 9th International Conference “Scientific, economic and social aspects of natural resource use in the current environmental and geopolitical context”
On 1 November a high-level expert conference “Prosperity and long-term development of Latvia's regions”
26 October is the last excursion day of the season for the Baloži peat narrow-gauge railway
The “Ziedu ceļos” campaign runs from 1 February to 30 October
From 18 May, the exhibition “From birch seed to betulin” at the Pharmacy Museum
27-29 March 2025, 12th Baltic Theriological Conference “Baltic mammals in the turbulence of anthropogenic tensions”
On industry matters
zm.gov.lv · latvijai kopa ar vairumu es dalibvalstu ir izdevies parlieci…
To avoid placing an undue burden on Latvia's forestry, food and agricultural producers, the Ministry of Agriculture consistently and with well-founded arguments pressed the European Commission to postpone the application of the Deforestation Regulation.
On 25 October, the Forest Advisory Council held an off-site meeting in the Gauja National Park.
Aligning several EU policies in a single direction, together with a sensible approach to land use in forestry, would allow Latvia to take an even more significant place in the global market for products made from renewable resources, while reaping economic benefits, maintaining employment and the industry's contributions to the state purse, without harming biodiversity and while helping to meet climate neutrality targets.
A note: once again (sadly) one has to observe the public broadcaster's ardent desire to set “armchair friends of nature” against land and forest management professionals — its own staff, incidentally, being people who from time to time discuss budget problems and shortages of money on their programmes, or remark that this or that could certainly do with more funding. And in doing so it forgets an important nuance: the Constitutional Court's ruling was not about the substance of the matter (the diameters), but about the procedure by which the Cabinet Regulations were drawn up, which is not the same thing at all — as the representatives of the public broadcaster and of the anonymous friends of nature undeniably know perfectly well. Is this really the moment for pretending otherwise?
The Ministry of Agriculture has prepared new amendments to the regulations...
AS “Latvijas Finieris”, having assessed the finalists of the competition, presented the company's special award. The “Latvijas Finieris” commendation at the Architecture Annual Award went to the school project in Sillamäe, Estonia, by the Latvian architectural office “Lauder Architects”.
Cone collection has begun in the spruce seed orchards established by AS “Latvijas valsts meži”, and the first cones gathered from the Latgale seed production district have already been delivered to the cone kiln. This year around 560 hectolitres of cones are due to be collected in total, to yield the highest quality spruce seed.
On support for Ukraine
On official matters
From 1 January 2025, changes are planned to the way people identify themselves, or log in, on the public administration services portal Latvija.gov.lv. In future it will be possible to log in to the portal using the eParaksts mobile app, an identity card (eID card), an eParaksts card or the qualified version of the Smart-ID mobile app, as well as official identification means from other European Union member states. It will no longer be possible to authenticate on the portal using internet banking tools issued by banks.
In talks with the management of the French National Forest Service, the minister discussed current challenges in the forest sector connected with meeting the climate targets that have been set. The minister stressed that establishing productive and resilient forest stands plays a major role in meeting climate targets, as does the construction of timber buildings and the use of wood in products with a long life cycle, which considerably improves the overall greenhouse gas emissions balance.
The Central Finance and Contracting Agency has once again announced an open call for projects for European Union fund support towards drawing up biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection plans in specially protected nature territories. The European Regional Development Fund funding remaining for local governments under this programme is 1.7 million euros.
On the economy
lsm.lv · 14.06.2024 fantazija par latvijas ikp dubultosanos ekonomist…
One of the (many) goals mentioned in the report is to make use of Latvia's advantages in order to create new exportable goods and services. However, it does not explain a) what these advantages are, b) which sectors of the economy might create these exportable goods and, most importantly, c) why this has not been done so far. Were it to do so, the report would be of use to the development of Latvia's economy. As things stand, it simply is not.
This year buckwheat has been sown on more than 20,000 hectares in Latvia; last year the figure was more than 27,000 hectares. As for the price, it depends on the weather, on the quantity and quality of the harvest, and on economic and political factors on the world market.
On hunters and hunting
A memorandum of cooperation between the National Armed Forces and the Latvian Hunters' Association has been in force since 2017. On the basis of it, hunters have the opportunity each year to take part in the long-range shooting event “Vienoti valstij”, held at the Ādaži training area.
The State Forest Service advises that by 1 December 2024 hunters must update the “Mednis” mobile app to the current version 2.3.1. This is necessary in order to retain the ability to register animals taken in the app, as well as to use its other features.
On environmental matters
The Latvian Fund for Nature, in cooperation with the Nature Conservation Agency, the Rural Advisory and Training Centre and other partners in the LIFE-IP LatViaNature project, invites managers of semi-natural grasslands* to take part in the small grants competition “Putting innovative grassland product ideas into practice”. The aim of the competition is to promote the management of semi-natural grasslands and their inclusion in business activity. Applications are to be submitted by 16 December.
What will become of the green course and climate neutrality in Latvia? Two years since the creation of the Ministry of Climate and Energy.
The time of rose-tinted spectacles is over, and the approach to this question is becoming ever more pragmatic, with the realisation that Europe simply cannot afford it.
In all, work to improve the condition of the habitat is taking place in the nature park at two sites covering a combined 33 hectares. The aim of the work is not only to improve the state of the habitat and thereby encourage the spread of the ground-cover species characteristic of it, including lichens of the genus Cladina, but also to find the best methods for managing the habitat in future.
A particularly rare fungal species was recorded in the habitat — Multiclavula mucida. The fruiting bodies of the fungus are only a few millimetres in size, they grow on decaying wood in the presence of algae, and it is regarded as an indicator species of natural forest habitat. A total of 48 observations of this species are recorded in the LVM GEO geospatial database, all of them in the eastern part of the country.
A meeting in Krimulda on Wednesday 23 October opened the series of public meetings organised by the Nature Conservation Agency and VARAM on the new regulatory framework for the Gauja National Park. Every landowner, resident and interested party has until 10 November to submit proposals and comment on the new regulatory framework. Eight meetings in total are planned in the Sigulda, Cēsis and Valmiera municipalities.
The LIFE REEF project, led by the Nature Conservation Agency, is carrying out scientific research in Latvia's exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea. Surveying the Alku shoal, researchers concluded that the seabed there differs sharply from other places in the Baltic Sea, since in place of the usual stony bed there are features resembling urban infrastructure.
On various matters and questions
The manor was auctioned two years ago for just under 82,000 euros. Dreimane-Ozolzīle says she bought it for a slightly larger sum. Restoring the castle, in her view, will cost a million euros or possibly even more. She is looking for the money for major building works through various foundation programmes.
Around 30 local residents gathered for the discussion on the future of Lielstraupe Castle, acknowledging that it is part of their personal history too.
We were unable to establish the name, surname and position of the manager of the “Rail Baltica” project, nor their rights, powers and responsibilities. Most of those we asked stated plainly that they did not even know which institution ought to be doing so.
The Ministry of Culture will make a fourth attempt to find a new director for the Turaida Museum Reserve. Four years of efforts so far have come to nothing.
Current affairs in cartoons
