A brief conversation with Regīna Ločmele-Luņova, Member of the 13th Saeima

At a recent meeting organised by the Latvian Fund for Nature for political party representatives, you mentioned that explanation, informing and storytelling are very important in the field of environmental protection and various environment-related tasks. Do people truly not understand why bushes need to be cleared, dry branches sawn out or trees cut down?

I encountered these issues at the Piejūra Nature Reserve in Daugavgrīva. Work was carried out on habitat conservation using European funding, and as part of this, there was a fight against invasive plants. In the reserve, one such plant is a species of wild rose. The rose is a well-known shrub to us with beautiful flowers. A great many people did not understand the reason why, in their opinion, such a “pretty and lovely bush” should be cleared. One must explain what a habitat is, what a grey dune is, why it is important to Europe, to the Baltic Sea coast and to us, and why these roses have no place on a grey dune! A similar thing happened in the Biķernieki forest. Forest maintenance work was taking place, and trees were being felled. People were outraged because they believed that trees should not be cut down, even if they are sick, dead, or if a tree is hindering another, etc... There are certain requirements that require branches and needles to be left in the forest afterwards. This was perceived as poor-quality work by the foresters, and once again it had to be explained that this is how it must be! The question is complex – how to explain everything, and regularly? In my opinion, natural science and researchers in Latvia lack funding, not only for research within Latvia but also to have the opportunity to participate in events and studies in both Europe and elsewhere, in order to understand our – Latvia's – nature and the place of its values in the global picture. While plants are more or less tied to a territory, animals move. In Latvia, more and more bears are arriving from Russia and Estonia, jackals are appearing from somewhere, and fishermen are catching round gobies, which are not characteristic of our waters... Contacts and cooperation between scientists and researchers are acutely necessary to understand the interconnections. We need to understand what our natural wealth is, know what is happening in neighbouring countries, and whether everything happening there is desirable for us. Much more must be done so that our actions are scientifically grounded and precise!

The wooden floor we walk on, the wooden table we sit at, the wooden buildings we live in or walk past, the wooden materials we use. Why this attitude – that trees must not be touched if we use them?

Unfortunately, a great many people live in the grip of stereotypes, and stereotypes are formed not only from a lack of knowledge alone. For example, in the natural sciences themselves, as is known, our students' exam results are quite low, which I am very sorry about. Young people do not choose to be examined in chemistry, physics, or biology... There is a lack of critical thinking and knowledge about the world around us. It happens that a local pupil has more accurate information about the jungle or the rainforests of South America than an understanding of the biodiversity in Latvia. In my opinion, we have enough people in Latvia who have not been outside their native town! They do not know Pāvilosta, they do not know the magnificent forests of Zvārde, they do not know the bends of the Daugava, etc.

Speaking about the ability of politicians to agree, you emphasised that there are no disagreements on issues that many people understand and that affect many people. What exactly were you referring to?

I am referring to information we have received from people who care for dogs and cats. There is a desire to change the legislation concerning the fate of stray animals and the housing of ownerless animals in shelters. Currently, official statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show that at least 17% of animals that end up in shelters are put to sleep. Many, including myself, say – “are killed”! There is a desire to change the situation because euthanasia is often carried out simply because the current law stipulates 14 days, during which the animal's future is decided. If the right owner is not found within these 14 days, or a new one who would take over responsibility, the animal can be put to sleep. The responsibility for this lies with the owners and operators of the shelters, and attitudes vary. For example, the “Ulubele” shelter does not engage in this (euthanasia), but (!!!!) they are currently facing requirements from the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD), namely, that the shelter must get rid of a certain number of cats by the spring because, at present, there are too many cats per square metre at “Ulubele”! The number of cats per square metre must comply with a certain standard! On one hand, we want animals to live; on the other, through formal requirements, we make animal friends and rescuers into lawbreakers. That is not logical! The law needs to be tidied up. In this regard, a working group has been formed, which has about 60 participants. The working group represents the interests of nature conservation organisations, veterinarians, and purebred animal clubs. For the most part, everyone defends both their business and their own interests – there are a lot of emotions! Representatives of animal welfare organisations have compiled information on the portal ss.lv – how many animals and at what prices are offered for sale in Latvia. I cannot give you exact figures, but in total, we were talking about millions in monetary terms! A very small portion of “pet breeders” are officially registered and pay taxes. This remains a significant part of the shadow economy that deals with living beings; this industry is not regulated, the budget remains without taxes, but we, unfortunately, have quite a lot of animals roaming the streets. This, by the way, often surprises foreigners who are not used to seeing animals roaming in their own countries, especially in cities. The issue of microchipping dogs remains current; I will not even talk about cats! The problem with cats, it seems, will remain; we should “deal with” dogs. As I see it, vets determine their operations as follows: microchipping is linked to vaccination and the issuance and registration of an animal passport, which costs the owner 20-50 euros at a time. For a person in the countryside or a pensioner, that is a huge sum! Consequently, the number of unregistered and unchipped pets is quite large. This is a big problem in rural districts. When I was a deputy in the Riga City Council, I helped solve the problem of stray animals in some areas of Riga – in the Spilve area and in the small garden plots of Daugavgrīva and Bolderāja and the Piejūra Reserve. The reserve is maintained to protect the grey dune and seaside plants. Several years ago, a large number of stray dogs appeared there, which were aggressive enough to even attack people going to the beach. We were forced to solve this issue; by joining forces (Municipal Police, NGOs, “Ulubele”), the animals were caught and taken to a shelter.

I am pleased that the Saeima working group I mentioned has representatives from five different and very distinct parties, but the issue being solved unites those who love animals and those who think about nature and green ideas in the broadest sense. If we talk about the latter, I really liked the result of a study conducted in Denmark a few years ago, which concluded: “people who sort their waste are happier than those who do not”! My role model for green thinking in a nation is the Icelanders. I hope that at some point we will be of the same opinion as them and on an equal footing!