AS “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) is restoring a priority, rare and protected European Union significance coastal dune habitat – grey dunes – across a total area of nearly 70 hectares in two specially protected nature areas Natura 2000 – the Užava and Ovīši nature reserves in the North Kurzeme region. This is the first time a full restoration of grey dunes of this scale and complexity has been carried out in Latvia.

The existence of grey dunes depends on regular natural disturbances; in their absence, these must be purposefully imitated by humans.

“As the necessary sand movement decreases, nutrients gradually accumulate in the grey dunes, and they become overgrown with shrubs and trees. It is this overgrowth that threatens the survival of this rare habitat, as the open dune landscape disappears along with the necessary living conditions for very rare light-loving animal and plant species, such as the sand pink, meadow pasqueflower and others. Therefore, as part of the work, the grey dunes in Ovīši are being cleared of overgrowth – pines and shrubs – across nearly 20 hectares, and across 50 hectares in Užava, thus restoring open areas,” explains LVM Environmental Project Manager Ieva Rove.