To prevent disturbance to migratory birds in the spring, state environmental inspectors from the Nature Conservation Agency, in cooperation with the Jelgava Municipality Police, conducted regular raids from 1 March to 1 June in the “Svētes paliene” nature park, where a seasonal visitor restriction is imposed every year. Compared to last year, the number of violations has decreased, but remains high – 63 warnings were issued and 6 penalty notices were served (for motor vehicles).

“The number of recorded violations shows that people do not understand the purpose of the restriction and the impact of their presence. In the spring, migratory birds cover several hundred kilometres, stopping periodically during their journey to rest, feed and wait out adverse weather. In spring, even more than 20,000 migratory waterfowl and wading birds gather in the Svēte floodplain at once. Birds perceive the presence of humans as a threat and take flight while still hungry and unrested. To satisfy their hunger, they may fly to new feeding grounds, thereby causing damage to agricultural land,” explains Ilze Vītola, Senior State Environmental Inspector at the Pierīga Regional Administration.
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