On 9 January 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers (CM) approved the draft laws* developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM), which define the actions and institutional functions for the control and eradication of invasive alien species in the country.
The draft laws were developed to implement the obligations of European Union member states set out in Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (Regulation No 1143/2014) to prevent invasive alien species from entering the country, to develop measures for the control and eradication of species, and to establish regulations for species not included in the list of Regulation No 1143/2014, but which cause damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services in Latvia, such as the Spanish slug and the Canada goldenrod, by including them in the national list of invasive species.
The draft laws include requirements for the control of invasive species at the border, for which the Food and Veterinary Service is responsible, for the trade and keeping of plants, for which the State Plant Protection Service is responsible, and for the trade and keeping of animals, for which the Nature Conservation Agency is responsible. The draft laws also include the identification, control and eradication of the spread of invasive species, and establish new mandates for the CM regarding the monitoring of widespread species, the early detection of newly arrived species, management measures, and permits for keeping invasive species. In accordance with the amendments, new functions are assigned to institutions, and existing ones are expanded.
Invasive species are species that are not characteristic of a particular area, spread very rapidly, have no natural predators, and dominate and outcompete native species. Invasive species are a serious threat to both biodiversity and natural ecosystems, which provide natural regulatory services—such as air quality and water runoff regulation to prevent flooding—and many other services, as well as resources for economic sectors—such as fertile soil and high-value forests; they can also threaten human health.
Currently, 88 invasive plant and animal species are included in the list of Regulation No 1143/2014, several of which are also found in Latvia. Some of the species are not yet present in Latvia, but they have been detected in one of the other countries of the boreal biogeographical region (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania).
*Draft laws "Amendments to the Law on the Conservation of Species and Biotopes" and "Amendments to the Plant Protection Law" (with the entry into force of the corresponding amendments in the draft law "Amendments to the Law on the Conservation of Species and Biotopes", points 16 and 17 of Article 5, Chapter IV1 and Article 25 are excluded from the Plant Protection Law)