The European roller is a rare bird species in Latvia – only about twenty pairs continue to nest in the Pierīga region, within the "Garkalnes meži" nature reserve. This publication is not for or against European rollers or other protected bird species; it is about the very serious problems that arise when private property is included in a nature reserve, effectively depriving owners of any opportunity to use it.

It turns out that decisions made for the sake of birds can profoundly affect people's lives – so much so that one of our country's great families was forced to emigrate to Ireland and, if nothing changes, will never return to Latvia. Never...

At the beginning of December, the "Rīgas Apriņķa Avīze" published an article titled "Garkalne millennium child's gift sold to a policeman", which mentioned the European rollers living in the forests of that area. As it happens, we are also read in Ireland, as soon after, the editorial office was contacted by Ilze Miltiņa, who has been living and working in that country for ten years with her spouse Andrejs Voronkovs, their four children, and now also their grandchildren. As Ilze recounted, the reason for the Voronkovs' departure was the inclusion of their land property in Garkalne within the boundaries of a nature reserve.

Nationalised property is compensated with land, which is then nationalised again

The Voronkov family's tale of woe began more than 20 years ago. It actually started quite hopefully, as in 1998, grandmother Austra Blūma received an equivalent plot of land in Garkalne as compensation for real estate nationalised from her parents, which by then had already been built upon and could not be recovered. The plot included 12.5 hectares of land, of which six hectares were forest. The new property is located in an area once "managed" by the Soviet army – a training ground. After just a few years, it emerged that the term "equivalent" in this case should be taken with a grain of salt, as even the cadastral value for these 12.5 hectares is now set at an unimaginably low figure – only 31 euros for the entire property... Why does a plot of land in one of Latvia's most affluent regions currently have effectively no value? The answer lies in the fact that in 2004, Cabinet of Ministers regulations established the "Garkalnes meži" nature reserve of national significance, which is located in the territory of Garkalne Municipality and the town of Vangaži, and the reserve territory included several properties belonging to private individuals – the very ones that the Garkalne Municipality had shortly before allocated in the former army training ground.

The territory of the reserve consists of two parts, one of which (139 ha) is located to the north-west and the other (1645 ha) to the south-east of the populated area of Garkalne. The primary nature conservation value in the reserve territory is the European roller – a rare and threatened bird species, the numbers and distribution of which in Europe have decreased dramatically during the 20th century. Currently, the species' status in Latvia is critical – ornithologists estimate that there might be, at most, twenty pairs of European rollers in the wild. The majority of them are nesting in the Garkalne area. This is the largest known nesting site for the species in terms of population not only in Latvia but also in the Baltic states over the last decade. European rollers are not the only rare birds found in the forests around Garkalne – hoopoes, green and black woodpeckers, tawny pipits, woodlarks, red-backed shrikes, stock doves, hobbies, Tengmalm's owls, and others have also been spotted there. In total, at least sixteen specially protected species in Latvia have been recorded nesting there.

The landowner gets no further than placing boundary markers

Although the area was heavily degraded during the time it was "managed" by the army, the plot of land has its advantages, such as its location: it takes only a couple of minutes by car to get to a doctor's surgery, post office, shop, kindergarten, or school, and the border of the capital city is just nine kilometres away. Another important advantage would be the beautiful location and pleasant nature – the pine forest, and the nearby river and lake. As long as there was no information about the creation of the reserve, the Voronkov family had great plans for what to do with the acquired property. There were plans to build their own home, divide part of the area into building plots to sell, so that a small village could be formed, and perhaps set up a guesthouse. However, the landowner Austra Blūma and her grandson Andrejs Voronkovs never got any further than placing boundary markers, because all their ideas and plans ran up against the reserve. The law stipulates that within the entire "Garkalnes meži" nature reserve territory, it is forbidden to build new structures, expand existing roads, replant or plant forests, or carry out soil cultivation to promote forest regeneration; there are also restrictions regarding public events in nature. In fact, one is only allowed to pick berries and mushrooms, fell a dangerous tree that might threaten human life and health, and conduct scientific research. It should be added that it is precisely because of these restrictions that all of the property owned by the Voronkovs now has forest status, as the agricultural land has had time to become overgrown with trees.

A thinking person would logically assume that the state should acknowledge the error and grant Austra Blūma and other owners who cannot exercise their rights due to the nature reserve a truly equivalent piece of real estate. As it turns out, that has long been impossible, as effectively all vacant land was alienated during the privatisation period. Perhaps the state could repurchase the land belonging to private owners, which was granted nature reserve status by a Cabinet of Ministers decision, at a price that would allow them to purchase a suitable and unencumbered property instead? The idea is not bad, only it seems that at the highest levels, nothing of the sort is being considered, at least for now. The only thing that the Voronkovs and their fellow sufferers can do at the moment is apply for the annual compensation that the state has committed to paying for every hectare of land encumbered by a nature reserve.

Yes, it must be added that the legal owner of the plot is currently Andrejs Voronkovs, because his grandmother, sensing that she herself would lack the strength and time to fight for her rights, gifted the real estate to her grandson a few years ago! Quite some time has passed since the Voronkovs' grandmother has been at rest in the cemetery...

While they are in Ireland, they are planning to set up nature trails on the plot of land

The plot of land in Garkalne Municipality is the only property belonging to the Voronkov family. Over these years, the family has grown significantly – Andrej and his spouse Ilze have four children. As Ilze Miltiņa recounted in a telephone conversation with "Rīgas Apriņķa Avīze", ten years ago, when the youngest daughter had not yet been born, the five of them lived in a rented two-room flat in Vangaži. Of course, it was far too small for such a large family, but they could not afford anything larger financially, so it was decided that they would all move together to live in a more economically developed country – Ireland.

The Voronkovs would be willing to receive a truly equivalent plot of land in place of the property included in the reserve, or at least a realistically calculated financial compensation, but the state and municipality are not even considering such an option. Meanwhile, Andrejs Voronkovs has not applied for the annual compensation, which is 100 euros per hectare. The spouses believe that if they were to agree to this ridiculous sum, it would mean they had come to terms with the situation. As Ilze Miltiņa said, the Nature Conservation Agency has come up with a new project that will also affect the Voronkovs' property – nature trails are to be built in the Garkalne forests. This has not been coordinated with the landowner Andrejs Voronkovs, and he has informed them that he will not allow any such thing to be done on his land. In turn, the response from the Nature Conservation Agency employees was that, in that case, they do not intend to meet the landowner halfway either. Andrejs was told that he should create an environment on his property that is favourable for the survival of European rollers, and then he would receive permission to build one or even two residential houses there. If two, then a so-called duplex house, meaning two buildings under one roof.

Instead of five million, only 31 euros?

By the way, it is highly likely that not a single pair of European rollers is nesting on the plot of land owned by the Voronkovs. This is the conclusion to be drawn from the survey report sent only this year by the Nature Conservation Agency, which was drawn up in 2016 by ornithologist Edmunds Račinskis. It states that there are no European rollers on the specific property; only black woodpeckers might nest there. No other protected bird species were observed.

It cannot be said that the specialists from the Nature Conservation Agency have not met the landowners halfway over the years. As a compromise, the Voronkovs were allowed to build a 600-square-metre family home, but only one. Ilze Miltiņa categorically disagrees with this, because three daughters have grown up in the meantime, two each have their own family – one already has a baby born, and the other is expecting. Why should they all have to live under one roof if the plot of land in Garkalne is large enough for each family to build their own house?

By the way, the property in Garkalne is effectively the only thing that still ties the Voronkov family to Latvia. Over ten years, the Latvians have managed to settle into life in Ireland, where they have normal living conditions, a good job, and educational opportunities. The eldest daughter, who is a mother herself, serves in the Irish army; one of the twins is studying law and dreams of becoming a judge, and the other is planning to enter the police academy. Incidentally, both married daughters chose Irish spouses, and they too would be willing to move to live in Latvia, but now, because of the nature reserve and bureaucratic errors, Latvia is turning its back on a large family, which includes seven people of working age.

If Ilze Miltiņa is not mistaken, there is no point in the Voronkovs themselves thinking about selling their plot of land. It was mentioned at the beginning of the article that the cadastral value set for the 12.5-hectare property is 31 euros; it only became that low last year. Such a negligible cadastral value is, of course, not bad in one sense, i.e., the annual real estate tax is only a couple of euros. However, a completely different picture would emerge if Andrejs Voronkovs tried to sell his plot of land. Then the state could use its right of first refusal, paying, moreover, that same cadastral value – 31 euros...

I. Miltiņa believes that the extension of the nature reserve, the application of various additional restrictions, as well as the reduction of the property's cadastral value to an unimaginably low level, point to a plan by the state to acquire the family-owned plot of land for itself, and at a ridiculous price at that. As Ilze Miltiņa knew, similar plots of land, only without encumbrances, sell in Garkalne for 25–40 euros per square metre [in that case, the value of the Voronkovs' property could be from 3.125 million euros to as much as 5 million euros – author]. Of course, the Voronkovs could only demand such a price if they were allowed to divide their plot into building lots to create a village. At the moment, nobody is going to allow them to do that. Not to mention a village, even the theoretically discussed two family homes are not allowed to each have their own land...

In the reserve, not only rare birds but also bats and coastal dunes?

Information at Ilze Miltiņa's disposal shows that out of all the nearly 2000 hectares where the "Garkalnes meži" nature reserve has been established, private owners only possess about four percent of the land [about 80 hectares – author]. The owners of the rest of the territory are "Latvijas valsts meži" and "Rīgas meži". The question arises: why is it assumed that the European rollers, which, as far as is known, live without particular problems even relatively close to people, will choose precisely the land belonging to private individuals as their home?

True, regarding the nature reserves, there are also complaints from the companies "Latvijas valsts meži" and "Rīgas meži", whose economic activities in forest maintenance are hindered because of them. Yet the nearby Jāņciems, where residential houses have already been built, does not affect the rare bird species?... Ilze Miltiņa knew to tell that last spring, in the territory of the nature reserve where the strictest restrictions are in place, two plots of land were suddenly divided, surrounded by a fence, and assigned new cadastral numbers. When other landowners inquired how that was possible, nobody received a concrete answer. Likewise, it is unclear to I. Miltiņa why a project is being pushed forward to set up nature trails on the Voronkov family's land, because as is known, these must certainly be equipped with various infrastructure elements, such as car parks, information stands, toilets, etc., but at the same time, one is not allowed to build a family home there.

However, it seems that even if ornithologists were to establish that the Voronkov family's plot of land has no significance for the conservation of the European roller population, the nature reserve status will not be removed, because there are, after all, other rare bird species there. Furthermore, information has appeared that a coastal white dune has been found in this place. In the minds of the specialists, it has already transformed from a white dune into a grey one, but that, too, is a nature object that must be preserved. The Voronkovs, however, are convinced that it is not a dune but an artificially created embankment on the former Soviet army base – a rampart that was supposed to protect ammunition depots from direct shell hits – but nobody listens to them. And more bats have been found that are overwintering in the ruins of the demolished hangars...

At the conclusion of the conversation, Ilze Miltiņa admitted with bitterness in her voice: if a normal solution is not found for the problem with the plot of land in Garkalne, her family will be forced to remain in Ireland forever. During the ten years spent there, she and her spouse Andrejs Voronkovs have not purchased any real estate. In Ireland, their family rents a house, and the rent is relatively high, but there is much greater state support, including in ensuring children's education. Ilze is convinced that in Latvia, she and Andrej would not have earned enough for a house during this time, and it is not certain if they would be able to pay for their children's studies. She emphasises that she is not expecting any gifts from Latvia, only the opportunity to make full use of her property. Then the Voronkov family, using their knowledge and professional skills [Andrejs is a builder by profession, one of the sons-in-law is a carpenter – author], would be able to build homes for themselves, as well as make a real contribution to our country's economy through their work.

Aleksandra's story: the European roller and a "pig in a poke"

Studying real estate sales advertisements in Garkalne, one can find the following offer: "Selling a plot of land, in perspective with the possibility for private house construction. At the moment, construction is not permitted due to a European roller nesting site. The land is located in a beautiful place in Garkalne, opposite Zemeņu iela, surrounded by several private houses, 130-year-old pine trees grow on the plot, and the land borders the Krievupe river on both banks." The plot of land put up for sale is 1.75 hectares large, and the owner would like to receive 35,571.80 euros for it (2.03 euros per square metre).

"Rīgas Apriņķa Avīze" contacted the author of the advertisement – a Riga resident named Aleksandrs – by telephone. Aleksandrs purchased the plot of land in Garkalne at an auction seven or ten years ago. He admits that he ended up buying a pig in a poke, because the bailiff who organised the auction did not inform him that the land for sale was included in a nature reserve, and Aleksandrs himself did not inquire about such a potential situation. The Riga resident is well aware that he himself was too careless, so he does not worry about it too much. He believes that it is much more unfair for those people whose land was included in a nature reserve only after they had already become its owners.

Aleksandrs' plot of land has also now been assigned only a symbolic cadastral value – about five euros. However, unlike Ilze Miltiņa, he is convinced that the state could only use its right of first refusal for the same price as he would have agreed upon with a potential buyer in the purchase agreement. Aleksandrs says he has not seen European rollers on his property; he believes that it is still a big question whether they even live there. The reserve has been placed on a territory of a certain size, and the rare birds might fly into its less than two hectares at most once a year, but that is enough for all economic activity to be prohibited.

Aleksandrs bought the plot of land in Garkalne in order to build a family home there. When it turned out that the purchased land was located in the territory of a nature reserve, he had to forget about building a house. The Riga resident knows that because of the encumbrances related to the nature reserve, one can receive material compensation from the state every year, which in his case would be 175 euros, though he has not applied for it. (Though the question is, would Aleksandrs be entitled to at least this compensation, if he purchased the land only after it had been granted nature reserve status?) He published the advertisement for the sale of the plot of land more to understand whether it might interest anyone. People call, but very rarely...
Article first published on 5 January 2021 in "Rīgas Apriņķa Avīze" and on the portal www.aprinkis.lv
Republishing on zemeunvalsts.lv takes place with the kind permission of editor Eva Lūse. Photographs from zemeunvalsts.lv were used