On 6 November, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the informative report drafted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) regarding Latvia's proposals for achieving the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (the Strategy). The proposed approach to designating protected areas aims to use existing protected and other legally protected areas as much as possible, rather than extensively creating new areas with strict restrictions on economic activity.
"Our proposed approach involves taking a significant step towards balancing nature conservation and economic interests. The European Union's goal is to ensure nature conservation across 30% of Latvia's territory by 2030, including 10% designated for strict protection. These targets can be met by utilising already protected areas and enhancing the protection within them. Protected areas can only be expanded if compensatory mechanisms are provided," notes the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Edgars Tavars.
The Strategy stipulates that by 2030, the coverage of protected areas must be increased and at least 30% of EU land and 30% of EU marine territory must be legally protected, including strict protection for at least one-third, i.e., 10% of EU land and 10% of marine territory, including all EU primary and old-growth forests.
The informative report provides for a conceptual agreement on proposals for moving towards 30% protected areas, including 10% strictly protected areas, and their submission to the European Commission.
The report provides for the inclusion of all existing specially protected nature areas (ĪADT), micro-reserves and their buffer zones in the 30% protected area target, as well as areas with other effective conservation measures – environmental and natural resource protection zones. Currently, the total area of ĪADT and micro-reserves in the country covers 20.21%, with other areas accounting for an indicative 7.76%. In the future, voluntarily designated and legally protected peatland areas and other voluntarily designated and legally protected areas could also be counted, following the development of appropriate regulations.
The 10% strictly protected area target includes nature reserves, nature parks, nature monuments and the strictest functional zones of other ĪADT, as well as micro-reserves. Current coverage is approximately 6%. To move towards the 10% target, it is planned to strengthen protection requirements in existing ĪADT, as well as to designate nature parks on state-owned land for the protection of six EU-importance habitats, covering an indicative 52,000 hectares, to improve the Natura 2000 network.
It is significant that the inclusion of already existing ĪADT, micro-reserves and other protected areas in reaching the 30% target does not in itself change the currently established restrictions on economic activity and protection requirements within them, nor does it alter the boundaries of these areas. Similarly, the general nature conservation requirements outside these areas remain unchanged.