| Northern Gauja project finished The project "Protection and Management of the Northern Gauja Valley" financed by the EC LIFE-Nature programme has finished on December 31, 2007. In order to look back at project achievements and to draft future perspectives of the Northern Gauja area, project final seminars were organised at the end of 2007: in Vijciems, in Gaujiena (December 4), in Strenči (December 5 ) and in Riga (December 12). Northern Gauja project has been implemented by the Latvian Fund for Nature in co-operation with partners - JSC "Latvia's State Forests", cooperative company "Zaubes kooperatîvs", State Limited Liability Company "Vides projekti" ("Environmental projects"), Vidzeme Development Agency, Gaujiena municipality and Viređi municipality since October 2003. Main actions carried out are the following: - Inventory and digital mapping of locations of the habitats and species sites of Community concern;
- Planning of activities of protection and management of nature values (agri-environment plans for individual farms, management plan and draft individual regulations of protection and use for protected landscape area "Northern Gauja");
- Establishment of micro-reserves in forest habitats and species of conservation concern;
- Restoration of grassland habitats;
- Maintenance of grassland habitats in 6 pilot areas (91 cattle purchased for this aim, shelters and fences built in each pilot area); promotion of attraction of agri-environment payments to other biologically valuable grasslands in the landscape area;
- Forest management in the lek sites of the Capercaillie and in Western taiga habitats – mainly cutting of spruce undergrowth in order to ensure conditions appropriate for lek of the Capercaillie and light-demanding protected species;
- Cutting of shrubs and young trees around old broad-leaved trees which once grew in open space;
- Monitoring of management activities;
- Informative and educational activities (seminars, booklets, informative and educational centre, nature trails, information boards, film and TV stories, home page).
Activities of nature protection initiated in the protected landscape area "Northern Gauja" during the project will be continued after it. Both Rural partnership "Northern Gauja" and North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve will take part. North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve has undertaken management of protected landscape area "Northern Gauja" and has started fulfilling its functions starting from December 2007 in accordance with establishment of regional structures of Nature Protection Board prescribed in the Strategy for Years 2007-2009 of the Ministry of Environment. "Representative office" of North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve in Northern Gauja is located in the same premises as Rural Partnership "Northern Gauja" – in Strenči, Valkas Street 16. Visit the web-site of Northern Gauja Ilze Vilka, project manager |
