wetland conservation and management in latvia · project sites : slitere national park, gauja...

Wetland conservation and

management in Latvia

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578

CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA

Dr. Mara Pakalne

University of Latvia

E-mail: mara.pakalne@lu.lv

CONTENT OF PRESENTATION

Mires in Latvia

Mire restoration experience

MIRES IN LATVIA

Mires cover 4,9% from the total land area, they are characterised

by permanent water logging, active peat formation and the

continuous upward growth of the surface and specific plant cover

adapted to these conditions

Peatlands, where peat accumulation has stopped, are no longer

mires

Peat deposits include mires but also peat extractions fields, wet

forests and comprise about 10% of land area in Latvia

PEATLANDS IN LATVIA

HUMAN IMPACT

About half of Latvian mires have been influenced by various

human activities, like drainage, peat extraction and fire

Natura 2000 SITES IN LATVIA

327 sites

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA

EC LIFE+ project

Duration : June 2014 – November 2017

Project sites : Slitere National Park, Gauja National Park,

Raunas Staburags Nature Reserve and Ziemelu Mires Nature Reserve

Coordinating beneficiary: University of Latvia

Associated beneficiaries and co-financers:

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA

PROJECT SITES

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA

MIRE TYPES IN LATVIA

Fe

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA

MIRE HABITATS OF EU IMPORTANCE

Intact raised bogs 7110*

Degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration

7120

Transition mires and quacking bogs 7140

Mineral rich springs and spring mires 7160

Springs with tufa formations 7220*

ZIEMELU MIRES

7110* Intact raised bog –

priority protection status in EU

7120 Degraded raised bogs still

capable of natural regeneration

ZIEMELU MIRES

Total area: 7718 ha

Ramsar site

ZIEMELU MIRES

Drainage ditches – 30,6 km

Management area 330 ha

Elaboration of Management Plan

ZIEMELU MIRES NATURE RESERVE

Betula nana Trichophorum cespitosum

ZIEMELU MIRES

Cypripedium calceolus

P

SUDAS-ZVIEDRU MIRE

Total area 2575 ha

Drainage ditches - 48.7 km

garumā

SUDAS-ZVIEDRU MIRE IN GAUJA NATIONAL PARK

SUDAS-ZVIEDRU MIRE

Dissappearance of raised bog

pools

Increase of forested area

HABITAT MONITORING

P

SUDAS-ZVIEDRU MIRE

7110*

P

SUDAS-ZVIEDRU MIRE

P

DAVIDA SPRINGS IN THE GAUJA NATIONAL PARK

RAUNAS STABURAGS NATURE RESERVE

Fennoscandian mineral-rich

springs and spring fens (7160)

Petrifying springs with tufa

formation (Cratoneurion) (7220*)

MONITORING OF SPRINGS AND SPRING MIRES

BAZU MIRE IN SLITERE NATIONAL PARK

Total area 2646 ha

Drainage ditches – 7,9 km

INTER-DUNE MIRES

IN THE SLITERE NATIONAL PARK

BAZU MIRE IN SLITERE NATIONAL PARK

Total area 2,646 ha

BAZU MIRE IN SLITERE NATIONAL PARK

Fire in 1992, ~3000 ha were burned

INTER-DUNE MIRE COMPLEX IN SLITERE NATIONAL

PARK

Drosera intermedia

CUTTING OF TREES AND SHRUBS

MIRE MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING

MANAGEMENT PLANS

TECHNICAL DESIGNS

HABITAT AND HYDROLOGICAL MONITORING

MIRE RESTORATION

ACTION

BUILDING OF DAMS IN VASENIEKI MIRE

2014 2007

MELNAIS LAKE MIRE

BULDING OF DAMS ON DRAINAGE DITCHES IN 2012

MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS

Raising of water level by building dams on the drainage ditches to stop the degradation of raised bog habitats

Habitat and site hydrology monitoring before and after management actions

RESULTS

HABITAT AND HYDROLOGY MONITORING

RESULTS : MELNAIS LAKE MIRE

Change of the proportions in Sphagnum coverage

The coverage of species of more wet areas has increased

Sphagnum magellanicum

Sphagnum cuspidatum

Sphagnum fallax

Sharper seasonal GWT fluctuations Range of GWT fluctuations up to 0.5-1.2 m in the wells near the ditch (5-10 m) After the dams construction:

Sharp rise of GWT for ~0.3 m near the ditch, slighter rise in the 25-100 m distance Stabilisation of GWT (range 0.1-0.25 m)

HABITAT AND HYDROLOGY MONITORING

Sharper seasonal GWT fluctuations Range of GWT fluctuations up to 0.5-1.2 m in the wells near the ditch (5-10 m) After the dams construction:

Sharp rise of GWT for ~0.3 m near the ditch, slighter rise in the 25-100 m distance Stabilisation of GWT (range 0.1-0.25 m)

ROZU MIRE

Rozu Mire

ROZU MIRE NATURE RESERVE

2013 After dam building 2010 Before dam building

CONCLUSIONS

Rising groundwater level in mires by building dams on the

drainage ditches is an effective way of mire restoration

Re-establishment of Sphagnum species is an indicator of mire

regeneration in the degraded mire areas

After rising of groundwater table, regeneration of mire species

takes place in the same vegetation season

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA

Raised bog restoration in Latvia is carried out mainly within EC LIFE

projects and has been sucessful in the project sites

Hydrological and habitat monitoring shows that after raising of

water level by building of peat dams on the drainage ditches,

immediate changes take place in site hydrology and afterwards

also in raised bog vegetation.

www.mitraji.lv

University of Latvia

Kandavas Street 2, Riga, LV-1083, LATVIA

LIFE13 NAT/LV/000578

CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIORITY WETLAND HABITATS IN LATVIA