LIFE in Latvia

The LIFE team has recently returned from a visit to see the work carried out by two LIFE-Nature projects in Latvia.

Mires in Latvia account for 4.9% of the total land area. Mires are similar to blanket bogs in that they are both peatlands with high water tables and specific plant and animal assemblages. Mires can either be minertrophic (fens and transition mires) where they obtain water from the ground (in which case the water has been in contact with mineral soils) or ombotrophic (raised bog) where they receive their water from precipitation like our blanket bogs. Peat extraction still occurs in Latvia so many mires are in a less than favourable condition due to drainage and removal of peat.

The first site the team visited was the Kemeru mire, one of the largest raised bogs in Latvia and the focus of the “Kemeru - Conservation of wetlands in Kemeru National Park” (LIFE02 NAT/LV/008496) LIFE-Nature project.

The entire 6,192 ha raised bog comprises of a single dome, the centre of which is 18 m above sea level and the edges just 10 m above sea level. Peat extraction occurred on 115 ha of this site until the late 1990s and so one of the aims of the project was to reinstate the natural hydrology of the raised bog through ditch blocking.

Ditches dug for peat extraction are substantially larger than those that were dug across the uplands of Wales; peat extraction ditches are a couple of metres wide and can be up to 3 metres deep. Peat dams, approximately 10 metres in length, were constructed using excavators in 2006 and have been successful in raising the water table by 0.6 metres.

You can see from this picture that these ditches are filling nicely with sphagnum mosses. 

To find out more about this project click here.

The second site visited was the Cena Mire Nature Reserve, one of the project sites for the "Implementation of mire habitat management plan for Latvia" (LIFE04 NAT/LV/000196) LIFE-Nature project. The Cena mire raised bog stretches 2,133 ha and has been influenced by drainage ditches dug for forestry between the 1930s and 1990s. It also borders a currently active peat extraction site.

This project has involved the construction of peat dams to block 25km of drainage ditch in order to re-instate the natural hydrology of the site.  The project’s other work at this site has included the construction of a boardwalk, information boards and a watch tower in order to increase visitor awareness of the importance of the habitat.

The second day started with a visit to a watch tower within the Kemeru National Park. Here the team caught their first glimpse of the bird they all wanted to see whilst in Latvia, the white-tailed eagle. They also had great views of a marsh harrier and common cranes.

The team then went on to see a mire habitat unique to Latvia, a sulphur spring mire. All the vegetation typical of a raised bog was present, including large carpets of sphagnum, cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and long-leaved sundew (Drosera anglica) - it was just accompanied by the unmistakable smell of sulphur! Sulphur spring mires are a protected habitat in Latvia.

The final visit was to Lake Engure, a RAMSAR site, Important Bird Area and a Natura 2000 site. Here the team followed a boardwalk through calcareous rich fen and wet woodland to the edge of the lake where they saw cattle and wild horses grazing the lake margins. The trip ended with a very well timed fly past by a magnificent adult white-tailed eagle.
 

The visit was fascinating and a great deal was learnt about the similarities and differences in peatland restoration between Latvia and Wales.

Many thanks to Mara Pakalne and her team for being such welcoming and knowledgeable hosts.