Biological Diversity

The Baltic Sea

Forests
Every year Lithuania’s Red Book of Threatened Species adds to its list a species that is extinct or on the brink of extinction. The most frequent cause of species extinction or the exacerbation of their condition is a lack of appropriate habitats or a change in their environmental conditions. Such a change can occur if the earlier conducted economic activity is terminated.

The diversity of the Lithuanian landscape, as much as its biological diversity in general, has evolved in response to various factors; therefore, some animals, plants, and mushrooms have adapted to live in age-old woods and virgin marshes while other living things needed habitats that were formed by traditional human activities. The Lithuanian Fund for Nature pays serious attention to both natural habitats and those formed by human activity over centuries, the latter of which are disappearing together with extensive farming.		 The Baltic Sea is not only one of the most unique but also one of the most polluted seas in the world. One fifth of the sea consists of dead zones. Those are sea wastelands that exhibit no signs of life.

The prime cause of such pollution is agriculture, due to which huge amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus leak into the sea. These agricultural wastes lead to eutrophication (accelerated aging of water bodies) and thus a series of irreversible changes in the ecosystem. Irresponsible fishing practices, sea transport, and various port development projects negatively affect the sea environment. If we do not change our practices, we will lose the sea.

In an attempt to preserve a more beautiful and diverse Baltic Sea for the future generations in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Fund for Nature seeks to reduce the levels of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea and conserve its resources.

Similarly to many other Baltic countries, Lithuania’s forest sector influences its local economy, environment, and people. In addition, the level of Lithuania’s forest biodiversity is markedly higher than that of many other nation-states in Western Europe. Due to the most recent drastic changes in the country’s politics and economy, the conservation of natural riches has become a significant yet complicated task.

As the scope of wood cutting increases, it becomes insufficient to just plant and re-grow a forest. Biodiversity is declining world-wide, and it is ever more important to preserve appropriate conditions for all organisms that can be found in Lithuanian forests. We aim at creating at least minimal conditions for the survival of rare and endangered species in commercial forests. We think that the current forests under protection are turned into commercial forests.

 

The Lithuanian Fund for Nature is an aid and charity foundation that keeps Lithuania’s wildlife healthy and intact.

The Lithuanian Fund for Nature is the Lithuanian partner of the World Wide Fund for Nature and a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.