4 June 2014

Ecological network, created during the Project, was presented in a seminar „Examples of ecological networks and legal preconditions for their formation in Lithuania“ on the 26th of May. The seminar was organised to present ideas and practice of ecological network development: criteria and methods for the selection of potential areas, planning, and legal regulation. Lithuanian and Polish examples of national and local ecological networks were examined. Aiming to draw attention how important for the species conservation is the process of planning - to the workshop we invited the specialists, who are responsible for planning and adjustment of general and special plans.

During the seminar a director of a department of Protected areas and Landscape in the Ministry of Environment Vidmantas Bezaras presented problematics of the „green“ networks planning: from idea to the legal regulation; dr. Giedrė Godienė presented development of the ecological networks in Europe and Lithuania; the project manager Dalia Bastytė presented concrete works which were carried out creating the ecological network in the Southern Lithuania, helpers of the project Birutė Armokavičiūtė and Emilijus Pranckus presented a GIS model designed for creating ecological network for amphibians species, which can be used in the other parts of Lithuania; and Marcin Górny from Bielowiza Mammal Research Institute presented experience from Poland, raising a question is ecological network in Poland a real protection or just a project?

After presentations the participants of the workshop visited places, important for the pond turtles, which are a part of the ecological network, created during the project, inspected restored habitats and discussed possibilities to contribute to the rear species conservation. A publication “Pilot ecological network for reptiles and amphibians in the Southern Lithuania” was distributed during the workshop. 31 participant from  various institutions participated in the workshop, such as municipalities, State Land Fund, Service for the State Protected Areas, Alytus Regional Environmental Department, Vilnius University, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Regional Parks.