Restoration and sustainable management of coastal and island meadows at Lake Engure in Latvia

Challenge

The islands of Lake Engure were once rich in a variety of waterfowl and wading birds. However, due to a lack of proper management, the meadows that once provided important habitat for these birds, are rapidly becoming overgrown with reeds and bushes, reducing the habitat quality.   

Objective

The project aims to restore and sustainably manage ecologically important habitats, particularly lagoon-type lakes, for waterfowl and waders like the redshank, black-tailed godwit and ruff. The public, especially the younger generations, will be involved in the activities to strengthen the local economy at the same time. Specifically, the aim is to increase the number of nesting waterfowl and waders and to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable habitat management at Lake Engure.

Approach

We aim to achieve our objectives by:

• Restoring the meadows on the islands of Lielrova, Kazrova and Sarkanie krumi islands of Lake Engure as important habitats for waterfowl and waders by burning, cutting bushes and removing shrubs.
• Controlling the growing vegetation every year for at least two to three years, in order to maintain the quality of the meadows.

Expected Results

By the end of the project, we will have restored 14,5 ha of meadows. By restoring the coastal and island meadows, we expect an increase in waterfowl and waders at Lake Engure, and specifically, we expect that the nesting population of waders to increase from five to ten pairs. At least 60 volunteers will be involved in the restoration activities, and exchange between nature protection NGOs and local people enhanced and project results published on the website.