Land use - State and impacts (Latvia)

State

In recent years, Latvia has experienced a significant trend towards the abandonment of agricultural land, caused by the unfavourable economic situation in the agricultural sector, rural-to-urban migration and the ageing of the rural population. As a result, the most important feature of the Latvian landscape - the countryside - has suffered negative effects. Moreover, due to the current economic recession, there is evidence that the trend towards abandonment and migration are increasing and there is a risk that certain areas will eventually become depressed.

The second trend is towards urban sprawl. During the years of economic growth, there was a tendency to build family houses in the suburbs and commute to work in cities. The urban sprawl caused a reduction in natural areas and landscape fragmentation and these problems still remain, even though the period of economic expansion is now over.

The third trend is towards the depletion of natural resources. During a period of economic decline, there is a tendency to engage in actions that generate short-term income. This may take the form of intensive timber harvesting or the depletion of mineral deposits and peat resources.

According to Latvia’s Annual Land Report, 2008, the proportion of different land-use types has not changed radically since 1995. In recent years, the proportion of agricultural land fell slightly, while the proportion of forests and yard areas[1] increased. This is connected to afforestation and the transformation of agricultural land for development. Almost half of Latvia’s territory is covered in forest (45.7 %). Agricultural land covers 37.7 % while yard areas only account for 1.5 %.

Dynamics of land structure according to types of land use[2]

(% of total state area)

When plotted in the diagrams below, these data show that there are no relevant changes in the proportions of land-use types.

The proportion of land use types in 2008 appears in the diagram below:

Research carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the Latvian Rural Consulting and Education Centre indicates that in 2005 the area of abandoned agricultural land was 14 % of total agricultural land area, which is 3.6 % more than in 1995.

According to the Rural Support Service[3], 1 566 048 hectares (64 %) of all agricultural land was declared in applications for payments under the EU’s Single Area Payment Scheme in 2008. Only 1 051 458 hectares (67 %) of this land was involved in agricultural production. It is assumed that the rest of the area declared (514 590 hectares) is being maintained in a good agricultural and environmental state in order to receive the relevant financial support. However, agricultural land management is not monitored extensively and therefore comprehensive information is not available.

Impacts

The development of rural areas and agricultural land for construction purposes not only reduces natural areas and changes usage but also has an influence on the environment. This development leads to land degradation (e.g. landscape re-naturalisation, fragmentation and afforestation), contributes to a reduction in biodiversity and exacerbates the problem of inadequate infrastructure.

The depopulation of rural areas leads to agricultural land abandonment and degradation. At present, the characteristic features of rural areas in Latvia are re-naturalisation, a homogeneous landscape and afforestation.

On the other hand, agricultural land abandonment also causes a decrease in agricultural run-off and, as a result, reduced eutrophication in water bodies. Nevertheless, research has shown that in the long term, agricultural land abandonment reduces biodiversity.