Designated terrestrial protected areas

Historically, Latvia has had over 683 protected areas (excluding individually protected natural features outside these areas, such as notable trees or geological formations), mostly small in size, covering 1 637 kha without overlaps. Of these, 73% are terrestrial core areas (shown in the graph as 18.1% of Latvia’s territory) and 27% are marine areas. The Natura 2000 network includes 333 protected areas. To obtain complete and detailed information about Latvia’s natural resources, a country-wide survey of natural habitats was conducted in Latvia from 2016 to 2023. The study has resulted in precise spatial information about the presence and extent of habitats listed in Annex I to the EU Habitats Directive. The survey showed that these habitats cover 10% of Latvia’s territory and fewer than half is situated within protected nature areas. Based on the information gathered, the top priority is to finalise and fully implement the Natura 2000 network, ensuring it complies with all the requirements outlined in the Habitats Directive. This includes completing the designation of all necessary territories, ensuring proper management measures are in place and achieving the conservation objectives for habitats and species of European importance as defined by the directive.