National Nature Conservation Legislation

System of protected territories

Protection of the worthy nature territories is determined by Law on Particularly Protected Nature Territories. The goal of this law is to "protect and preserve natural diversity". Its goals include, "to protect rare and typical ecosystems, habitats of protected species, peculiar and beautiful landscape characteristics of Latvia, geological and geomorphological formations and to ensure scientific research, recreation and education".

The law provides several categories of protected areas –Nature Reserves (IUCN category I), National Parks (category II), Nature Parks (category little II), Natural Monuments (category III), Resticted natural areas (category Ib), Protected Landscape Areas (V), Biosphere Reserves (IX). These categories have different purposes and scopes of protection. The law allocates power to state and local authorities to establish specific protected areas, as well as provides the procedure for their establishment. Information on all protected areas is stored in the register State Cadastre of Protected Areas. Altogether 6.6 % of the country’s territory have been declared as protected areas.

According to the CORINE Biotopes Data base, 75.2% of bogs, 22.6% of lake, 20.3% of river areas important for biodiversity are protected.