Latvia

Latvia is a low-lying Baltic coastal country, with an terrestrial area close to 64,000km² and a marine areaof approximately 28,00km². Latvia shares its borders with 4 other neighbouring countries. The highest point is Gaiziņkalns at 312m. Latvia has a population of 1.8 million people and a population density of 29.6 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Latvia cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of terrestrial area of Latvia is designated as protected areas, which is below the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. With a coverage of in its marine waters, Latvia In the marine waters of Latvia surpasses the EU value of 12.1%.

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Number of protected areas

Latvia has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Designated under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Latvia, about two thirds of terrestrial protected areas are those where Natura 2000 sites and national designations overlap, another third is designated solely under national laws. Almost the entire marine protected areas network of Latvia consists of areas where Natura 2000 sites overlap with nationally designated areas.

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Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The size distribution of the protected areas network in Latvia’s terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². Only about 1% of terrestrial protected areas are larger than 1,000km². On the contrary, the marine protected areas network of Latvia is characterized by larger sites with one of the highest proportions (25%) in the EU of areas larger than 1,000km².

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Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Latvia cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Latvia under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Latvia hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 8% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 51% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Latvia, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

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Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Latvia, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 68.3%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 7.8% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 7.2%.

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Conservation Status by Taxa

In Latvia, the assessment of species groups reveals that fish have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 84.6%, followed by mammals, with 48.1% and amphibians, with 36.3% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, reptiles exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 66.6%, while molluscs also have a significant proportion of species in bad conservation status at 57.1%.

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Habitats protected in Latvia under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Latvia hosts habitat types, which is approximately 26.2% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Latvia

Conservation status of habitats

In Latvia, only 9.8% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is below the EU average of 14.7%. A significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 44.3%, indicate a poor conservation status, while habitats assessments reporting bad conservation status are 37.7%, surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

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Protected habitat composition by group

In Latvia, the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 19.6% of the total. Following closely behind are grasslands, encompassing 16.3% of the protected habitats.

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Conservation status by group

In Latvia the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following behind are freshwater habitats, with 14.2% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, sclerophyllous scrub exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%, while grasslands also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 90%.

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Latvia is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: forest ecosystems, which cover 58.6% of the country, followed by agroecosystems occupying 35.5% of the land area. However, Latvia has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (2.2%), rivers and lakes (1.9%), wetland ecosystems (1.8%), and heathlands (0.09%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 64.7% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 23.6% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Wetland ecosystems account for 6.2% of the protected areas, while rivers and lakes contribute to 4.04%. Urban areas represent 1.3%, and heathlands comprise 0.2%.

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