Lithuania

Lithuania is a low-lying Baltic coastal country, with a terrestrial area of close to 65,000km² and a marine area close to 6,400km². The Curonian Split creates the shallow Curonian Lagoon. It is bordered by 4 other countries. The highest point is Aukštojas Hill at 294m. Lithuania has a population of 2.8 million people and a population density of 43 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 Lithuania cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of terrestrial area of Lithuania 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, Lithuania surpasses the EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

Lithuania 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

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

The biggest part of the terrestrial protected areas network in Lithuania is covered by those areas where Natura 2000 sites and national designations overlap. Another is covered by Natura 2000 sites only and another is designated solely under national laws. Almost the entire marine protected areas network of Lithuania consists of areas either solely designated as Natura 2000 sites or those where Natura 2000 sites overlap with nationally designated areas.

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 majority (42%) of protected areas in Lithuania are 1-10km² in size and the proportion of smaller protected areas (less than 1km²) is 37%, which is lower than the EU average. Marine protected areas in Lithuania fall into one of two categories – 14% are 10-100km² and 86% are 100-1,000km².

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Lithuania 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 Lithuania under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Lithuania hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 7% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 50% 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 Lithuania, 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%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Lithuania, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 70.3%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 7.2% of protected species, and arthropods, representing 6.6%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Lithuania, the assessment of species groups reveals that fish have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 53.3%. Following closely behind are mammals, with 45.8%, and arthropods with 40.9% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, molluscs exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 60%. All other invertebrates have unknown conservation status.

Habitats protected in Lithuania under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Lithuania hosts habitat types, which is approximately 23.2% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Lithuania

Conservation status of habitats

In Lithuania, 22.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. While the proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 38.9%, is surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Lithuania, the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, encompassing 24% of the total. Following behind are grasslands, coastal and inland dunes, each accounting for 16.6% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In Lithuania the assessment of habitat groups reveals that coastal habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following behind are freshwater habitats, with 42.8% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, heath and 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 77.7%.

Lithuania is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 56.1% of the country, followed by Forest ecosystems occupying 37.2% of the land area. However, Lithuania has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (4%), rivers and lakes (1.7%), wetland ecosystems (0.7%) and heathlands (0.1%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 65.2% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 24.7% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Rivers and lakes account for 6% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within aquatic environments. Wetlands contribute to 2.5% of the protected areas, while urban areas represent 1.5%, and heathlands comprise 0.2%.