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Environmental information systems
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
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land was designated as protected areas, falling below the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, surpasses the EU value of 13.7%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 0.9%, below the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In the majority of protected areas in the terrestrial environment, accounting for are designated as Natura 2000 sites. In the marine waters of , almost all the protected areas, accounting for , are also designated as Natura 2000 sites.
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 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.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. 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.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , 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 , 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 , 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 under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 23.2% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In , 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 , 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 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%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
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%.