On January 15, 2020, the LIFE EcosystemServices Project Conference "Value of Nature - practices and experiences in the use of ecosystem services assessment" was held at the House of Nature of the University of Latvia Academic Centre, attended by 129 registered participants.

The overall message of the conference was The Value of Nature and use of ecosystem services assessment as the way of measuring and presenting it. Main topics of the conference were:

• perspectives of applying ecosystem services approach in Latvia;
• practices and experiences in development of ecosystem services assessment on national scale;
• economic value of Nature;
• recommendations and practices in use of ecosystem services assessment in planning.

The aim of LIFE EcosystemServices project is to promote land-use planning based on ecosystem services assessment in Latvia.

The possibilities of using the Ecosystem services approach in Latvia were highlighted by Ms Alda Ozola, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. According to Ms Ozola, the methods and practical experience gained throughout the LIFE EcosystemServices Project regarding planning processes of nature conservation and regional development, contribute significantly to practical use of ecosystem services approach in Latvia. Use of ecosystem services assessment in shaping and implementing politics will provide possibilities of successfully reaching the aims set in the Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia until 2030.

While Latvia is still busy with assessing the status of its ecosystems by implementing habitat inventory, its neighbouring countries have already started mapping and assessment of ecosystem services on national scale. In Estonia this process carried out within the ELME project, widely basing on remote sensing data. Lithuania, in its turn, is mostly focusing on different models worked out by scientific institutions.

Marine spatial planning, green infrastructure as well as forest, coastal and grassland ecosystems – these are the spheres where, due to various Projects, also Latvia has lately gained experience in carrying out ecosystem services assessments and using the results in planning processes.

Travelling prize “Ecosystem Services” was presented for the first time during the conference. For the next two years it will remain in the professional hands of Saulkrasti municipality as a reward for its initiatives integrating the ecosystem services approach into regional planning and creating the nature design park “White dune”.

LIFE EcosystemServices project focuses on coastal ecosystems – wooded dunes, primary dunes and urban areas along the coast. The tasks of the project were to elaborate and test various methods of ecosystem services assessment, as well as to prepare recommendations for integration of ecosystem services approach in planning processes in Latvia. You can find the project results HERE.

Materials of the conference:

AGENDA

PRESENTATIONS

POSTER SESSION

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTEGRATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES APPROACH INTO SPATIAL PLANNING (LV)

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO (will be added shortly)