On July, 1, 2020, the Latvian LIFE OrgBalt national workshop “Climate change mitigation measures in nutrient rich organic soils” was held in webinar format and gathered wide range of the project stakeholders in Latvia. The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of Latvia, partner in LIFE OrgBalt project.
The online workshop was organized with the aim to involve interested target groups and to promote a discussion on the potential of climate change mitigation measures in Latvia. It is vital that the various climate change mitigation measures stimulate the interest of farmers and foresters in contributing to climate goals.
Agenda and presentations of the national workshop in Latvia can be found HERE.
The workshop gathered representatives of public administration institutions, regions, non-governmental organizations representing farmers and foresters, nature protection organizations, scientific organizations, etc.
During the workshop the participants were introduced with the international project of the European Commission’s LIFE programme LIFE OrgBalt and climate change mitigation measures in management of nutrients rich organic soils. The measures selected in the project will be applicable to farmers and foresters to reduce GHG emissions at farm level. However, more discussions and exchange of views are needed before the project results can be incorporated into policies and action plans.
The importance of knowledge, research and innovation must also be emphasized. It is very important that both farmers and foresters are provided with scientifically substantiated and at the same time easy-to-understand, sufficiently detailed information on measures to mitigate climate change.
The introductory words of the workshop were said by Minister for Agriculture Kaspars Gerhards, who stated that: “It is essential that in Latvia, when selecting climate change mitigation measures in agriculture and forestry, they are assessed also from cost-effectiveness. Latvia’s land is a resource with limited availability and rational land management plays a key role in the development and existence of our country. “
LIFE OrgBalt partners in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Germany are working to select those measures that will be truly effective and make a real, measurable contribution to climate change mitigation.
Within LIFE OrgBalt project in total 10 national workshops are planned in partner countries – Germany, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (two workshops in each country). The workshops are planned to gather stakeholders – governmental institutions, research organizations, farmers etc. in order to inform about the LIFE OrgBalt project, planned activities and results. The first workshop in each country will be held in the first half of 2020. Taking into consideration the restrictions introduced internationally due to 2019-nCoV outbreak the first LIFE OrgBalt workshops will be held in webinar format.
The LIFE OrgBalt project’s “Demonstration of climate change mitigation potential of nutrients rich organic soils in Baltic States and Finland” (LIFE18 CCM/LV/001158) main objectives are measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from managed nutrients rich organic soils on agricultural and forest lands in a Cool Temperate Moist climate zone and elaboration of emission factors as well as research and implementation of climate change mitigation measures.
LIFE OrgBalt is being implemented by Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, University of Tartu (Estonia), Natural Resources Institute Finland LUKE, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Michael Succow Foundation (Germany) and Association Baltic Coasts (Latvia) from 2019 to 2023 and has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the State Regional Development Agency of Latvia. More information www.orgbalt.eu
The information reflects only the LIFE OrgBalt project beneficiaries’ view and the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
