Environment
A pest never before seen in Latvia – the pale potato cyst nematode (Globoder pallida) has been identified in a Zemgale potato farm. The organism was found in a potato field of 10.33 hectares, the State Plant Protection Service said in a statement on June 3.
The Rīga City Council on Wednesday adopted binding rules on the procedures for the placement of advertisements, signboards, and other information materials in Rīga, LETA reported May 31.
From March 29 to April 21 this year, the volume of textile waste recycled has increased by 15% due to the environmental campaigns implemented by the “Latvian Green Point” and “Eco Baltia Environment” compared to the previous month, the Director of Latvian Green Point Kaspars Zakulis said in an interview to Latvian Radio May 31.
In order to promote the conservation and recovery of the population of the critically endangered species – the eagle owl (Bubo bubo) – in Latvia, the Latvian Ornithology Society (LOB) continues to install artificial nests in the forests. Some have already been populated with young owlets, reported LOB.
The monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin has been collected from Kronvalda Park in Rīga, according to a Twitter entry by Rīga Vice-Mayor Linda Ozola on May 30.
On Thursday, May 25, the bear cub which was delivered to the Rīga National Zoo in April after being found alone next to a highway is heading to her new home at the La Taniere refuge zoo in France, the Nature Conservation Agency said.
The Riga City Council's Department of Housing and Environment has started planting trees in various areas of the capital this spring and plans to plant more than 1,000 trees altogether, a record number the municipality reported on May 25.
In 2025, Latvia and other European Union (EU) Member States will have to collect for recycling 90% of the volume of tires sold on the market. Until the end of May, tires can be disposed of free of charge in four locations where they will further be recycled, Latvian Television reported Wednesday.
On Sunday, May 21, the first younglings hatched in the nest of the white storks livestreamed by the electricity distribution network Sadales tīkls (ST), the company said.
In 2020, there were more than 100,000 beehives on Latvian farms, according to Eurostat data published May 19, though the total number of beehives in the country is likely to be much higher – the Agricultural Census only records beehives on farms and not those kept by private apiarists.
In the territory of Ventspils Free Port, a floating layer of oil products at a thickness of 4-19 centimeters has formed on groundwater since the last century. It is now being pumped out and a barrier is set up to clean out the area, Latvian Radio reported May 19.
On Wednesday, May 17, the Council of Ropaži municipality suspended the plan to build a waste incinerator in the Stopiņi parish just outside Rīga, Latvian Television reported.
Three years have passed since the municipality of Rēzekne district leased the landmark water tourism development center "Bāka" ("Lighthouse"') by Lake Lubāns to a company called SIA "Vlakon". The purpose of the lease was to develop the object as a nature tourism center of regional and international importance. At the moment, however, local residents are dissatisfied with the opportunities offered by Bāka for tourists, saying that much more active activity took place when the municipality itself ran the center.
Though the most active mushrooming season is summer and fall, real fungus fans seek treasure all year round. This spring, the scarlet elfcup (Sarcoscypha austriaca) is all the rage, mycologist Diāna Meiere told Latvian Radio broadcast Starpbrīdis on May 15.
Avian influenza H5N1 which has been raging in the eastern parts of Latvia has also been detected in Cēsis and Madona municipalities, as reported by the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD).
The active season for ticks in Latvia runs from April to October, as many people will already have discovered. A discussion on Latvian Radio May 10 stressed the importance of protecting yourself against the nasty little arachnids as far as possible and being aware of the risks if you do get bitten.
In and around the city of Daugavpils, 1,000 dead gulls have already been found and eliminated over the past week. Bird deaths are associated with avian influenza. Mass deaths have also been reported in Krāslava, Latvian Radio reported on May 10.
Eurostat data published May 10 shows that over the course of a decade, Latvia proportionally increased its use of pesticides more than any other EU country.
During "seal season", or the time of the presence of baby seals on beaches coming to an end, three seal pups have been rescued in the territory of Latvia, according to information on May 9 by the Nature Conservation Agency (DAP).
The Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) has received information from ornithologists regarding at least 200 dead seagulls on an island in the Daugava, city of Krāslava. On Monday, May 8, PVD inspectors sent 15 samples of dead birds for laboratory tests for avian influenza, the PVD said.
Avian influenza, or bird flu, has been detected in wild birds dead in Daugavpils, representatives of the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) told LETA on May 5.
Rīga has opened its free-access drinking water faucets for the season. Twelve of those were installed in the capital parks last year, and more are to come this year. Water in these faucets is clean, high-quality, safe for use, and regularly checked, the municipal company Rīgas ūdens (“Riga Water”) said on May 2.
Approximately 500 species have been identified as endangered in the Latvian Red Book (a book listing endangered species) renewal project from the 1,500 species evaluated, Latvian Radio reported on May 2.
From May 1, the State Forest Service determines the beginning of the fire-hazard period in forests of Latvia.
During construction work on Ģenerāļa Radziņa embankment in the center of Rīga, a water pipeline has been split, resulting in a flood, LETA reported April 28.
A pair of storks caused some public amusement last week in Kuldīga, making locals scratch their heads about their choice of residence, Skrunda Television reported.
The Nature Conservation Agency (DAP) will carry out extensive brown bear monitoring in Latvia. The main aim of the monitoring will be to explore the unique process of returning to the territory after being eliminated completely, Jānis Ozoliņš, lead researcher of the Latvian National Forest Science Institute 'Silava' told Latvian Radio on April 28.
This year, compared to the previous year, the Big Cleanup was more active, with an overall number of 1,331 clean-ups registered as compared to 1,214 last year, representatives of the Cleanup said on April 27.
Citizens have expressed dissatisfaction with the plan to build a waste incinerator in Stopiņi, just outside the capital Rīga. Six thousand signatures were collected against the planned construction. The municipality says it is facing such a great resistance from society for the first time, Zemgale Television reported on April 27.
Six years after the public drew officials' attention to the huge mound of old car tires in Rīga, Starta Street, it is finally planned to be removed, Latvian Radio reported April 26.
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