The 4th meeting of the steering group

The 4th meeting of the steering group of LIFE+ project DVIETE took place on December 4, 2013 in guest house "Mauriņi" of Allaži parish. 9 persons participated in the meeting.

Meeting was opened by Edmunds Račinskis, project manager (Latvian Fund for Nature), who told about progress in habitat restoration and management activities, including difficulties in river restoration planning. The first complication were discrepancies between the parameters of Dviete riverbed, recommended by experts of hydrology from the Netherlands, and those, planned by „Meliorprojekts" State Ltd.

Solution was found by involving independent experts ("Center of Processes´ Analysis and research" Ltd.) and applying hydrological modeling, within which a scenario was found, satisfying both sides. The second problem occurred during the process of agreement on technical project, when one of the land owners of the lands, where river restoration works were planned, unexpectedly refused to accept the project. E. Račinskis informed, that these complications had delayed LIFE+ project course and it is necessary to ask EC for prolongation of the project (according to the permissions, it is allowed to carry out engineering works of river restoration from August till November; the end of the LIFE+ project was planned in September 2014).

Afterwards Rūta Abaja (Institute for Environmental Solutions) told about elaboration of Corncrake habitat model, completed during 2013, Ilze Priedniece (LFN) and Ieva Goba (ELM Media) informed about information activities, noting, that several of them could be done only after river restoration to allow demonstration of its results. Zaiga Brača (LFN) told about financial situation of the project.

At the end of the meeting participants discussed potential solutions for the problem in river restoration planning.

Ilze Priedniece

19.12.2013.