Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan.

The Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan of the Republic of Lithuania is a cross-sectoral national strategic document for the period 1996-2016. Its main goal is are to conserve the country’s biological diversity - major ecosystems and species - for future generations, at the same time contributing to the global conservation efforts which employ every measure known and available to mankind, at laying down the foundations for sustainable use and management of biological and landscape diversity by integrating its conservation measures into the national economy development programs.
To this end, the document aims to undertake the following measures: maintain overall geoecological balance of country’s landscape by means balancing cultural landscape formation, guaranteeing the creation of a proper Nature Frame as anecological compensating system; avoid further degradation of the landscapes in watersheds; prevent further degradation of river valley and lake hollow landscape; stabilize and reduce eutrophication of inland waters by reducing the chemical pollution; prevent further degradation of landscape in especially protected areas by improving the surveillance and management of protected areas; and avoid further degradation of the natural landscape in cities and towns. On ecosystematic level, the document targets to avoid further degradation of forest ecosystems by their rational use; prevent further degradation of marine ecosystems by developing scientifically sound protection and rational use of marine deep biocenoses; prevent further degradation of the coastal ecosystems by strictly limiting the intensity of use in coastal zones; prevent further degradation of inland waters by the regulation of their use; conserve wetland ecosystems by prohibiting exploitation of new wetlands; conserve natural meadow ecosystems by prohibiting their non-traditional use; prevent the decline of sand ecosystems by avoiding afforestation or construction and development in sandy areas; and conserve and enrich human environment by preventing destruction of natural biocenoses in agrarian and urban areas. Finally, on the organizational level, the strategic document envisages to provide meaningful financial-technical support for the maintenance of existing ex-situ protection, and for organizing specialized ex-situ protection centers; create the system for coordination of ex-situ protection activities and to plan measures for ex-situ conservation; create a national collections of micro-organisms, recover collections, which were lost; and secure genetically modified organisms through effective veterinary and phytopathological control system.
For implementation of the objectives of the document, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will prepare yearly work plans indicating the finance needed and the sources of funds. A policy of regionalization of environmental protection will help implement the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan. To this end 10 regions for environmental protection are proposed. Municipal institutions will be invited to participate in decentralizing environmental protection, which would at the same time increase communication between various social groups and nongovernmental organizations.