Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 351 validating the Methodology for determining the coastal protection zone of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga.

This Regulation determines the Methodology for defining the coastal protection zone of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. The land boundaries of the coastal protection zone are determined along distinct contours in nature (for example, roads, block paths, watercourses, ditches, power lines) or, if there are none, along an imaginary line. The boundary of the coastal protection zone is a continuous line, and the coastal protection zone is a continuous zone. Specially protected biotopes are included in the coastal protection zone or excluded from it, and the borders of the coastal protection zone are changed based on the information registered in the natural data management system, by making amendments to the municipal territorial planning or developing a new municipal territorial planning. The local government can conduct habitat research for the development of territorial planning by engaging a certified expert in the field of species and habitat protection. In such a case, an expert's opinion on the distribution of specially protected biotopes in the entire coastal territory of the municipality or in separate parts of the territory shall be submitted to the Nature Protection Administration. The Nature Protection Board evaluates the expert's opinion and makes changes to the data registered in the nature data management system in accordance with the regulations. In towns and villages, specially protected habitats must be included in the coastal dune protection zone in the zone located between two imaginary lines drawn at a distance of 150 and 300 meters from the beginning of continuous natural terrestrial vegetation, if: (a) the specially protected biotope continues in a continuous area after the imaginary line drawn at a distance of 150 meters; (b) the distance from the imaginary line drawn at a distance of 150 meters or the specially protected habitat to the next specially protected habitat does not exceed 75 meters and the specially protected habitat is found in a strip at least 10 meters wide, measured perpendicular to the sea coast line; (c) the area of the specially protected habitat is at least 0.1 hectare; and (d) the specially protected biotope occurs at least 50 meters wide, measured parallel to the sea coast line.