Management and Restoration of Natura 2000 sites in the Dovine˙ River Basin Pilot project for a combined implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the EU Birds and Habitats Directive in Lithuania This is the final report of the PIN/Matra project 2003/040 ‘Management This final report summarizes the findings of the reports of and Restoration of Natura 2000 sites through an Integrated River Basin the work groups and individual experts that contributed to Management Plan of the River, Lithuania’. the project and which are all copied to the CD to be found in the back cover of this report. The project was generously supported by the Dutch government under the PIN/Matra Program, which is a combination of two international See page 92 for the complete overview of the reports used policy programs of the Dutch government. Its objectives and financial as a source for the elaboration of this final report. resources fall within the remit of the Matra Social Transformation Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while it also falls under the The authors of this final report are: Erik Querner, Alterra International Policy Program on Biodiversity of the Ministry of (NL), Karina Kitnaes, Bio/consult (DK), Zenonas Gulbinas, Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. PA-NHF (LT), Arvydas Povilaitis, Lithuanian University of Agriculture (LT), Valerijus Rašomavičius, Institute of Partners and collaborating institutes in this project: Botany (LT) Alterra (NL) to for advice on the hydrological aspects of the project (water quality, water quantity). Final editing: Henk Zingstra, Wageningen International (NL) Bio/consult (DK) for guidance on the implementation of the EU Birds Printing: TerBurg BV, Alkmaar and Habitats Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive. Graphic design: Daniël Loos, Bureau Contrapunt, Institute of Botany (Lt) Wageningen/Egmond-Binnen Institute of Geology and Geography (Lt) Photos: Žydrūnas Sinkevičius, Arūnas Pranaitis Environmental Information Centre (Lt) Maps: Produced by the Institute for Geology and Geography. Station of Nature Research and Ecological Education (Lt) Joint Stock Company ‘THE UNIT’ (Lt) Copyright: All users are encouraged to freely use and multi- ply the materials and information in this publication for Individual experts and specialists from Lithuanian University of non-commercial purposes but providing sound reference to Agriculture, Water Management Institute of the Lithuanian University of this publication. Agriculture, Institute of Energy, Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, Vilnius University, Vilnius Pedagogical University and Consulting Please quote as: Company ‘Gedilieta’ were contracted to perform tasks in the project. Zingstra Henk (final edit), Gulbinas Zenonas, Kitnaes Karina, Querner Erik, Arvydas Povilaitis, Valerijus Rašomavičius; The project management was carried out by Wageningen International 2006. Management and Restoration of Natura 2000 sites in (part of Wageningen University) while the Public Agency - Nature Heritage the Dovinė River Basin; Wageningen International, The Fund was responsible for the local project management in Lithuania. Netherlands. Management and Restoration of Natura 2000 sites in the Dovine˙ River Basin Pilot project for a combined implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the EU Birds and Habitats Directive in Lithuania June 2006 2 Table of Contents Preface ...............................................................................4 5 Ecological Status of the Water Bodies according to the Water Framework Directive ..................................................................58 Executive Summary ..........................................................7 5.1 Water Bodies in Dovinė catchment .............................58 5.2 Categories of water bodies.........................................58 1 The Dovine˙ River Basin and Žuvintas 5.3 The Lake Typology and Ecological Status ...................59 Biosphere Reserve..................................................15 5.4 The River Typology and Ecological Status...................62 1.1 The Dovinė River Basin...............................................15 5.5 Management Measures to improve Ecological 1.2 The Žuventas Biosphere Reserve ................................15 Status of the Water Bodies .........................................64 1.3 Metelai Regional Park.................................................15 5.6 Comments on reference conditions and 1.4 Hydrographic changes of Dovinė river basin ..............15 ecological quality status assessments ........................67 1.5 Geomorphology, hydrography and geological composition of Dovinė river basin..............................19 6 Results from the modeling activities ..................68 1.6 Soil types and lithology of soils..................................19 6.1 Introduction ...............................................................68 1.7 Agriculture.................................................................19 6.2 Scenarios modelled with SIMGRO for 1.8 Demographic situation and tendencies ......................22 Dovinė basin ..............................................................69 6.3 Water quality modelling Žuvintas lake ........................73 2 Introduction to the project....................................23 6.4 Influence of the Simnas fishponds and recommendations for mitigation ................................74 2.1 EU legislation poses new challenges ..........................23 2.2 Negative trend in biodiversity ....................................23 7 Evaluation and proposed measures.....................75 2.3 Project development ..................................................24 7.1 General framework.....................................................75 2.4 Objectives ..................................................................24 7.2 Description of measures. ...........................................75 2.5 Outputs......................................................................25 7.3 Costs of measures .....................................................82 2.6 Approach ...................................................................25 7.4 Priorities of the measures ..........................................85 2.7 Agri-environmental measures. ...................................27 2.8 Project organisation ...................................................28 8 Awareness raising activities.................................86 8.1 Introduction ...............................................................86 3 Management planning in Lithuania......................29 8.2 Organizational structure ............................................86 3.1 Strategic planning documents ....................................29 8.3 Seminars and trainings...............................................87 3.2 Management Planning in Lithuania.............................30 8.4 Dissemination of project activities and results ...........88 8.5 Activities in the region ...............................................89 4 The Natura 2000 habitats and species in Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve .................................31 8.6 Final conference.........................................................89 4.1 The Natura 2000 sites and other protected reas of the Dovinė River Basin....................................32 List of experts that contributed to the project....................90 4.2 The Natura 2000 species in Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve ......................................................32 List of annexes ..................................................................92 4.3 The Natura 2000 habitat types in Žuvintas Biospere Reserve........................................................33 4.4 Conservation Status and Management Measures Overview of the Dovinė River Basin .............inside cover back for selected areas in Žuvintas.....................................47 4.5 The Amalvas Nature Management Plan.......................53 CD with annexes .........................................inside cover back 3 Preface The underlying report summarizes the outcomes of the Birds and Habitats Directive. It also produced the project “Management and Restoration of Natura proposals to improve the ecological status of the water 2000 sites through an Integrated River Basin bodies in the Dovinė River Basin which will be included Management Plan of the Dovinė River, Lithuania” in the program of measures of the River Basin funded by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management Plan of the Nemunas River. and Food Quality and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the PIN/Matra Program. Through the implementation of this PIN/MATRA proj- ect Lithuanian government organisations working in The project was initiated to halt the loss of biodiversity the field of nature conservation and water manage- of the Žuvintas Lake, one of the oldest nature reserves ment gained experience in cross-sectoral co-operation in Lithuania. With the entrance of Lithuania to the and increased their capacities for the implementation European Union on 1 May 2004 the project took the of European legislation on nature conservation and Birds and Habitats Directive and the Water Framework water management. But most importantly the project Directive as a starting point for designing the required provided a base for the long-term protection of the measures to reverse the down going trend. The Water Žuvintas Lake, the re-naturalisation of the Dovinė Framework Directive as well as the Birds