During 21 and 22 September in Nīca, Liepāja District, as a result of cooperation between "Vides projekti" Ltd. and the UNDP an international workshop will take place, where scientists and practicians from Latvia and Europe will discuss options, experience and challenges of evaluation of the land quality.

The land, including the soil, is a resource historically respected in European countries, still only recently the issues of land degradation are seen within the general European context. Consequently, although each separate country has accumulated both scientific and practical knowledge of monitoring and maintenance of the land quality, significant differences between the EU countries exist as refers institutional and human capacities. The aim of the seminar is to encourage discussion on land degradation issues within the European context, simultaneously raising capacity of Latvian scientists, responsible officials and other stakeholders to recognize land degradation issues, advancing their knowledge on potential solutions and actions as well as their skills to react appropriately to the needs of preventing the land quality.

Discussion during the seminar will cover the methods and technologies, applied by scientists and practicians in the world, that could be used in Latvia in order to assess the land quality indicators efficiently and to control them regularly. The debate will also deal with the role of EU in these issues, necessary institutional and financial support for land owners and holders, correlation between the land quality, global climate change and biodiversity, research required and role of inter-institutional cooperation.

Within the project "Building Capacity for Implementation of the "UN Convention To Combat Desertification / Land Degradation" in Latvia", implemented by the state enterprise “Vides projekti” and UNDP and financed by GEF, in two parishes in Latvia soil research and evaluation of land degradation risks are done – in Svēte Parish of Jelgava District and in Nīca Parish of Liepāja District. Partly on basis of the research results and also bringing together the expertise in the country and opinions of various involved parties, National Action Programme for Reducing Land Degradation has already been drafted.

The workshop, attended by the leading soil researchers from Latvia and Europe, by the representatives of the responsible Latvian government authorities, private sector and NGOs, will be the first widest debate in Latvia that will contribute to creation of a land quality monitoring system in Latvia. More information – in the section Sustainable Land Management.

Working language of the seminar – English.
Agenda for the Workshop on Land Degradation Risk Assessment and Criteria Development methodologies in Europe, September 19 – 21, 2007 enclosed.

Additional information:
Aija Jakubovska
Public Relations Officer,
UN DP/GEF project “Building Sustainable Capacity and Ownership to Implement the objectives of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Latvia”
+ 371 29144371, e-mail: Aija.Jakubovska@biosfera.gov.lv