Country Profile - Lithuania

Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

Located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, Lithuania enjoys a temperate climate. The country occupies both the boreal and temperate biogeographic regions, with forests covering 31% of the territory. Lithuania’s characteristic biodiversity includes the white stork, whose population density is the highest of Europe, 400 species of mushrooms (Macrofungi) and the reintroduced European bison... More »

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

Protected areas include 263 State Reserves, 5 National Parks, 30 Regional Parks, 1 Biosphere reserves, 26 Biosphere polygons, and 6 state nature reserves (4 nature, 2 culture). These cover a total area of 992 068 hectares or 14.65% of the Lithuanian territory.

Percentage of Forest Cover

32.5 %.

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

This document contains a very comprehensive overview of the current status and trends of biodiversity in Lithuania, followed by a strategy section containing 31 goals divided into 6 levels of conservation (geosystematic, ecosystematic, species, genetic in-situ, genetic ex-situ and organizational). The prevention of further degradation of the karst landscape, the conservation of natural meadows by prohibiting their non-traditional use and the creation of a national collection of micro-organisms constitute a few of the goals set by Lithuania... More »

Implementation of the Convention

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target

Endangered and rare species are included in the Lithuanian Red Data Book and have legal priority protection. Furthermore, species conservation projects will be prepared for specially protected species. The National Monitoring Programme contains a special sub-programme for selected threatened species. In addition to national legislation focusing on conservation of genetic resources, the Lithuanian Plant Gene Bank is implementing a strategic programme for the conservation of plant genetic resources... More »

Initiatives in Protected Areas

Protected areas now cover 14.65 % of Lithuanian territory. The EU Birds and Habitats Directives have been applied in Lithuania and biodiversity inventories are being carried out more actively in order to select potential Natura 2000 sites. Up to now, 77 Special Protected Areas and 266 potential Sites of Community Importance have been designated, some of which are already designated as protected areas... More »

National Contacts

Full details of national contacts »

Convention on Biological Diversity

Ms. Kristina Klovaite	CBD Primary NFP, SBSTTA NFP
Mr. Džiugas Anuškevičius	Protected Areas NFP
Dr. Bronislovas Gelvonauskis	Access and Benefit Sharing NFP
Mrs. Sigute Alisauskiene	CHM NFP, GSPC NFP

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Mr. Danius Lygis	Cartagena Protocol Primary NFP
Mrs. Gintarė Blažauskienė	BCH NFP