Nature photography and new solutions for grey dune restoration (Latvia)

European Green Belt Days in Latvia

The European Green Belt Days celebration in Latvia consisted of two events: a photo exhibition and a seminar on Grey dune protection.

Background & Location

The European Green Belt Days celebration began in Roja with the opening of a new photo exhibition by Swedish photographer Peo Jonsson (with the support of the Swedish Embassy in Latvia). The exhibition shows a collection of nature photographs with motifs from Latvia and Sweden. More than 30 participants attended the opening event and shared their views on Peo Jonsson's work and life in Latvia.

The closing event of the European Green Belt Days was held in Engure and focused on issues of conservation and restoration of the grey dunes, which are of high ecological importance.

Objective 

The opening event was a real example of our cultural cooperation with our neighbours. Swedish photographer Peo Jonsson was a Swede who lived in Latvia for more than 20 years. He was known not only as an expert in sustainable tourism, but also as a professional nature photographer. Both Latvia and Sweden were captured in his photographs. The photo exhibition was therefore a symbol of cross-border friendship and cooperation.

Key local experts were invited to discuss current problems in grey dune restoration and to come up with ideas and solutions. The Latvian Grey Dune Movement voiced its concerns about the slow restoration of Natura 2000 sites in order to raise awareness and promote cooperation on this issue.

Approach & Results 

The opening of the photo exhibition was a cultural event, mainly attended by locals and visitors to Roja, who learned more about the European Green Belt and nature conservation in general.

On the other hand, an expert meeting was organised in Engure where the BESTbelt project on grey dune restoration was implemented, to discuss the challenges and results of the project. Issues such as lack of funding or support from government institutions were discussed. During the seminar, participants learned about the experiences of other NGOs and grey dune restoration projects, brainstormed on important next steps and agreed to join forces.

In total, more than 40 people attended the opening of the photo exhibition and the expert exchange on grey dune restoration. An important result was the increased awareness of cross-border cooperation and grey dune restoration through social media and the Latvian Green Movements website.

Photo gallery of the European Green Belt Days celebration