Protected Area in Focus

Folklore Festival in Dzukija National Park, Lithuania

Folklore festival ”Saturday night” took place in Dzukija national park in Marcinkonys by the lake Kastinis in July 2008.

Razna National Park, Latvia

Not without a reason the Latgale (one of the regions of Latvia - south east part of the country) is called "the land of blue lakes" - there are around thousand lakes in the region. One of the most beautiful lakes there is Lake Razna which is also the biggest lake in Latvia if the cubic measure is taken in to consideration (405 millions m3) and because of that is often called a "sea of Latgale".

Aukstaitija National Park, Lithuania

Aukstaitija National Park was established to preserve and restore natural and cultural heritage of Aukstaitija ethnical region, as well as to organise a sustainable use of it's resources, to spread environmental ideas and raise eco-awareness.  Aukstaitija National Park covers 4,050 ha of a hilly wooded area in East Lithuania, 100 km North from Vilnius and 170 km North-Eats from Kaunas. Three administrative districts meet there. 50% of the park's area belongs to Ignalina District, 25% - to Utena and Svencionys respectively. National Park Headquarters are in Paluse, Ignalina district.

Kemeri National Park, Latvia

Kemeri National Park (KNP), located at the Gulf of Riga, just a 30 km from the Riga, capital of Latvia, was established in 1997.
Total Park's area is 380 km2 . More than a half of it is covered by diverse forest ecosystems that range from old pine stands on dry sandy soils to floodplain forests dominated by black alders ─ home to the White-backed Woodpecker, the symbol of KNP...

Lake Engure Nature Park, Latvia

The history of Lake Engure as a protected area began on April 24, 1957, when an ornithological reserve was established.

Today, Lake Engure Nature Park covers 19 762 hectares and is one of the six sites included on the Latvian Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance. Lake Engure is also a part of the Natura 2000 network.

A total number of 185 breeding bird species have been found on the lake and inside the present boundaries of the Nature Park...

Torronsuo National Park, Finland

Torronsuo National Park covers about 27 sq.km. Most of the park is made up of various types of raised bogs. The park is well known for its bird fauna. For instance, in the migrating season, large flocks of cranes can be observed...

Jostedalsbreen National Park, Norway

Jostedalsbreen National Park is a Category II park according to the IUCN classification criteria. About half of the national park is covered by ice. The glacier Jostedalsbreen is formed by a large ice sheet, from which many valley glaciers extend...

Koli National Park, Finland

White quartzite rock formations, shaped by the latest glacial period, form the core of the national park and offer outstanding views over the Lake Pielinen. The National Park seeks to preserve Koli's heritage landscape and the forests of the Koli highlands as well as maintain the plant communities created in the past by slash-and-burn cultivation.

Skaftafell National Park, Iceland

Skaftafell National Park is an oasis wedged between sand and glacier. Its unique natural beauty is a result of favourable weather conditions and the interplay of fire and ice. Beneath the Vatnajökull ice cap the hot energy of one of the world's most extensive geothermal sites clashes with the cold power of Europe's largest glacier. The history of fire and ice in the region and the way in which the powerful forces of nature have struggled to form the National Park is told in the Skaftafellsstofa Visitor Centre along with the story of the culture which has thrived in the shadow of the glacier and the lives of people surviving in an area ruled by fire and flood.

More information on the Environment and Food Agency website.