Lithuania

This report assesses the influence of agricultural policy and regional development on the biodiversity of three selected countries: Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, and proposes directions for change. It aims at influencing policy-making in selected issues related to the agriculture sector to better conserve biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in Europe.

The aim of this international seminar was to discuss tools for ecological planning in the context of preparing for implementation of the EU Natura 2000 network, and to explore the possibilities for integrating nature conservation objectives into sectoral policies such as agriculture. This publication presents the agreed recommendations of the seminar, the guest papers and brief national overviews.

Grasslands are an overlooked and poorly protected habitat even though semi-natural and managed grassland covers 10-20% of most central and eastern European countries. As agriculture intensifies, the extent of these already scattered sites and their species richness is declining. This report brings together information on the status, distribution, vulnerability and current conservation of primarily lowland grasslands in eight countries plus the western Republics of the former USSR.