Project number:
PIN-Matra2003/040

Project name:
Management and Restoration of Natura 2000 sites through an Integrated River Basin Management Plan of the Dovine River (Lithuania)

Location:
Southern Lithuania in the counties of Alytus, Kaunas and Marijampolė, and the municipalities of Alytus r., Lazdijai r., Marijampolė and Prienai r.

Target groups:
National and regional governmental bodies on nature conservation and water management, local communities, NGO’s on nature conservation.

Implementation:

International Agricultural Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Contact person:
Henk Zingstra,
Senior Advisor on Integrated Watershed Management;
PO Box 88, 6700 AB Wageningen;
tel. + 31 317 495495;
e-mail: henk.zingstra@wur.nl

Public Agency “Nature Heritage Fund”, Vilnius, Lithuania
Contact person:
dr. Zenonas Gulbinas,
local project manager,
A. Juozapavičiaus 9-603,
LT-09311 Vilnius;
tel. +370 5 2636269;
e-mail: dovine@gamta.lt

Duration:
Project period: 1 September 2003 - 1 March 2006

Subsidy from PIN-Matra:
485.900 EUR

Overall Project Purpose

To produce a Management and Restoration Plan for the Dovine River Basin as input to the Integrated River Basin Management Plan of the Nemunas River Basin District. Through this plan appropriate tuning of achieving Good Ecological Status (according to the WFD) and achieving Favourable Conservation Status (according to the Birds and Habitats Directive) in the Dovine River Basin will be achieved.

The Management and Restoration Plan for the Dovine River Basin will include:

	Proposal to stop the eutrofication and to improve the hydrological and ecological conditions of the Zuvintas Lake as a contribution to achieving the ”Favourable conservation status” of key Natura 2000 habitats and species through achieving ”Good ecological status” of the Dovine River;
	Proposal for achieving ”Favourable conservation status” of the Zuvintas wetland areas (mire and fen areas) adjacent to the Lake and other wetlands and water bodies designated as Natura 2000 sites in the catchment of the Dovine River;
	Preparation of nature management (restoration) plan for drained Amalvas wetland;
	A Geographical Information System of the Dovine River Basin.