03/01/2005 - Tyres. Hundreds
and hundreds of black tyres spread out as
far as the eye can see across a forest clearing,
drawing a big black spot on an almost immaculate
landscape. This could easily be the scene
of an illegal forest dumping site just about
anywhere in the world, but this particular
blemish is found at Lake Pape, on the Baltic
Sea coast of south-western Latvia.
The tyres are relics of the Cold War. Soviet
soldiers used to dispose of them on the lake,
floating them in the shape of mock boats so
that Red Army planes could use them for target
practice. This entire area, until 15 years
ago, was an off-limit military zone. Today,
it is welcoming bird watchers and nature lovers
alike.
With the exception of the tyre ‘cemetery’
— which for some reason has yet be cleared
— the Lake Pape area is an enchanting place.
It consists of a rich mosaic of wet meadows,
grasslands, forests, coastal lagoons, bogs,
sand beaches, and dunes, which attract many
animals, such as wolf, lynx, otter, beaver,
moose, red deer, roe deer, and wild boar.
It is also an important resting area for many
migratory birds. In total, 271 bird species
have been recorded around the lake, including
the endangered lesser spotted eagle, white-tailed
eagle, and the lesser white-fronted goose.
But, what is really attracting attention
these days is the introduction of wild horses
and other large herbivores, such as the European
bison (Bison bonasus) and the auroch (Bos
primigenius) — the ancestor of Europe’s domestic
breed of cattle.
The last aurochs were reportedly hunted and
killed in Poland by poachers in 1627. Since
the 1920s, however, efforts have been made
to ‘re-create’ this extinct species by back-breeding
domestic cattle from Corsica, Spain and Great
Britain, which had auroch-like qualities —
a dark coat with a light stripe down the spine,
long lyre-shaped horns, and exceeding one
tonne in weight; half the size of a rhinoceros.
The auroch, together with the wild horses
and bison, have all been reintroduced in the
Lake Pape region by WWF, as part of a project
that the global conservation organization
started in 1999 to restore the area’s natural
ecosystem.
“We are working to make this unique site
look how it was in the Middle Ages,” said
Ints Mednis, the Director of the Lake Pape
Project. “Centuries ago, horses and other
herbivores were roaming freely here, grazing
the grasslands and maintaining the balance
between forests and open landscape.”
The meadows surrounding Lake Pape were once
manually mowed for hay, but as agriculture
declined in the region they were soon abandoned.
Consequently, the meadows started to become
overgrown with shrubs and trees. If nothing
is done to curb their growth, the forests
will certainly over take these grasslands,
and the valuable and diverse natural ecological
processes that go with it.
“Normally a farmer would cut the grass, feed
his livestock with it, and send the animals
in the mowed field,” continued Ints Mednis.
“So, why not leave the entire process to large
herbivores?”
This question was answered in 1999 when 18
wild horses were introduced to the area. Their
number increased to 42 by the end of 2002,
and currently stands at 47. Recently, 25 aurochs
and five bison joined them on their 400ha
grazing area, which is being expanded on a
regular basis so as to ensure that the increasing
number of herbivores can be sustained in a
larger area.
The reintroduced wild horses are very close
to the original tarpan, which once roamed
the Baltic region in medieval times. The last
of these horses were captured in 1808 by Polish
farmers who crossed them with their own workhorses.
The result: the Konik Polski horse, known
for being strong and hard-working.
In 1936, a Polish professor started selecting
several of these Konik Polski horses that
showed similarities to their wild ancestors
and from there launched special breeding programmes.
It took several generations to bring back
wild horses that most closely resemble the
original tarpan. The wild horses at Lake Pape
were initially brought from the Netherlands,
home to more than half of the world’s population
which is estimated at some 2,500 individuals.
The horses, along with their other herbivore
grazing colleagues — the bison and auroch
— have attracted much tourist interest here.
Since 1999, the number of visitors to the
area has grown from 700 to more than 10,000
annually. This has not only boosted small-scale
tourism development in a region in search
of much-needed revenue, but it is also helping
prevent many young people from leaving Latvia’s
rural area for the larger cities, like the
capital, Riga, in search of employment opportunities.
Five years ago there were very few Bed and
Breakfast Inns (B&Bs) around Lake Pape.
Now, there are 15 of them. In addition to
the employment these small businesses generate,
WWF has since 2002 been employing four local
guides at the animals’ grazing area during
summer months. The guides make sure that visitors
do not get too close or disturb the animals.
One of the guides is hired on a permanent
basis throughout the year to deal with herd
management and control of the grazing area.
The others earn a percentage from the tickets
and souvenirs sold.
“This job is an opportunity to stay connected
with nature,” says Sandra Sedlina, a 19-year
old seasonal guide. “I like the project because
it will attract more and more people and bring
new income and job opportunities to local
residents.”
WWF has helped build basic infrastructure,
such as a bird-watching tower and two bird-watching
sites along the lake, as well as two nature
trails — measuring 9.6km- and 26km long —
and other various installations on the lake’s
shore. In addition, many information stands
and signs have been erected. Local souvenirs
made of environmentally-friendly materials
are sold at a kiosk located at the grazing
area entrance, as well as at WWF Latvia's
information centre in Pape village.
WWF also helped set up reed-cutting activities,
which helps restore open water areas in the
lake. The reeds are cut during the winter
— when the lake is frozen and when the reeds
are dry and of better quality — and then sold
for roofing, mainly to the Netherlands and
Denmark. Revenues go directly back to the
community.
WWF has been actively involving local municipalities
and inhabitants in the re-introduction project
development, where approximately 200 people
live in the area in two small villages and
surrounding farms.
“This is important as in the beginning local
residents were very sceptical about the project,”
adds Ints Mednis. “They were less interested
in conservation than in quick development,
which they see as the best solution to increase
their income. They saw wild horses as a source
of problems rather than an opportunity to
bring benefits to the whole community. Now
they are more convinced.”
The recent arrival of bison and auroch in
Lake Pape's grasslands is likely to further
boost tourism in the area. Ints Mednis dreams
that one day Lake Pape will be a true wilderness
with many herds of wild horses, aurochs, bison,
elk, and red deer, and where people have the
opportunity to enjoy life so close to such
natural wonders
The dream is becoming true.
* Olivier van Bogaert is a Senior Press Officer
at WWF International
End Notes:
• The Lake Pape wetland complex — consisting
of 51,712ha — was included in the Ramsar List
of Wetlands of International Importance in
2003. The surrounding area has been established
as a nature park (Natura 2000 site) in 2004.
• With a land surface of 63,000km2 (about
one and a half the size of Switzerland) and
a population of 2.3 million inhabitants, Latvia
is one of Europe’s smallest countries. However,
in terms of biological wealth, it is one of
the richest. Latvia still has a large population
of big carnivores, with some 400 wolves (more
than in the whole of north-western Europe)
and just as many lynx. About ten bears are
known to live in the wild in the country.
Latvia is also home to many bird species,
the most famous of which is probably the black
stork, which can be spotted here more than
anywhere else in Europe.
• Forests cover 45 per cent of Latvia’s territory.
All of the state forests are certified according
to the principles of the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC). Rural areas consist mostly
of farmland, unspoiled natural sites, villages
and small towns, regional centres, and small
industries.
• Environmental threats include overexploitation
of non-state-owned forests, illegal fishing,
damming of rivers, and intensification of
agriculture. WWF-Latvia — under its Natural
Capital for Human Welfare Programme — aims
to tackle these issues, focusing conservation
efforts on rural development, forests, freshwater,
and species. The project developed and launched
at Lake Pape is part of this programme.
